Slayer

The former Slayer drummer reflects on the band's third LP (which turns 40 this year); his love of thrash metal; and the legacy of late guitarist Jeff Hanneman.

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo reflected on one of the most uncompromising metal records of all time, SLAYER's classic third full-length effort, "Reign In Blood", which celebrated its fortieth anniversary this past Wednesday, October 7. A...

Slayer guitarist Kerry King and vocalist/bassist Tom Araya have been revealed as the hosts of a metal radio station featured in Rockstar Games' upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI.The station, titled The Chamber, is among ...

Slayer founders Kerry King and Tom Araya have picked up a new gig as metal-minded DJs for the Grand Theft Auto series. The thrash masters will be hosts on one of six new in-game radio stations featured in the upcoming GTAVI. A press release confirms that King and Araya are on-board to spin “decades of timeless metal anthems” for The Chamber 106.6, which is explained to be broadcast from GTA’s fictional U.S. state of Leonida. A preview of the station finds the pair promising to “play metal and metal only,” and that the Chamber features “no rules, just riffs.” Songs they’ve spun in miniature so far include Black Sabbath’s “I,” Pantera’s “I’m Broken” and Slayer’s “Raining Blood.” Araya further explained in a statement that The Chamber is “a new metal station for players and fans who like it fast and heavy,” and that “Slayer and GTA’s aggressive and unapologetic style of chaos makes for a whole lot of fun.” King adds: “GTA X Slayer. A true match made in Hell! Let the onslaught begin! The other stations in the game will specialize in country, pop, hip-hop, Latin music and more. Other DJ’s onboard include Bad Bunny, Morgan Wallen, Lana Del Rey, Trick Daddy, Trina and more. Rockstar Games’ GTAVI is out November 19 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. More info can be found here.

Slayer have announced a liquid-filled zoetrope vinyl pressing of Reign In Blood as part of the album's ongoing 40th anniversary celebration.The special edition of the band's third studio album is expected to arrive ...

*Not actual blood.

Forty years later, this record remains a landmark that changed the sound, speed, and possibilities of the genre

Forty years ago, SLAYER delivered one of the most uncompromising metal records of all-time, "Reign In Blood", on October 7, 1986. Executed with unrelenting speed, unmatched integrity, and unflinching intensity, the gold-certified album has influenced generations of bands to follow, resonated with le...

It seems strange now, but thrash metal was the least likely genre to break big — the speed, aggression, and DIY ethos ran counter to every prevailing rock trend. Yet four bands — METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER — rewrote the rules of heavy music and reshaped the sound of metal. In "Heavy Met...

Slayer’s impact on the world of metal is immeasurable. Indeed, the L.A. quartet — the darkest faction of thrash’s Big 4 — have inspired myriad metal acts and made worshippers out of many music fans via their signature blend of hyper-fast rhythms, haywire guitar soloing and controversial lyrics tackling anything from the occult to war atrocities to the criminally insane. While praise is routinely and rightfully heaped on the band’s first decade of aggression — from 1983 debut Show No Mercy up to 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss — there’s plenty of evil goodness to blast in the catalog past that period. So, we asked our readers to vote for the standout Slaytanic anthem released between 1994’s Divine Intervention and 2016 farewell album Repentless. These were their picks, ranked accordingly. “World Painted Blood” This week we learned that a lot of Slayer fans are still finding sanctuary in the opening title track to 2009’s World Painted Blood. There’s a traditional Slayer toughness to the piece — dark riffs arise among apocalyptic lyrics and edge-of-your set drum rumbling from Dave Lombardo. While whammied per usual, Jeff Hanneman’s guitar solo also goes oddly sci-fi with some of its more ambient, string-scraping tones. Which world are we talking about here? “Bitter Peace” Diabolus in Music, Slayer’s occasionally nu-groovy final album of the Nineties, was a divisive release among the fandom. Even Kerry King said he felt the band “got a little lost” while making the record. Opener “Bitter Peace” — and, for many die-hards, the album — isn’t quite the disaster its biggest detractors make it out to be. Hostile from the start and hardly JNCO-fied, the 90-second intro rams through caveman riffage and a brief-brooding bass section before ramping up towards a more familiar thrashing. King and Hanneman go ham with their crazed divebar shenanigans. An irregular pick for some Slayer fans, but our readers rank it high. “213” More than 30 years later, few songs in Slayer’s catalog chill you to the bone quite like true-crime creep-out “213,” a song inspired and sung from the perspective of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer — its title references the apartment number where the sicko committed various atrocities. Eerie clean channel arpeggiation bleeds into brute-force rhythm. Tom Araya levels into skin-crawling rasps while contemplating the sadistic inclinations, sexual depravity and murderous results of Dahmer’s story. Honestly, take your pick for its most unsettling lyric. Memorably gruesome. “Dittohead” “Violence is my passion. I will never be contained” Slayer kinda had something to prove with 1994’s Divine Intervention. It was the band’s first record since the departure of god-tier skinsman Dave Lombardo, and their first since alternative overcame both thrash and hair metal as the dominant rock style of the day. “Dittohead” nevertheless doubled down on Slayer’s intensity, newly instated drummer Paul Bostaph absolutely going ballistic on his kit through hyperspeed verses and double-kick-moshed bridge. The pace gets even quicker in the unhinged final verse, where a rage-eyed Araya screams of a world gone mad. “Disciple” A heavy thesis statement to Slayer’s ninth studio album, God Hates Us All, there’s perhaps no song so poisonously nihilistic in the band’s catalog as “Disciple.” Structurally, it pivots from a menacingly metallic mid-tempo pace, towards a break-neck thrash attack, and then a grimy, old-school punk-out that harkens back to the first wave of L.A. hardcore (and maybe their cover of D.I.’s “Richard Hung Himself”). Lyrically, Araya dives into the mind of a terroristic sociopath dishing out equal-opportunity hatred on a massive scale (“I reject this fuckin’ race/I despise this fuckin’ place”). That this “global chaos” was released upon the world on 9/11 remains a chilling coincidence. All these years later, it’s debatable whether god hates us all. What’s sure, though, is that Revolver readers love “Disciple.”

