Booking Slayer

Slayer Biography

The thrash metal band Slayer was founded by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King in California in 1981. Slayer’s earliest beginnings were at local clubs around the southern California area, until they were discovered by a record company executive. After signing with the burgeoning label Metal Blade Records, Slayer began work on its debut album, Show No Mercy, which was released in 1983. The album brought Slayer an underground following, selling more than 20,000 copies. Slayer’s sophomore effort, Hell Awaits, brought them to the attention of a much larger label, though, and the band switched to Def Jam, just in time for their mainstream breakthrough.

Reign in Blood arrived in 1986, and rose into the Billboard charts. The album certified gold and Slayer launched a world tour alongside the band Overkill, further expanding their fan base and eventually making Slayer one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands (the others being Megadeth, Metallica, and Anthrax.) Since Reign in Blood, Slayer has released a series of highly successful metal albums, including: South of Heaven (1988), Seasons in the Abyss (1990), Divine Intervention (1994), Undisputed Attitude (1996), Diabolus in Musica (1998), God Hates Us All (2001), and Christ Illusion (2006.) Although the band has not placed many singles at the top of the charts, the songs “Hate Worldwide” and “World Painted Blood,” both from their most recent album World Painted Blood (2009), both reached into the top ten on the charts.

Slayer has won two Grammys, both for Best Metal Performance, for “Eyes of the Insane” and “Final Six,” in 2007 and 2008. So far, Slayer has enjoyed record sales exceeding twenty million. The band continues to perform and record.