Slayer confirm breakup and details of farewell tour

After announcing a final world tour yesterday (22 January), the thrash metal group have confirmed that they are disbanding after 37 years and 12 studio albums.

An Instagram post published today (23 January) reveals that Slayer “is coming to an end”. The caption reads: “Slayer will do one last concert tour around the globe to thank their fans for all the support over the years.” The post also announces their North American tour dates, for which tickets will go on sale this Friday (26 January). Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth and Testament will join them on tour.

In 2016, co-founding guitarist Kerry King told KLAQ 95.5 FM that after the band’s eventual retirement, a reunion tour will not be considered. He said, “If I gear-down not to do this, I don’t want to come back and do it any more.”

“I don’t want to be that band that goes away and comes back, and goes away and comes back. I want to play until we’re done, and be done with it,” he added.

Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman first formed the band in 1981. In 2013, drummer Dave Lombardo was ousted from the group and Hanneman died age 49. The award-winning act’s highest charting release from their extensive ouevre is 2015’s Repentless, which sold 49,000 copies in the first week. Slayer are considered to be one of the most influential metal bands, and their most popular tracks include Raining Blood and Angel of Death.

Check out the Instagram post below, and revisit Crack’s Issue 55 cover story with Slayer.

After making some of the most brutal, breathtakingly aggressive, all-hell’s-a-breaking-loose music ever created, being one of the four bands that defined an entire musical genre and being the band that other heavy acts are measured against and aspire to…after nearly 37 years, releasing 12 studio albums, multiple live recordings, compilations, live video and two box sets, playing nearly 3000 concerts in all corners of the world, receiving countless awards including five Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards, Gold records and other accolades…having its own exhibit in the Smithsonian Institute, gracing hundreds of magazine covers, experiencing the devastating loss of a founding brother, and even appearing on “The Tonight Show,” the age of Slayer, one of the greatest thrash/ metal/punk bands of this or any age, is coming to an end. Slayer will do one last concert tour around the globe to thank their fans for all the support over the years. N. American tickets public on sale Friday, Jan. 26 at 10AM local.  Ltd Slayer onstage + meet & greet + exclusive merch packages at slayer.net. MAY 10 Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, CA 11 FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA 13 Papa Murphy’s Park at Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA 16 PNE Forum, Vancouver, BC 17 South Okanagan Events Centre, Penticton, BC 19 Big Four, Calgary, AB 20 Shaw Centre, Edmonton, AB 22 Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB 24 The Armory, Minneapolis, MN 25 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL 27 Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre @ Freedom Hill, Detroit, MI 29 Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON 30 Place Bell, Montreal, PQ JUNE 1 Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT 2 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ 4 Santander Arena, Reading, PA 6 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH 7 Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH 9 KeyBank Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA 10 Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA 12 VUHL Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA 14 PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC 15 Orlando Amphitheater, Orlando, FL 17 Smart Financial Centre, Houston, TX 19 The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX 20 Austin 360 Amphitheater, Austin, TX

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