Two shows haven been scheduled on the UK leg of their new tour – the first at Blackweir Fields in Cardiff on July 3, and the second at Finsbury Park in London on July 6.

They’ll be bringing a supporting bill stacked with big names. Swedish death metal veterans Amon Amarth, thrash icons Anthrax, sludge metal stars Mastadon, hardcore punk rockers Hatebreed and death metal newcomers Neckbreakker will share the stage with Slayer.

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A press release states that the concerts will be “a celebration of everything the iconic band and their fans have built together”, and feature “a career-spanning set, stage production like you’ve never seen before, and a night of pure thrash fury that will be remembered forever.” Slayer’s 2025 tour dates mark the 40^th anniversary since the band formed. Their illustrious career has seen them crowned as one of the ‘big four’ bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. These two gigs will be the largest that the rock icons have ever played in the UK. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 7) at 10am GMT. You can visit their website to buy tickets and view their tour dates.

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Slayer officially retired in 2019, following a final farewell tour that saw dates in Europe, America, Canada, South America and Asia. Last Autumn, the band played their first couple of shows in five years, performing at Riot Fest Chicago and the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento.

Though they may be reuniting onstage, guitarist Kerry King has adamantly stated that this doesn’t mean the band will be getting back together for touring and recording as an active group. Each member of Slayer has remained musically active since their breakup – most recently, Kerry King released his debut studio album, ‘From Hell I Rise‘ in 2024.

Along with their own Slayer UK tour dates, the heavy metal heroes will join as support for Black Sabbath’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ reunion, that has been billed as Ozzy Osbourne’s last-ever live performance.

Taking place at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham on July 5, the show will feature a legendary lineup including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Lamb Of God, Alice in Chains, Mastadon and Anthrax to name a few. You can read our article on that here.

It would seem that Claypool has leaked this information early. However, it is an addition to a bill that has included Lamb of God and Anthrax, who have been on the whole tour. Other bands who have been on other legs include Napalm Death, Behemoth and Testament.

The next leg will see Slayer trek across North America with support from Lamb of God, Amon Amarth and Cannibal Corpse. It starts May  2nd in Pheonix, Arizona and  ends on May 25th in Mansfield, Massachusetts. After that they will be heading to Europe playing both their own shows and festival dates. Find information on all shows here.

Slayer are one of what is considered the “big four” of thrash metal along with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax from Huntington Park, California. They were formed in 1981 by vocalist and bassist Tom Araya and guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Haneman.

They have always stood out from the rest of the big four due to their style of playing with has always been much more fast and aggressive than the others. Their current line-up is Araya, King, guitarist Gary Holt and drummer Paul Bostaph. Dave Lomabardo and John Dette have both previously been drummers.

When the original line-up was together Araya, King and Haneman were all responsible for the lyrics while King and Haneman wrote all of the music. The bands lyrics and imagery have always covered controversial subjects such as serial killers, necrophilia, torture, genocide, human experimentation, Satanism, hate crime, terrorism, blasphemy, Nazism and war which has resulted in them facing pressure from religious and censorship groups. Despite this they have been highly influential with their third album “Reign in Blood” being considered to be one of the greatest metal albums of all time.

They have released twelve studio albums, two live albums, a box set, six music videos, two extended plays and a covers album. Four of their albums have been certified gold in the US. They have also been nominated for a grammy four times, winning it twice for the songs “Eyes of the Insane” and “Final Six” both of 2006’s “Christ Illusion.” In total, they have sold over five million albums. They announced their decision to split in January 2018.

Tour Dates:

2 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Ak-Chin Amphitheatre
3 – Albuquerque, N.M.@ Isleta Amphitheatre,
5 – El Paso, Texas @ UTEP/Don Haskins Center
7 – Edinburg, Texas @ Bert Ogden Arena
8 – Dallas, Texas @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10 – Tampa, Fla. @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
11 – West Palm Beach, Fla. @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre
13 – Huntington, W.V.@ Big Sandy Superstore Arena
14 – Columbia, Md. @ Merriweasther Post Pavilion
16 – Noblesville, Ind. @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
17 – Bonner Springs, Kansas @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
19 – Clarkston, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Center
20 – Youngstown, Ohio @ Covel Centre
22 – Ottawa, Ontario @ Canadian Tire Centre
24 – Camden, N.J.@ BB&T Pavilion
25 – Mansfield, Mass. @ Xfinity Center

The band’s last album came in 2015, in Repentless, their twelfth studio production. Fans were shocked by the announcement, seen in the Youtube teaser below, to discover that this would indeed be Slayer’s final touring schedule.

The teaser takes a retrospective look at the band’s impressive legacy, citing this latest stint as a finale, where they will “make their exit with one final world tour”.

As of yet, only dates in North America have so far been revealed, but it is very much expected that dates for the rest of the world will be announced shortly.

Rumblings of Slayer calling it a day have been around for a while, and in an interview with Loudwire in 2016, Slayer bassist and vocalist Tom Araya reflected on his extensive career, suggesting that it was “time to collect my pension”, but simultaneously being unable to deny the kick he still got out of performing live.

“I like singing and just spitting that shit out and convincing everybody that this guy is a fucking maniac,” he said. “It’s like acting. You feel the lyrics and you show them with your facial expressions, your body expressions, your intensity — I love that shit.”