Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, bassist-singer Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo. Araya and King were the only two constant members, with Lombardo twice replaced by Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt taking over guitar after Hanneman’s death in 2013.

Slayer rose to fame with its widely acclaimed 1986 release Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, as well as being one of the heaviest and fastest metal bands of all time. Between 1991 and 2004, the band sold more than 3.5 million albums in the United States.

Slayer’s musical style involves fast tremolo picking, double bass drumming, riffs in irregular scales and shouted vocals. Throughout the band’s career, King, Hanneman, and Araya have all contributed to the band’s lyrics, which, along with some of their album art, cover topics such as serial killers, necrophilia, Satanism, religion, and warfare. As a result, album bans, delays, lawsuits, along with criticism from religious groups, far-right conservatives, and the media, spawned forth in response to Slayer’s controversial subject matter. However, their music has been highly influential, often being cited by many bands as an influence musically, visually, and lyrically.

Starting with its 1983 debut album, Show No Mercy, Slayer released twelve studio albums, four live albums, a box set, fourteen music videos, two extended plays and sixteen singles. Four of the band’s studio albums have received Gold certification in the United States. The band has received five Grammy nominations, winning two of them; one in 2007 for the song “Eyes of the Insane,” and another in 2008 for the song “Final Six” (both, of which, were written by Hanneman and Araya, and were from 2006’s Christ Illusion). Slayer also played at several music festivals worldwide, including Unholy Alliance, Download and Ozzfest. In January 2018, the band announced they would be embarking on their farewell tour. The tour began in May 2018 and ended in November 2019 with the band officially disbanding two days after the final concert. By that point, Slayer had been active for thirty-eight years.

Past Lineup:
Tom Araya – Vocals, Bass Guitar (1981 – 2019)
Kerry King – Guitars (1981 – 2019)
Jeff Hanneman – Guitars (1981 – 2013)
Dave Lombardo – Drums (1981 – 1986, 1987 – 1992, 2001 – 2013)
Paul Bostaph – Drums (1992 – 1996, 1997 – 2001, 2013 – 2019)
Gary Holt – Guitars (2013 – 2019; touring musician 2011 – 2013)
Jon Dette – Drums (1996 – 1997; touring musician 2013)
Tony Scaglione – Drums (touring musician 1986-1987)
Pat O’Brien – Guitars (touring musician 2011)
Phil Demmel – Guitars (touring musician 2018)