R.I.A.A. Certified...
REIGN IN BLOOD • Gold (Nov. 20, 1992)
SOUTH OF HEAVEN • Gold (Nov. 20, 1992)
SEASONS IN THE ABYSS • Gold (April 9, 1993)
DIVINE INTERVENTION • Gold (December 6, 1994)
WAR AT THEWARFIELD (Video) •Gold (February 6, 2004)
STILL REIGNING (Video) • Gold (July 20, 2005)
In the beginning, when there were no blueprints, no set paths, no boundaries or steps to follow, SLAYER assaulted the world with its new hybrid of metal and punk. Heavier, faster and darker than the rest, Slayer set the new standard which all others continue to follow. Slayer - Tom Araya/bass & vocals, Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman/guitars, and Dave Lombardo/drums - is the band that other heavy acts are measured against, defining not only a genre but an attitude. For nearly three decades, Slayer's onslaught of sheer brutality has proven them to be the supreme thrash-metal band on the planet. The two-time Grammy-winning band has also accumulated an abundance of Certified Gold Albums along with "Best..." awards from media outlets all over the world, including Kerrang!, SPIN, Metal Hammer, Revolver, and Esquire. Throughout Slayer's history, the band 
has never faltered in unleashing its extreme and focused sonic assault, and, unlike many of their contemporaries who "commercialized" their sound, Slayer has remained crushing and brutal, steadfastly refusing to cater to radio programmers. And they are as focused and true today as ever. Slayer has just completed recording 11 brand new ferocious tracks for its as yet untitled album set for a Summer 2009 release.
What can fans expect? Araya gives a glimpse, citing favored topics "...death, murder, chaos, destruction, the Apocalypse, World War Two atrocities, serial killers, domestic violence... it's a Slayer album." The four musicians first went into the studio last October with producer Greg Fidelman (Rick Rubin is executive producing the new release). They recorded three songs, one of which they completed - "Psychopathy Red" - that leaked on the Internet last fall and has been listened to nearly one-million times. Hanneman brought "Psychopath Red" to the sessions, his inspiration being the heinous Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo who confessed to brutally murdering 56 children. "Psychopathy Red" was released on blood-red vinyl especially for April 18th's "Record Store Day," as a limited-edition 7-inch single, and about the only place you can find one of these today is on eBay. Slayer and Fidelman re-entered the studio in late January, and have taken their time - three to four months - to record this new gem. In addition to "Psychopathy Red," other confirmed yet enigmatic song titles include "Playing With Dolls," "Beauty Through Order," and "Unit 731." Few bands come close to matching the intensity that Slayer brings to its live shows, having been named "Best Live Band" by Revolver, SPIN, and Metal Hammer. No wonder fans are looking forward to seeing Slayer this summer when they co-headline (with Marilyn Manson) the Mayhem Festival.
Slayer has influenced many of music's most successful bands, from Ministry and Deftones to Slipknot, Sepultura, and Killswitch Engage, and continues to earn new generations of fans while staying true to its ceaselessly devoted followers. Throughout its history, Slayer has played host to many band's breakthrough tours, taking out System of a Down, Hatebreed, Chimaira, In Flames, and Clutch, among others. Slayer's legacy is cemented in music forever and the band remains undaunted in its directive to make punishing, aggressive and exciting music.
SLAYER TIMELINE…
1981 – Slayer has its genesis in Huntington Beach, CA. Jeff Hanneman, a telemarketer at the time, and Kerry King first met when they auditioned for the same band. Tom Araya had played with Kerry in another band called Quits, and at the time was working in a hospital as a respiratory therapist. Dave Lombardo was the last to join – his path crossed Kerry and Jeff ’s when he delivered a pizza to them. Slayer plays its first show as a band – the Southgate Park Auditorium on Halloween.
1982 –Metal Blade founder/president Brian Slagel sees Slayer for the first time at a club in Anaheim, CA playing mainly Iron Maiden and Judas Priest covers.
1983 – Slayer signs with Brian Slagel’s Metal Blade Records and begins recording their first album, SHOW NO MERCY. Upon its release, the band embarks on its first major U.S. tour. Slayer records their Haunting the Chapel EP which consists of three tracks – the title song, “ChemicalWarfare,” and “Captor of Sin.”
1985 – Hell Awaits, the band’s second album, is released and sells more than 100,000 copies in the US. alone. Slayer tours Europe for the first time, their first show being in Belgium as part of the Dynamo Festival. The band comes to the attention of producer Rick Rubin who signed them to his Def Jam Recordings label.
1986 – Reign in Blood is released and hailed as the best thrash-metal album of all time. “Angel of Death,” a song that deals with Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele and the experiments he did on his patients during the Holocaust, plus Hanneman’s interest in and collection of Nazi-era paraphernalia, led people to believe that Slayer were Nazis. Reign in Blood, which ran only 23-minutes, sold well over a half-million copies, becoming Slayer’s first Gold album. Dave Lombardo quit the band just before the Reign in Blood tour was set to begin; Tony Scaglione from Whiplash joined Slayer for that tour. Dave rejoined the band in time for the RiB European dates.
