Slayer Band History: Members, Albums and Live Shows

Slayer is the thrash metal band Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981. It played a farewell show in November 2019, and reunited in 2024 for selected dates. On October 24, 2026, it plays Fort Worth for Reign in Blood’s 40th anniversary. Start with that album.

The Short Version

Formed: Huntington Park, California, 1981.
Current lineup: Tom Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt, Paul Bostaph.
Start with: Reign in Blood (1986), then Hell Awaits (1985) and Seasons in the Abyss (1990).
Texas date: Sick New World Texas, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, October 24, 2026.

How Did Slayer Form?

Slayer started in 1981 in Huntington Park, in Los Angeles County. In 1983 Metal Blade founder Brian Slagel saw the band open for Bitch at the Woodstock Club in Anaheim. He asked for a song for Metal Massacre III, and “Aggressive Perfector” led to a Metal Blade contract.

The band paid for its own debut. Araya put in savings from his job as a respiratory therapist, and the rest was borrowed from Kerry King’s father. Show No Mercy was recorded in November 1983 at Track Record Studios in Los Angeles and released on December 3, 1983. It became Metal Blade’s best-selling release, against a label average of about 5,000 copies. Our Metal Massacre history covers the compilation that found them.

The three-song Haunting the Chapel EP followed in June 1984, and Live Undead, recorded in New York in the autumn of 1984, came out that November. Hell Awaits came out on April 8, 1985. It was the last Slayer record on Metal Blade and the only one Slagel produced, and he co-financed it with the band. Three of its seven songs run past six minutes. On Metal Blade’s own page for the album, King puts it simply:

“It’s the record where SLAYER became SLAYER.”

Slayer Band Members, Then and Now

Araya and King are the two founders still in the band, with no gap other than the 2019 to 2024 break. Araya sings and plays bass, and King plays guitar. Jeff Hanneman, the other founding guitarist, played from 1981 to 2013. He died on May 2, 2013, of liver failure.

Hanneman wrote the songs Slayer is best known for. On Reign in Blood he wrote both words and music for “Angel of Death” and “Postmortem,” and the music for “Raining Blood,” with lyrics shared with King. He also wrote the music for “Altar of Sacrifice” and “Reborn.”

Kerry King, bald with tattoos on his head and arms and a long braided beard, playing a black V-shaped guitar beside Jeff Hanneman, whose long blond hair covers his face, in a black number 47 jersey — Kerry King, left, and Jeff Hanneman on stage on August 1, 2010. Photo: Ozzy Delaney, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gary Holt of Exodus first filled in for Hanneman in 2011 and became his permanent replacement after 2013. Our Bonded by Blood feature tells his first band’s story.

The drum chair moved more. Dave Lombardo quit one month into Slayer’s 1986 US tour opening for W.A.S.P., and Tony Scaglione of Whiplash filled in so the band could finish it. Lombardo returned in 1987, left again in 1992, came back in 2001 and was let go in February 2013.

Paul Bostaph took over in 1992 and has held the stool in four stints, the last two from May 2013 to 2019 and since the reunion. When he left in 1996 to work on his own project, Truth About Seafood, Slayer recruited Testament drummer Jon Dette. Dette was fired after about a year, and Bostaph returned in 1997.

Dave Lombardo in a cap and sleeveless shirt behind a clear acrylic Ludwig drum kit lit orange and white on a dark stage — Dave Lombardo drumming with Slayer in 2012. Photo: Vladimir, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Every member of Slayer, with years:

Tom Araya: bass and vocals, 1981 to 2019 and 2024 to now.
Kerry King: guitar, 1981 to 2019 and 2024 to now.
Jeff Hanneman: guitar, 1981 to 2013 (died 2013).
Dave Lombardo: drums, 1981 to 1986, 1987 to 1992 and 2001 to 2013.
Paul Bostaph: drums, 1992 to 1996, 1997 to 2001, 2013 to 2019 and 2024 to now.
Jon Dette: drums, 1996 to 1997.
Gary Holt: guitar, touring 2011 to 2013, member 2013 to 2019 and 2024 to now.
Touring fill-ins: Bob Gourley (drums, 1983), Tony Scaglione (drums, 1986 to 1987), Pat O’Brien (guitar, 2011) and Phil Demmel (guitar, 2018).

