Kathryn Hanneman, the widow of SLAYER‘s late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, has voiced support for the band’s choice to regroup this autumn for a few headline performances at festivals, marking five years since SLAYER concluded its “farewell” tour.
After concluding their last world tour in November 2019, the band, comprising Tom Araya (bass, vocals), Kerry King (guitar), Gary Holt (guitar), and Paul Bostaph (drums), will headline three prominent festivals, Riot Fest, Louder Than Life and Aftershock Festival, marking their first live appearances since then.
Following the announcement of SLAYER‘s return, Kathryn took to Jeff Hanneman‘;’s official tribute Instagram profile to write: “With the recent news of SLAYER reuniting to headline a few festivals, I thought I would let the AWESOME storm settle for a bit. I have been asked by so many of you my thoughts and opinion. First of all, I am so happy for the guys to soon be doing what they have loved to do for 36 yrs, and now almost 5 yrs later doing it again, but I am mostly happy for YOU, the fans!!! No matter ones thoughts or opinions it’s SLAYER!!! NO one saw this coming, and just enjoy having the best metal band play live again!! And, know, our Jeff will be there in Spirit, ‘“’in black’”’!!!,” which made a pun on “Spirit In Black”, a track from SLAYER album Seasons In The Abyss.
In a statement, following announcement of SLAYER‘s return, Tom Araya said: “Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that.”
Kerry King added: “Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. SLAYER means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them.”
The reunion has a quite strange timing, considering that Kerry King has recently unveiled his new solo band and announced his debut album. Additionally, he revealed that he hasn’t had communication with Araya since their last performance in 2019.
SLAYER played its final show of their farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry King‘s wife, Ayesha King, said that there is “not a chance in hell” that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more shows.