1988 – Slayer records South of Heaven. With the speed, intensity and over-the-top success of Reign in Blood, for the first and last time, the band members discussed slowing their playing down for South of Heaven. Tom “sang” more than “screamed”, and the album was much heavier and more instrumental than was Reign in Blood. It wasn’t until later that everyone – fans and the band – realized that while it had a different sound than its predecessors, it was still a classic. It also yielded two of the best songs the band ever wrote and recorded – the title song and “Mandatory Suicide.”
1990 – Slayer write and record Seasons In The Abyss, then traveled to Egypt to shoot the video for the title track. Slayer co-headlines with Megadeth, the inaugural “Clash of the Titans” tour, first in Europe, and then in the U.S. the following May.
1991 -The “Season in the Abyss” limited edition single was packaged and released as a “blood pack,” and featured the title track, an experimental mix of the title track, and a “fast version” of “Aggressive Perfector.” Dave Lombardo leaves Slayer for the second time. “I was absolutely burned out. It was album after album, tour after tour – it was never-ending. I was done.”
1992 – Paul Bostaph, formerly drummer with Forbidden, joins Slayer, and the band heads out on the Monsters of Rock tour.
The band collaborates with Ice-T on “Disorder,” written and recorded specifically for the “Judgment Night” soundtrack. The song also appeared on Slayer’s Soundtrack to the Apocalypse box set in 2003.
1994 – Slayer releases Divine Intervention, the first album recorded with Paul Bostoph on drums. The album debuts on the Billboard charts at #8 and quickly achieves Gold status. The CD booklet for Divine Intervention also boasts the controversial photo of Mike Meyer, the fan who carved the word “Slayer” on his arm with a razor.
1996 - Slayer is sued by the parents of a 15-year old girl who claim that the band’s lyrics influenced their daughter’s murderers. It took five years for the suit to be thrown out of court. Undisputed Attitude, an album of punk song covers (Black Flag, Minor Threat) plus three new Slayer tracks, is released. Paul Bostaph quits Slayer to concentrate on his new band, The Truth about Sea Food. John Dette, drummer for Testament, signs on. Slayer plays major festivals in Europe and then co-headlines the first edition of Ozzfest in America. Things didn’t go smoothly with Dette, and The Truth about Sea Food didn’t work out, so Bostaph returned as Slayer’s drummer.
2001 – God Hates Us All was recorded in Vancouver and released on September 11. The night before, American Recordings hosted a release party in a mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery; the band then drove to an in-store where they autographed copies of the new disc from midnight to about 4AM. Slayer had been scheduled to fly to Europe the evening of the 11th to begin the “Tattoo the Planet” tour, but all flights had been halted, and the tour was postponed. The band toured the U.S. behind God Hates Us All, and a few days before that tour ended, Bostaph quit again. And Dave came back to stay.
2004 – July- Slayer films the DVD “Still Reigning” in Augusta, ME, plays the entire Reign in Blood album start-to-finish, and gets drenched in fake blood at the end of the performance.
2006 – Slayer begins work on Christ Illusion, a blistering critique of the Bush administration and the first album in 15 years recorded with the original band lineup. The album was released on August 8, and debuted at #5 on Billboard’s 200 Albums charts, the band’s highest-ever chart debut. Kerry: “The album was originally supposed to come out on 6/6/06, but we decided we didn’t want to be part of what ended up as parody.” With the vocals for just one song – “Final Six” – to complete, Tom Araya has to have an emergency gall bladder operation.
August, 2006 –The City of Fullerton, CA demands that 17 promotional bus benches scattered throughout the city promoting “Christ Illusion” be immediately removed. The city does not like the name of the band, which they feel refers to murderers. They are also offended by the Antichrist and skull logo on the bench artwork.
October, 2006 – Christ Illusion is banned in India due to the album’s cover art and the track “Skeleton Christ,” as “the lyrics are an insult to Christianity,” stated Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum (CSF). The CSF also sent a memorandum to Mumbai's police commissioner adding that the album "will affect the sensibilities of the Muslims on the track 'Jihad' and secular Indians who have respect for all faiths." EMI India recalled the album.
November 2006 – Slayer makes its first visit to a military base – 52nd Services Squardron located on the Spangdahlem US Air Force base in Germany – to hang out with the troops, and put on a special concert.
January 19, 2007 – makes network TV appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
February 11, 2007 - Slayer wins its first Grammy Award - “Eyes of the Insane” – Best Metal Performance from Christ Illusion
February 25, 2008 - Slayer’s Rock Hard Limited Edition Helmets go on sale.
October, 2008 - Slayer records three brand-new songs to be included on their next album, due out Summer 2009.
January, 2009 - Slayer returns to a Los Angeles studio with producer Greg Fidelman to finish recording their new album, expected out July, 2009.
June 24, 2009 - Slayer kicks off a four-date Canadian tour co-headlining with Megadeth. These are the first dates these bands have played together in more than 15 years.
July 10, 2009 – The Mayhem Festival 2009 begins in Sacramento with Slayer and Marilyn Manson co-headlining.