Reign in Blood and the Def Jam Years

After Hell Awaits, Slayer signed with Def Jam, the label run by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. Rubin produced Reign in Blood at Hit City West in Los Angeles between January and March 1986, with Andy Wallace engineering. It runs 28 minutes and 55 seconds.

Columbia, Def Jam’s distributor, refused to release it over “Angel of Death,” so Geffen distributed it in October 1986. It reached No. 94 on the Billboard 200 and became the band’s first US gold album. Our 1986 thrash albums guide sets it beside the rest of that year.

South of Heaven followed on July 5, 1988. Hanneman said the band knew it “couldn’t top Reign in Blood,” so it “had to slow down.” It debuted at No. 57 and went gold. Seasons in the Abyss, released October 9, 1990, on Def American, peaked at No. 40 and went gold in 1992.

Album cover of Seasons in the Abyss: a green, rotting skull face with glowing red eyes rising from a dark landscape of tombstones, framed by a red border — Cover art: *Seasons in the Abyss* (Def American, 1990)

Slayer and Megadeth co-headlined the 1990 European leg of the Clash of the Titans tour, with Testament and Suicidal Tendencies. In North America in 1991, Anthrax joined them as a third headliner, with Alice in Chains opening.

Slayer in the 1990s and 2000s

With Bostaph on drums, Slayer released Divine Intervention on September 27, 1994. Undisputed Attitude followed on May 28, 1996, an album of punk and hardcore covers that reached No. 34. Three songs are originals. King and Araya wrote “Gemini,” and Hanneman wrote “Ddamm” and “Can’t Stand You” in 1984 and 1985 for Pap Smear, a side project with Lombardo and Rocky George.

Diabolus in Musica (1998) debuted at No. 31 and sold more than 46,000 copies in its first week. God Hates Us All came out on September 11, 2001, and “Disciple” earned the band’s first Grammy nomination.

Lombardo was back for Christ Illusion, released August 8, 2006. It debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. “Eyes of the Insane” won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance, and “Final Six” won the same award in 2008. World Painted Blood followed in November 2009.

On June 16, 2010, Slayer played Warsaw with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax, the first Big Four show. Our Big Four guide covers how that grouping came about. Nielsen SoundScan counted five million Slayer albums sold in the US between 1991 and 2013.

The Farewell Tour and the Reunion

Repentless, released September 11, 2015, is the last Slayer studio album and the first with Holt. On January 22, 2018, the band announced a farewell world tour. It ended at the Forum in Inglewood, California, on November 30, 2019.

Tom Araya, long dark hair and a grey beard, singing into a microphone with his bass, alone at the front of a stage lit with green and white beams, eagle-and-pentagram banners behind him — Tom Araya at Riot Fest, Chicago, September 14, 2019, on the farewell tour. Photo: JJxFile, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The break lasted less than five years. Blabbermouth reported the reunion on February 21, 2024, with Araya, King, Holt and Bostaph. The first show back was Riot Fest in Chicago on September 22, 2024. Araya said in the announcement: “Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live.”

The band has kept it to selected dates. The Metallist reported in March 2026 that Slayer “will not record new material.” The 2026 shows are built around Reign in Blood’s 40th anniversary.

Slayer and Texas

Slayer’s deepest Texas mark is on Pantera. In a 1993 Guitar World feature, Dimebag Darrell named “At Dawn They Sleep” from Hell Awaits among his favorite songs and credited Slayer with teaching him to play with guts and aggression. Phil Anselmo told author D. X. Ferris that “Hell Awaits just holds the entire thing.”

Pantera

Arlington, Texas. Dimebag Darrell named a Hell Awaits song among his favorites. Start with Cowboys from Hell (1990).

Official Site Listen

Early Slayer also mattered at the start of Rotting Corpse. Our band history records that John Perez spent most of 1984 hunting for musicians who knew Exciter, Venom and early Slayer, before Walt Trachsler called him and Rotting Corpse began. Drummer Dave Gryder named his own order of arrival: “Metallica — Kill ’Em All, closely followed by Slayer — Show No Mercy.”

The earliest surviving Rotting Corpse footage, from a May 1986 show at Sneakers in San Antonio, has the band playing Slayer’s “Die by the Sword” alongside its own songs. Our venues page lists the date, and the clip is on the media page. The band’s 1986 tape from the Cameo Theatre in San Antonio, also on the media page, has Slayer’s “Hell Awaits” in the set, the same record Pantera kept naming.

