Pioneering thrash metal band Slayer are calling it quits after nearly four decades.
The band, formed in 1981 by guitarist Kerry King and the late Jeff Hanneman, have announced a farewell tour, posting a video captioned “Slayer to make its exit with one, final world tour”.
No tour dates have been confirmed, but the final bow is slated for 2018 and expected to cover as much of the globe as a world tour would suggest.
The End is Near… #Slayer to tour the world one more time… pic.twitter.com/te57624kqp
— Slayer (@Slayer) January 22, 2018
The video ends with confirmation of Slayer’s final North American tour, coming this summer, with dates to come soon. Lamb of God, Behemoth, Testament and fellows in the Big Four of thrash, Anthrax, will join Slayer on their last outing around the US and Canada.
In a 2016 interview with Loudwire, lead vocalist and bass player Tom Araya said, “After 35 years, it’s time to like, collect my pension.”
“I’m grateful that we’ve been around for 35 years; that’s a really long time. So, yeah, to me, it is. Because when we started off, everything was great, because you’re young and invincible. And then there came a time where I became a family man, and I had a tough time flying back and forth.”
Though never fully crossing over into the mainstream like Metallica, Slayer cultivated a dedicated following over their career, releasing 12 studio albums. Their debut, Show No Mercy, was released in 1983. The band had been touring most recently in support of what may turn out to be their final album, 2015’s Repentless.
