For the first time since the band wrapped the last concert of its world tour back in November 2019, SLAYER — Tom Araya (bass, vocals),Kerry King (guitar),Gary Holt (guitar) and Paul Bostaph (drums) — will return to the stage this fall, headlining two major festivals, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life.

“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans,” Araya said, “and to be honest, we have missed that.” 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.”

“We’re thrilled to announce that SLAYER will be reuniting for an earth-shattering performance at Louder Than Life,” says Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents. “I was at their last show at The Forum in 2019 and have been working since then to bring them back to the Louder stage! With over 140 bands on five stages, we’re celebrating our 10th Louder Than Life with the biggest lineup yet!”

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry’s wife Ayesha said that there is “not a chance in hell” that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

SLAYER’s final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band’s intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.