Slayer are back and the band has just announced a slew of new shows, its first in five years…
Slayer called it quits in 2019. Kerry King started a new band that sounded like Slayer. As 2024 started, no one was expecting Slayer to reform. But like a slab of pristine donner meat ready for the kebab, the band is now reformed and ready to rock.
Slayer reps have confirmed the band will headline the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, and Riot Fest in Chicago. More dates are expected to follow and, perhaps, a new album which would, of course, mean a new world tour.
Slayer Reunion 2024: Why Did It Happen?
Bands come and go. But Slayer, like Metallica, The Stones, and Converge, are wallpaper bands. The kind of bands that have been around so long, you just always assume they’re going to be around. When the band called it quits in 2019, plenty of listeners and fans were gutted.
Slayer’s best years, with respect to new music and albums, are now well behind them, same for Metallica, but in a live context – like Metallica – they’re very much the same old Slayer they’ve always been – full of energy and malice.
I saw them on their last tour and they were as loud and energetic as when I saw them 20 years ago. They sounded better too: both Kerry and Tom’s performances were markedly improved too, demonstrating that, when it comes to live performances, experience – not age – is everything.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Kerry King admitted that he had all but given up on the idea of Slayer ever doing anything again. This was why he started his new band, complete with current Slayer drummer, Paul Bostaph. And if you’ve heard them, they sound just like Slayer.
But apparently both Kerry and Tom Arayer missed playing live. The energy, the fans, the whole shebang. And I get it, I don’t think I’d ever be able to give that up. This is why bands like Metallica and The Stones are on the road so often. It’s just a hell of a lot of fun.
“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans,” Araya said in a press release. “And to be honest, we have missed that.”
King added his own enthusiastic message: “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.”
If you missed Slayer in the prime, I feel for you. The guys were legendary, unlike anything else you’ll ever see live. But they still got the chops and the sound nowadays too, as evidenced on their farewell tour in 2019. I would strongly advise anyone who hasn’t seen them to get tickets for their shows this year.
Slayer at a festival, late at night, with a stomach full of beer and other goodies, is a special kind of experience that everyone should have the pleasure of witnessing at least once.
Just make sure you get some decent earplugs.
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