WDHA's Metal with the Mikes is giving you the chance to win a pair of tickets to see Slayer with Knocked Loose, Suicidal Tendencies, Power Trip, Cavalera, and Exodus at Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday, September 20th!
SLAYERRRRRRRRRR! The legendary Slayer of the Big 4 of Thrash Metal has been making their rounds headlining a number of festivals since reuniting in September of 2024. Now, they are bringing the show to the east coast for their "only North American Headline Show".
Formed in 1981, Slayer hails from Huntington Park, California. The lineup has been relatively the same through the years, but currently consists of founding members Tom Araya on bass, and Kerry King on guitar, as well as Gary Holt on guitar who stepped in to replace founding member Jeff Hanneman after his passing in 2013 and Paul Bostaph on drums. Founding drummer Dave Lombardo has swapped with Bostaph a handful of times, with only one short period from 1996 to 1997 where they instead went with Jon Dette on drums.
After playing local clubs, usually doing covers of early metal icons such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Venom, Slayer was eventually discovered by Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel and signed to the label. Their debut, Show No Mercy was released in 1983 and became an underground hit, allowing the band to book a California club tour. The following June, the band released the EP Haunting the Chapel which contained the now-live staple “Chemical Warfare”.
After touring with the likes of Venom, Exodus, and UFO and rapidly expanding their fanbase internationally, Slayer’s Show No Mercy had surpassed 40,000 copies sold, leading to the recording of their second album. Hell Awaits would be released in 1985 and exploded the band into a more mainstream success. The album’s popularity led to Slayer being voted best band and best live band, the album as 1985’s best album, and Dave Lombardo as the best drummer in Metal Forces’ 1985 Readers Poll.
Then the album that really proved the staying power of Slayer, Reign in Blood, was released in 1986. The band’s first album to be certified Gold by the RIAA, Reign in Blood features two of Slayer’s most played and most popular songs to date in “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death”. Due to a number of controversial issues including the subject of “Angel of Death”, the album received little to no radio play. Despite that major setback, that didn’t stop the record from not only making it on the Billboard 200 chart but peaking at number 94.
In 1988, they followed it up with South of Heaven, a slower, more melodic offering for the band. The album was Slayer’s biggest commercial success at the time, peaking at 57 on the Billboard 200 chart. Despite the commercial success, the fans were torn on the slower approach but, as Tom Araya said, the album was a “late bloomer” that would grow on people. And that it did, as tracks like “South of Heaven” and “Mandatory Suicide” have become fan favorites live.
The next album, Seasons in the Abyss (1990) returned to the breakneck speeds of Reign in Blood while keeping the melodic approach from South of Heaven. This happy medium spawned more of the band’s hits in “Dead Skin Mask” and the fan-favorite “War Ensemble”. Following a number of well-received tours and the double live album Decade of Aggression (1991), Dave Lombardo would leave the band for his first extended absence in 1992.
Following the induction of Paul Bostaph into the lineup, Slayer would release Divine Intervention in 1994. The album was critically well received, but didn’t spawn many big hits for the band. Their follow up would be the punk cover album Undisputed Attitude released in 1996. The cover album included songs from Verbal Abuse, T.S.O.L, Minor Threat, D.R.I. and more. Their next original album would be Diabolus in Musica (1998) which incorporated nu metal characteristics, much to the chagrin of fans and critics.
In 2001, Slayer would return to a more classic thrash style with God Hates Us All. The album would lead to the band getting their first Grammy nomination for the track “Disciple”, although would fall short to Tool’s “Schism”. The album would also be Bostaph’s last with the band for 14 years, as by the end of 2001, he left the band due to an ongoing elbow injury and opening the door to Lombardo’s return.
Slayer would continue to tour with the newly reinstated Lombardo before releasing their tenth studio album Christ Illusion in August of 2006. The album would chart well in its first week, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, their highest mark on the chart. In 2008, Araya said that the band would have a “serious talk about the future of the band” coming after their 11th album’s release. King would expand, hoping to reach album 12 before officially throwing in the towel.
Their 11th album World Painted Blood was released in 2011, performing extremely well around the world and containing the tracks “Hate Worldwide” and the title track “World Painted Blood” that would become common live tracks for the later part of the band’s career. During the tour cycle for the album, Jeff Hanneman would be diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, sidelining him for most of their 2011 touring.
During the American Big 4 show in 2011, Hanneman would return to help Slayer close their set with South of Heaven and Angel of death. However, this would be his final show with the band, as between his recovery and the writing process for a new album, he was unable to go back out on tour before passing away in 2013. Despite uncertainty of the future of the band, they continued on with Gary Holt, Hanneman’s replacement during his initial recovery period.
In 2015, Slayer released their most recent and final studio album Repentless. The album contained some of Hanneman’s last writing efforts and was recorded by Holt and featured the return of Bostaph. Repentless would end up being the band’s best charting record, reaching the top 10 in all but two charting countries. There were talks about a thirteenth album, with King and Holt being the most vocally pro-recording it, however in 2018 the band announced a farewell world tour.
By the end of 2019, the band finished their farewell tour, with their manager remaining adamant that the band would just be retiring from touring. Following the tour, everyone that had a hand in Slayer remained active in music aside from Araya, who only appeared in the documentary Murder in the Front Row. When asked about reunions, most members were open to reunions but were extremely doubtful of them ever happening. Kerry King was the last to speak on the reunion, saying its very unlikely to ever happen.
Of course, that didn’t last very long, as mere weeks later Slayer announced their first show back at Riot Fest in September of 2024. Since then, the band has done a handful of festival appearances, and currently remain unsure of their future themselves, either that or they’re just playing dumb to keep people on their toes. They’ve said “this is the last one” so many times before announcing a new show, and have now announced their “only North American headlining show”. While this is currently true, only time will tell when Slayer’s farewell actually stays. Until then, they will continue to be...Live Undead.
Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.com.
Enter below for your chance to win!
Click HERE to check out our photo gallery from when Iron Maiden came around last year!
From 11:00pm on 4/11/25 to 11:59pm on 5/11/25, enter for a chance to win during this online contest. Five (5) random entrants will win a pair of tickets (2) to see Slayer at Hersheypark Stadium valued at $38.80 each (plus fees) courtesy of Live Nation. Must be at least 18 years old and legal residents of the United States. Unless otherwise specified, listeners are eligible to win in station’s contests; a prize valued under $600 only once every seven (7) days and a prize valued at $600 or more, only once every thirty (30) days. Only one winner per household (whether related or not) is permitted in any contest. Otherwise, WDHA's General Contest Rules apply and are available by clicking HERE.
