After five years, Slayer will return to the stage headlining Riot Fest and Louder Than Life in September.
Wednesday's (Feb. 21) announcement comes as a big surprise, as the thrash legends will play Riot Fest in Chicago (September 20-22) and headlining Louder Than on Friday (September 27). Life in Louisville, Kentucky, a week later.
“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes we're on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans,” frontman Tom Araya said via press release, “and to be honest, we've lost”.
Guitarist Kerry King added: “Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. Slayer means a lot to our fans; They mean a lot to us. It’s been five years since we saw them.”
Slayer embarked on their farewell tour in the fall of 2019, playing what appeared to be their final concert on November 30 of that year at The Forum in Los Angeles. At the end of the set, King symbolically left his iconic chain on stage.
King has been the most vocal regarding what he considered a premature retirement by Slayer. He even went so far as to say that part of his “livelihood was taken away” after the band left him; Meanwhile, he almost immediately began working on a solo project in the same vein as Slayer.
More recently, King said Rolling Stone He hadn't spoken to Araya since the last shows of 2019 – “not even a text… not even an email” – which makes the news of Wednesday's reunion even more unexpected.
“If Tom hit me, I'd probably respond,” King added. “It probably depends on why he hit me, but I don't wish death on him right now.”
Apparently, King's bandmates took his scathing comments more as a call to action than criticism. According to Slayer's official press release, the reunion lineup will feature King's family quartet Araya, guitarist Gary Holt, and drummer Paul Bostaph, the same group that completed the farewell tour in 2019.
It remains to be seen whether the festival dates will be a one-off or the start of a sustained reunion. The announcement of the reunion shows comes just weeks after King launched his self-titled solo band, which will release his debut album. From hell I rise on May 17 and on tour with Mastodon and Lamb of God this summer.
The full Riot Fest lineup will be announced this spring and you can get tickets now here. Get tickets to Louder Than Life here.
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