10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Slayer

Tom Araya and Kerry King of Slayer. Photo by RMV/REX/Shutterstock (8966516ay)

After 37 years, 12 studio albums, and close to 3,000 shows played, thrash metal heavyweights Slayer are calling it quits. The band recently announced that they are going to do one more global tour in 2018 and then stop performing or making music under that name.

In order to celebrate Slayer’s career and everything the band has done for the metal genre, we decided to bring you 10 things you probably didn’t know about the band. Let’s take a look.

1. The band’s debut album Show No Mercy, was recorded during a series of midnight sessions. This was done in order to save costs, but also to allow drummer Dave Lombardo opportunity to finish high school.

2. Slayer traveled to their first ever U.S. tour in Tom Araya’s Camaro with a trailer in tow.

3. Anthrax and Meat Loaf’s guitarist Paul Crook was Kerry King’s guitar tech in the ’80s.

4. “Dissident Aggressor” by Judas Priest is the only cover version to be included on Slayer’s official studio albums.

5. “Born of Fire,” from Slayer’s fifth studio album Seasons in the Abyss, was supposed to be released as an instrumental, but Kerry King decided to throw in some lyrics at the last moment.

6. Although it is thought that drummer Dave Lombardo quit the band in 1992 due to conflicts with other members, the major reason for the decision was his desire to be off tour for the birth of his first child.

7. The band’s eighth album was initially titled Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, but the band decided to go with Diabolus in Musica. Slayer finally decided to use the name five years later for their 2003’s box set.

8. At one point in his life, Kerry King spent his free time breeding show dog.

9. A fictional writer from Showtime’s Californication, Hank Moody, used God Hates Us All, South Of Heaven and Seasons In The Abyss as titles for his novels.

10. Jeff Hanneman had a short-lived hardcore band in 1984 with Dave Lombardo and Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Rocky George called Pap Smear.