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Everyone and their mamma were excited and surprised with the announcement of Slayer making a handful of festival appearances later this year, a revelation that came five years after what was purportedly the band’s farewell tour.

However, while talking to U.K.’s Metal Hammer magazine about his upcoming debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, Slayer‘s guitarist Kerry King has quelled any hopes of a full-blown revival for the band, asserting that those shows are merely a commemoration, not a precursor to recording or touring. Which is also what Pantera said initially, so we’ll see what happens.

King expressed mixed feelings about such Slayer‘s return to the stages, citing less-than-ideal timing. “It’s not going to translate into recording, and it’s not going to translate into touring,” he affirmed. “For me, it’s three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, ‘Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?’ celebration.”

King also addressed his relationship with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Despite their longstanding partnership, King admitted to a lack of communication, emphasizing their diverging interests and outlooks.

“It’s not like I’m angry with him or anything. We’re very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don’t need to talk to him every day… We just don’t have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I’ll have no problem showing up. We’re professionals, and that’s what we do.”

Delving into the inception of his upcoming album, and continuing with his trademark sound, King shared: “I still write riffs that make me lift my guitar over my head and do a little victory dance because I’m so stoked with how they sound. There’s a whole new energy to this record and a whole new excitement, but it’s not a whole new me, because I’m not finished being me. And if you like what Kerry King does as much as I like what Kerry King does, you won’t be disappointed.”

“I think of myself as a fan first, so if I’m into it and I think it’s something really special, I think my fans are going to think it’s awesome,” he concluded, referring to From Hell I Rise.

Slayer – currently Tom Araya on bass and vocals, guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt, and Paul Bostaph on drums – will play three festivals later this year (dates below).

9/22 Riot Fest Chicago, IL
9/27 Louder Than Life Louisville, KY
10/10 Aftershock Sacramento, CA

Meanwhile King‘s debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, drops on May 17, and he will be on tour with Lamb Of God and Mastodon (playing their 2004 albums Ashes Of The Wake and Leviathan in full) alongside Malevolence on the dates below. Get your tickets here.

7/19 Grand Prairie, TX Texas Trust CU Theatre
7/20 Austin, TX Germania Insurance Amphitheater
7/21 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall
7/23 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place
7/24 Orlando, FL Orlando Amphitheater
7/25 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
7/27 Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheater
7/28 Richmond, VA Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
7/30 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
7/31 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
8/1 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
8/3 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
8/4 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena
8/6 Bangor, ME Maine Savings Amphitheatre
8/8 Reading, PA Santander Arena (w/ Unearth, no Malevolence)
8/9 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion (w/ Unearth, no Malevolence)
8/10 Sterling Heights, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre @ Freedom Hill (w/ Unearth, no Malevolence)
8/13 Moorhead, MN Bluestem Center For The Arts Amphitheater
8/15 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
8/16 Penticton, BC South Okanagan Events Centre
8/17 Kent, WA accesso ShoWare Center
8/18 Portland, OR Theater of the Clouds
8/21 Los Angeles, CA The Kia Forum
8/23 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre
8/24 Rio Rancho, NM Rio Rancho Events Center
8/25 El Paso, TX El Paso County Coliseum
8/27 Magna, UT The Great Saltair
8/29 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/31 Omaha, NE The Astro Amphitheater