S Poddar
Thrash metal legends Slayer have teased possible headline shows in England and Wales.
During the evening of February 27th, Slayer used social media to post a clip of their eagle crest logo, beside England’s and Wales’ flags. The enigmatic status has sparked immediate fervor among fans.
Inviting fans to remain in the know, the band further included: “Sign up at SLAYER.NET for exclusive updates and access.”
Slayer is also due to appear in the UK this summer, playing at Black Sabbath’s long-awaited Back to the Beginning show. The concert will be hosted at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5th. With that in mind, it would appear to be inevitable that Slayer’s rumored tour dates will overlap with them appearing at this epic show.
Having bid adieu with their last performance at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on November 30th, 2019, Slayer left everyone stunned when they announced a reunion in February of 2024. The reunion was officially announced with two giant summer festival slots at Riot Fest Chicago and Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California.
Besides their planned gig at Villa Park, Slayer has also been booked for the FEQ Festival in Quebec City, Canada, on July 11th, 2025, and the Louder Than Life Festival in Kentucky in mid-September. Their previous UK show occurred at Download Festival 2019, where they topped the second stage on the final night.
This growth spawns rumors of whether or not Slayer will go out on a full-scale tour or if these coming dates will stay in limited capacities. Guitarist Kerry King earlier warned fans to not anticipate a full-scale reunion, but since farewell tours are the norm within rock and metal, fans hope otherwise.
Rock history is brimming with bands who returned in victory after allegedly retiring, and Slayer could well be the newest member of that group. Many musicians have reneged over the years, demonstrating in the music world that no goodbye is ever truly ultimate.
Consider Mötley Crüe, for instance. Back in 2014 and 2015, the band were so adamant that their Final Tour would be the last that all four members of the band entered into a legally binding cessation of touring agreement. Their purported farewell concert was held at The Staples Center in Los Angeles on December 31st, 2015. Yet only three years on, they went back into the studio to record new music for their Netflix biopic, The Dirt, and continued to deny any intention to tour again. Then, in November 2019, they dramatically ripped up the deal, announcing a huge North American stadium tour with Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett. That tour finally came about in 2022, and they did a string of UK dates with Def Leppard in 2023.
This pattern would indicate that Slayer’s comeback is more than a few festivals’ worth of shows. As of now, fans are patiently waiting for further details, keeping their fingers crossed that the pioneering thrash metal legends will take their explosive live sets back to England and Wales soon enough.