From a title that named an entire album to a Grammy-winning meditation on PTSD, these are the songs that carried Slayer's fury into the 21st century.

Likely the band's most personally driven record arrived on the single strangest release day in modern history

Slayer's controversial eighth album was released on September 11, 2001

They certainly didn't plan to release their music on the day of the biggest tragedy in U.S. history.

California thrash metal legends SLAYER celebrated the 40th anniversary of their classic third album, "Reign In Blood", with a headlining show — featuring the LP performed in full — on Sunday, September 6 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma. Fan-filmed video of the "Reign In Blood" portion...

The controversial thrashers are playing select dates in North and Latin America

Fan-filmed footage of Slayer performing Reign In Blood in full for the album's 40th anniversary has surfaced online. The performance took place September 4th at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, MN.The Californi...

Slayer let it reign over the weekend, having kicked off their series of 40th anniversary gigs behind landmark thrash attack Reign in Blood at Shakopee, Minnesota’s Mystic Lake Amphitheater. Last Friday’s (September 4th) bloody spectacle featured opening sets from Down, Suicidal Tendencies and Hatebreed. And then Slayer performed a double-sized set — a full-length performance of various Slaytanic cuts, and then a front-to-black rip through 1986’s Reign in Blood. Backed by humongous inverted cross amp stacks and animated visuals of Baphomet, Slayer’s first set started with the iconic slow-flowed menace of “South of Heaven.” The show also highlighted “War Ensemble,” “Hell Awaits,” “Seasons of the Abyss,” and “Mandatory Suicide.” They also delivered Repentless’ “When the Stillness Comes” for the first time since their 2019 farewell tour. The 40th anniversary set obviously began with all-time thrasher “Angel of Death.” Notably, a number of Reign tracks were performed for the first time since 2014, this including “Piece by Piece,” “Necrophobic,” “Criminally Insane” and “Epidemic.” They slayed “Altar of Sacrifice” for the first time since 2015, and “Jesus Saves” was resurrected for the first time since 2019. You’ll find fan-shot footage up above and down below. The full setlist details are below, too (via setlist.fm) Slayer also performed Reign in Blood at the Rocklahoma festival on Sunday night (September 6th), and they’ll be performing it again at Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum on November 13. That upcoming show features support from Cannibal Corpse, Cavalera and Crowbar. Slayer setlist 9/4/26:South of HeavenHate WorldwideDiscipleMandatory SuicideRepentlessWar EnsembleWhen the Stillness Comes (first time since 2019)JihadSeasons in the AbyssBorn of FireDead Skin MaskHell Awaits213Reign in BloodAngel of DeathPiece by Piece (first time since 2014)Necrophobic (first time since 2014)Altar of Sacrifice (first time since 2015)Jesus Saves (first time since 2019)Criminally Insane (first time since 2014)RebornEpidemic (first time since 2014)PostmortemRaining Blood

That set took place in Shakopee, MN this past Friday.

California thrash metal legends SLAYER celebrated the 40th anniversary of their classic third album, "Reign In Blood", with a headlining show featuring the LP performed in full on Friday, September 4 at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota. Support at the gig came from DOWN, SUICIDAL TEND...