Four years, nine months and 23 days – that’s how long Slayer’s retirement lasted. When the thrash icons announced back in February that they would be returning with a trio of festival shows after they took their allegedly final bow in November 2019, it was a complete shock – not least because guitarist Kerry King was about to drop his debut solo album, taking a few shots at his not-so-former bandmate, Tom Araya, in the press in the process.
But you can’t keep a great band down. The two comeback shows they played in the US (Hurricane Helene put paid to the third) were as triumphant as we wanted, celebrating past glories and burnishing their legacy. They’re warning us not to expect any new music, but think of it this way: a world with Slayer back in it is infinitely better than a world without them. In celebration of their live reunion, we asked longtime super-fan and Body Count leader Ice-T for his take.
