• Always watch the tour dates page for the latest tour dates!

• March, 1999

  Another Slayer tribute has been released - this one is called "Straight To Hell".

• August 11, 1998

  Columbia have reissued some of Slayer's classic recordings:

  • Reign In Blood has been remastered and released in an "expanded version" with two "rare" bonus tracks: a remixed version of "Criminally Insane" and the fast version of "Aggressive Perfector".
  • South of Heaven - remastered.
  • Seasons in the Abyss - remastered.
  • Decade of Aggression
  • Divine Intervention
  • Undisputed Attitude

• March 5, 1998

  Slayer will be part of the Ozzfest 1998 tour this summer!
  They will perform together with Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Foo Fighters, Soulfly (Max Cavalera's new band), Fear Factory, Coal Chamber, Life of Agony, Entombed, Human Waste Project and Neurosis. (This is a preliminary list, and the line-up is likely to change.)

  There's a separate page about the new album! Check it out!

• January 25, 1998

  • As you have probably noticed, the new Slayer album hasn't been released yet. I still haven't received confirmation of the Venture record deal - instead, intense rumours about a record deal with Sony Music/Columbia Records are circulating the 'net. The new record is said to be released on May 2nd. As always, I'm very grateful for any news you might have - official or unofficial.
    
  • Web chat with Dave Lombardo! February 8th at 6 PM EST - the place is Rockonline!
    
  • According to the Insane Clown Posse site Slayer play cameo in a porno movie called "Back Stage Sluts". Here's what they wrote:
    
    "Check this out... While ICP was in L.A. last week a low budget film company shot a fuckin porno movie in ICP's tour bus! Starring world famous porno kinds and queens Julie Rage, Jacquelyn Lick, Rod Steel, Rayleen and more. The film features cameo appearances by Mega Death, Might Mighty Boss Tones, Slayer and now for some reason ICP. I guess what happens in the movie is the bands tell stories about shit that happened to them backstage with groupies and then the porno ninjas act it out. Well everybody know that ICP are idiots and they never get any chicks back stage so they just made shit up. During filming the camera crew was nice enough to let Shaggs and J hold the lights and enjoy a ring side seat to the action. The movie is called "Back Stage Sluts" and will be out this fall at your local porn house. Just ask your dad where it is at!"
    
    I find this hard to believe, but again, it might be true, so here you are. :) If anyone has actuall seen this movie, please contact me.
    
  • Here's what Kerry said about the new album in an interview in the January issue of Metal Hammer:
    
    Kerry: -CUT- There's definitely some brutality on the new record, you don't have to worry about missing any of that.
    Interviewer: Would you be happy with 'War Ensemble' being used as a soundtrack to an advertisement for army recruitment?
    Kerry: Oh yeah! We have a new song called 'Bitter Peace' on the new album which would be cool. It's a war song but it's more modern than any war song we've done. We've done some different things with Tom's voice this time. It sounds like *War Ensemble' updated. Jeff wrote the lyrics to that one. He's the war guy.
    Interviewer: Do you still generate a lot of aggression that needs to be worked out by playing live?
    Kerry: I can't wait to tour in '98, and that's me saying that who hates to tour! In the early years I really hated touring, but with the last couple of records I have learnt to deal with it. I hate all the down time, but I wouldn't trade being onstage for anything. That is what makes the tour worthwhile; all the other time is dull. With the next touring cycle I am going to write whilst on the road, so we can come straight back and kick another record out.

• November 2, 1997

  A small notice in the November issue of Metal Hammer said:

  "San Franciscan metal gods SLAYER have finished recording their seventh, and as yet untitled, studio LP in LA. The band are currently shopping for a new record deal, following a buy-out of their old label American [Recordings]. It now looks likely that the new album will not be released until early next year."

  Dimitris Kladiskakis wrote me saying that Rick Rubin, the owner & president of American Recordings has started a new record company called Venture. Slayer have been signed to Venture and the new album will be released late January/early Febuary.

• September 20, 1997

  News about the new album! From the September issue of Metal Hammer:

  California based metal gods Slayer have officially entered the studio to record their as yet untitled seventh original studio album, which is tentatively planned for a Halloween release. -CUT-

  "This one is heavy as hell" roars the shaven headed guitarist. "There's not nearly as much focus on speed as there was on "Divine...", which was particularly fast. We didn't concentrate on doing fast ones for the sake of it, although, of course, there are still a few real fast ones. The heavy songs are really heavy in the same way that 'Gemini' (from '96's 'Undisputed Attitude') was.

  The jump between 'Reign In Blood' and 'South Of Heaven' was probably the biggest departure we're ever done and though this one represents a similarly big jump, we've already proved we can slow down and maintain the intensity, so it probably won't be such a shock. We're not mimicking 'South Of Heaven'; if anything, this one is slower, heavier and far more crunching."