On November 18, 2014, Slayer played Austin with Holt in the lineup, the year before Repentless. And searches for “Slayer Texas” also turn up a different band: San Antonio’s own Slayer, now S.A. Slayer, formed the same year in 1981. Our S.A. Slayer history tells that story.

Tom Araya playing bass at a center microphone under blue and white stage lights, Gary Holt at left and Kerry King in a black football jersey at right, large inverted crosses lit on the backdrop — Slayer in Austin, Texas, November 18, 2014: Gary Holt, Tom Araya and Kerry King. Photo: Ralph Arvesen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Slayer Albums: Where to Start

Reign in Blood (Def Jam, 1986): ten songs in under half an hour, and the one to hear first.
Hell Awaits (Metal Blade, 1985): longer and darker, and the record Pantera kept naming.
Seasons in the Abyss (Def American, 1990): “War Ensemble” and “Dead Skin Mask,” fast and slow on one record.
South of Heaven (Def Jam, 1988): the deliberate slowdown, with “Mandatory Suicide.”
Show No Mercy (Metal Blade, 1983): the self-funded start, with “Die by the Sword.”

Slayer

Huntington Park, California, 1981. Start with Reign in Blood (1986), then Hell Awaits (1985).

Official Site Listen Tour Dates

Where to See Slayer Live in 2026

These are the upcoming dates on the band’s own tour page, which lists every show below as of October 20, 2026. The Texas date is listed first:

Featured Texas date: October 24, 2026, Sick New World Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth. Guitar.com lists Slayer with System of a Down, Deftones, Mastodon, Ministry and Dallas’s own Power Trip. The festival’s page says it is sold out, with a waitlist.
Official page and waitlist
October 21, 2026: Mexico City, Palacio de los Deportes, with Power Trip.
Listing on Slayer’s tour page
November 13 and 14, 2026: Kia Forum, Inglewood, California, with Cannibal Corpse, Cavalera and Crowbar. Consequence billed the first night as a full Reign in Blood performance, and Blabbermouth reports the second was added after it sold out.
Listing on Slayer’s tour page
December 5 to 17, 2026: South America, with Kreator: Vive Claro - Distrito Cultural, Bogotá, on the 5th; Santa Laura Stadium, Santiago, on the 10th; Movistar Arena, Buenos Aires, on the 14th; and Nubank Parque, São Paulo, on the 17th.
Listing on Slayer’s tour page

Texas Motor Speedway seen from pit road during a NASCAR race, stock cars on the track in front of a long, packed grandstand under a blue sky

Texas Motor Speedway Open

3545 Lone Star Cir, Fort Worth, TX

The speedway in north Fort Worth hosts the first Sick New World Texas, the only Texas date on Slayer’s 2026 schedule. It was built for auto racing; a stock-car race is pictured.

Photo: Brandon Pratt via Google

Website Map Upcoming Shows

Missed Fort Worth? Follow the band’s tour page for any added dates. Kreator’s own story is in our Kreator history.

Hear Rotting Corpse

Start with “Evil Slaughter” (1986)

It’s on the spring 1986 demo, recorded the same season the band was playing Slayer’s “Die by the Sword” live in San Antonio (lyrics).

Bandcamp Spotify Instagram

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the members of Slayer?

The current lineup is Tom Araya (bass and vocals, 1981 to 2019 and since 2024), Kerry King (guitar, same years), Gary Holt (guitar, touring from 2011, full member from 2013) and Paul Bostaph (drums, in four stints since 1992). Founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman died in 2013. Founding drummer Dave Lombardo played from 1981 to 1992, with a short break, and again from 2001 to 2013.

Where and when did Slayer form?

In Huntington Park, California, in 1981. The founders were Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo.

What is the best Slayer album to start with?

Reign in Blood (Def Jam, 1986). It runs under 29 minutes, opens with Angel of Death and closes with Raining Blood. Then go back to Hell Awaits (1985) and forward to Seasons in the Abyss (1990).

Is Slayer playing in Texas in 2026?

Yes. Slayer plays Sick New World Texas at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on October 24, 2026, a show billed around the 40th anniversary of Reign in Blood. As of October 2026 the festival’s official page says it is sold out, with a waitlist.

Is Slayer making a new album?

No. The band announced its reunion on February 21, 2024, for festival dates only, and reports on the 2026 anniversary shows say it will not record new material. Its last studio album is Repentless (2015).