Slayer Tickets

Slayer is a famous American band, often grouped as one of the Big Four of thrash metal, alongside other greats such as Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth. From Huntington Park in California, they have been active since 1981 and are today one of the most prominent bands in metal. Slayer is to metal music what Led Zeppelin was to hard rock.

The band's albums have been released by labels such as American Records, Metal Blade Records and Def Jam Records. They often play live with fellow Big Four bands, Anthrax, Megadeth and Metallica, as well as with the likes of Exodus. Their members are lead vocalist and bassist, Tom Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Kerry King. Thousands buy Slayer tickets for their concerts every time they take to the stage and well who can blame them as that that is their chance to catch these legends live.

Slayer was founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Kerry King. Lombardo met guitarist Kerry King in 1981, striking up a friendship because of their similar tastes in music. Hanneman soon joined the pair, with Tom Araya recruited soon afterwards as the vocalist and bassist.  They have gone on to sell over twenty million copies worldwide, a massive figure for a metal band. They play with a style that has become their signature.  The band's  music often covers a wide range of topics, from religion to warfare. Slayer have always been at the center of massive media coverage because of their stature.

They started off playing covers of songs by legends such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden at venues all over Southern California. The band then went on to open for the band Bitch at Anaheim's Woodstock Club. Their live performances caught the attention of music journalist Brian Slagel, who had recently founded the record label, Metal Blade.  He approached Slayer and asked them to record a song for his compilation album, Metal Massacre III. They were soon signed to the label.

Their first album, Show No Mercy, was released in 1983 and became quite popular in the underground music world. Their first tour kicked off in 1984 which lead to the band increasing their fan base considerably. Slayer's next release was an EP in 1984, titled Haunting the Chapel which as their first recording tilted towards a more thrash oriented style that has become their hallmark.

Later that year, they went on the Combat Tour with Exodus and Venom. Slayer then came out with a live album. Their second album, Hell Awaits, was released in 1985. It was a massive success that earned plaudits from every corner. The success of the album paved the way for them and the album got accolades such as Metal Forces' Best Band, Best Live Band and Best Album of the Year.

Slayer then went on to sign for Def Jam Records and released Reign in Blood in 1986. The album charted on the Billboard 200 and was soon certified gold. Their 1988 release, South of Heaven, rose even higher up the charts and didn't take too long to go gold. It drew a lot of praise from critics like the Rolling Stone and Allmusic as well.

Slayer have released hit album after album from that point onwards, such as 1994's Divine Intervention which went as high as the eighth spot on the Billboard 200. Their 2006 album, Christ Illusion, captured fifth place on the Billboard 200 and sold more than sixty two thousand copies in its first week of release.

Slayer's discography consists of eleven studio albums, two EPs, two live albums, one box set and six music videos. Multiple albums have been certified gold and above that have gone on to win them five Grammy Award nominations and two Grammy Awards. They regularly headline the biggest festivals in the world, performing at events such as Ozzfest, Unholy Alliance and Download festival. They have hit the road once again for another epic tour so if metal is your thing then grab your Slayer tickets and catch one of genre's biggest names live in concert.