Sandra Araya, the wife of SLAYER‘s bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, 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 two prominent festivals, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life, marking their first live appearances since then.
Three days following the announcement of SLAYER‘s return, Sandra took to her Facebook and Instagram profiles to share her thoughts. She wrote: “Let’s clarify for the trolls: Tom was done with playing. I have harassed him for over a year. He agreed FINALLY. We shared that news with SLAYER‘s awesome managers and they did the rest! So yes without Tom it wouldn’t have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn’t have happened. But go ahead with your drama! I however will be enjoying a few shows and I’m thankful he loves me and the fans enough to do this”.
On the day SLAYER‘s return was announced, Gary Holt‘s wife Lisa took to her social media platform to express her thoughts, writing: “Yes, it’s true..and an exciting adventure for the band and fans !
“To all the people saying ‘they are liars’ ‘they must have ran out of money’ ‘its not SLAYER without so and so’ ..I have an idea for you all…DON’T GO.. and for all the people who did go to the final tour dates and enjoyed it…awesome!!
“This isn’t a ‘TOUR’ it’s some dates..and GREAT NEWS!!!” she added. “And everyone that thinks they know all the inside info..you can’t possibly know. so just enjoy the fact that this amazing band will play some amazing shows this year…go or don’t..nobody cares!!!!!”
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.”
So far the following dates have been announced:
Sep. 22 – Riot Fest – Chicago, IL
Sep. 27 – Louder Than Life – Louisville, KY
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.
