SLAYER Reunion Heats Up, But New Music and Tours Stay Cold
Thrash metal legends SLAYER are revving up their engines for a limited festival run in September and October, but guitarist Kerry King has doused any flames of hope for a full-blown reunion tour or new music.
This announcement comes just weeks after King unveiled his solo project, simply titled KERRY KING, and it’s forthcoming album “From Hell I Rise”, featuring an all-star cast of musicians. Collaborating with the seasoned 59-year-old guitarist on the project are Mark Osegueda, the vocalist from DEATH ANGEL, Paul Bostaph, the enduring drummer from SLAYER, Kyle Sanders, the former bassist of HELLYEAH, and Phil Demmel, the ex-guitarist of MACHINE HEAD and VIO-LENCE
King discussed the upcoming SLAYER reunion shows in a recent talk with U.K.’s Metal Hammer magazine, and also touched on his upcoming debut solo album, which arrives on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Admitting that the announcement of SLAYER‘s comeback “was not my favorite timing”, Kerry said that the SLAYER reunion “is not going to translate into recording and it’s not going to translate into touring. For me, it’s three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, ‘Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?’ celebration.”
Kerry added that he still has not spoken to SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya since the news of the band’s reunion was announced. “It’s not like I’m angry with him or anything,” King said. “We’re very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me, and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don’t need to talk to him every day… We just don’t have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I’ll have no problem showing up. We’re professionals, and that’s what we do.”
Five years after their apparent farewell tour, SLAYER will reunite at Aftershock, Riot Fest, and Louder Than Life festivals with the same lineup that shredded stages in 2019: Tom Araya on vocals and bass, King and Gary Holt (also of EXODUS) on guitars, and Paul Bostaph behind the drumkit.
Remember that emotional goodbye at the Forum in Los Angeles back in November 2019? Turns out, it wasn’t quite the end. King‘s wife even declared a “not a chance in hell” for a reunion back then. But hey, here we are!
Just days after SLAYER‘s reunion was announced, Tom Araya‘s wife wrote on social media that she “harassed him for over a year” before he “agreed finally” to play more shows with the band. “We shared that news with SLAYER‘s awesome managers and they did the rest!” she explained. “So yes without Tom it wouldn’t have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn’t have happened.”
In a statement confirming the band’s return, Tom said: “Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that.” King added: “Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. SLAYER means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them.”
Oddly enough, just a few weeks before the group’s reunion was publicly announced, Kerry told Rolling Stone that he didn’t foresee SLAYER coming back together for the foreseeable future.
“Will SLAYER tour again? I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen. Could SLAYER play a show again? I’m sure there’s a scenario,” King said, adding that he hadn’t spoken to Araya since that final show. “Am I looking for it? No, I’m just getting ready to start my [solo] career. So if that happens, it happens. But I’m going to be doing this for the next 10 years at least.”
This limited festival run throws a curveball at fans who embraced the iconic thrash metal act’s extensive farewell tour, which kicked off in 2018 with the intention of giving everyone a chance to witness their final chapter. The 18-month trek saw them conquer 7 tour legs, festivals, and over 140 shows across 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.
So, what about King‘s solo project? Will much be affected by the SLAYER reunion announcement? Not really, as it plans to continue to steam forward. But of course, we’ll have to wait for another story to dive further into that shred-fest. For now, metal fans can mark their calendars and prepare to headbang once again with arms out stretched and devil-horns protruding!