  Does the guitarist believe that members of Slayer's infamously hardcore 'Slatanic Wehrmacht' fan club will embrace the new direction?
  I wish people would want to hear stuff like this, period!" he laughs. "One of the things that got me off to such a slow start in writing for this one was because I was so discouraged and pissed off every day by what was popular. -CUT-

  In the past, writing new songs has been seen as an arduous task by the Slayer men, but this time, according to King, the writing has been more of a group effort, with even the newly reinstated Paul Bostaph, back behind the drumkit after a two year hiatus, contributing to the 12 new tracks.

  I don't know what happened with getting Paul back in the band!" jokes King. "It was brought to out attention that both he and (Dave) Lombardo were interested in being back with Slayer and we hadn't anything real committed with (John) Dette, so out of the three we've had, we went for Paul.

  I don't think we could ever seriously consider taking Dave back, there's too much water under the bridge for all that. I ran into him at a Pantera for the first time since we parted ways earlier this year and I told him then that I wished him well. I don't sit at home wishing that the guy dies or anything, I just don't think about him at all. I heard the first Grip Inc record and...er...let's just say that it wasn't to my tastes. -CUT-
  [End of article]

  Comments: According to this article and other news I've heard, the album is set to be released about Halloween (i.e. late October), but I've also heard rumours that it has been set back until January next year. Personally, I'm inclined to believe the latter date - Halloween is pretty soon, and there still hasn't been any official news about the album.

• July 12, 1997

  Slayer are soon to be featured on the "Spawn" movie soundtrack (available on July 29th from Sony Music). Together with Atari Teenage Riot, they've recorded the song "No Remorse (I Wanna Die)". Listen to the song on the sounds page and buy it from CD Universe. The movie is due to be released in August.

• April 29, 1997

  The OzzFest CD and Video have been released. Check out samples on the sounds page and buy it from CD Universe!

• April 11, 1997

  News from Paul Bostaph:
  Slayer are about one month away from going into the studio to record the new album (9 songs are complete or nearly complete).
  There have been some rumours lately about a supposed Slayer split. This is false, so relax, people!

• February 8, 1997

  From the official Slayer home page at American recordings comes the following info:
  New Slayer Live Track!
  The first release on Ozzy Ozzbourne's new record label "Ozz Records" will feature a live Slayer song. Slayer's classic "Angel Of Death" will be featured from their October 26th performance in San Bernadino's Blockbuster Pavillion! The album is slated for release in early May of this year!

• January 27, 1997

  Jon Dette has left Slayer and is being replaced by Paul Bostaph!

  This has been confirmed to me by sources close to the band!

  Here is the news posting from myscars@aol.com in alt.rock-n-roll.metal.

  John Dette has reportedly been fired from SLAYER last week over his alleged inability to get along with some of the bandmembers (i.e. Jeff and/or Tom). In his place, SLAYER have re-recruited Paul Bostaph and are continuing to work on material for their next studio album, which should be recorded sometime in the spring. Incidentally, Paul recently expressed interest in going back to playing heavy music after spending the better part of the last couple of years folling around in a non-metal project by the name of THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD, a band that he's no longer part of.

• January 11, 1997

  Slayer news from the December 1995 issue of Metal Hammer (British monthly metal magazine):
  Slayer are ready to go into the studio on January 1 to record what will be their ninth full-length album. Speaking exclusively to Metal Hammer, Slayer's slap-headed guitarist Kerry King revealed that, although as yet untitled, he wanted the album to reveal a new direction for the L.A. speed metal gods.
  "We've already written four new songs, but I think we need to do something different," he explains. "I want to keep all the elements that people expect from a Slayer record, but we're going to have to add something new this time." -CUT- "We're always going to have that aggressive sound whatever we do, because we're Slayer and that's what we do!" -CUT-

• December 8, 1996

  Inside news from Kevin Dette (Jon Dette's brother):
  Slayer are working on ideas on their 12 track recorder in their jam room, but Tom hasn't come in yet, so there are no vocals or bass tracks. Jeff is doing a lot of the writing, and one of the song ideas has "double bass super super fast all the way through". The posted date for studio entrance is January, as said before.

• Apparently, Slayer have not been sued yet. The case will first be taken to court, and if the defendants are convicted, Slayer and American Recordings might be sued.
  (Reprinted with permission from the Mad Moshers Music page. :-)
• Slayer have been sued by the parents of 15-year-old Elyse Marie Pahler , who was stabbed, raped and tortured by three young metal fans, members of a band called "Hatred". The parents blame Slayer for inspiring the kids to perform the act, and sue American Recordings and the enire band.
  (Reprinted with permission from the Mad Moshers Music page. :-)
• Slayer are currently almost done touring, and are recording the next album, which might be out this winter. (I am not sure about this, please mail me if you know for sure.)
• In case you didn't know, Paul Bostaph has left Slayer. The new drummer is Jon Dette, formerly in Testament.

Do you know what's going on with Slayer? Rumours? Tour dates? Anything? Mail me!

The Abyss
Maintainer: Janek Hellqvist
Feedback to janek@slaytanic.com