Slayer start off the day with big news. First, last night at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Slayer surprised the capacity crowd with an unannounced performance, kicking off the show with a three-song set that included the global premiere of "Implode," the band's first new studio recording in five years. "Implode" can now be downloaded at Slayer's website provided you give your email address or sign up with your Facebook account. The band also signed a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast. A new Slayer song! Unexpected but are you happy with the final result?

Recorded earlier this month at Henson Studios in Los Angeles and produced by Terry Date and co-produced by Greg Fidelman, "Implode" is now available as a free download as a "thank you" to the band's fans for their continued support. As Kerry King put it, "you have been waiting for us, now we are delivering for you." Registered members of Slayer's fan club were sent an email right around midnight giving them the link to the song and a chance to hear it before it was made public.

Later this year, Slayer will begin recording a new album, tentatively set for an early 2015 release date. The album will make Slayer history as it will be released on Nuclear Blast Records through the band's own label imprint, closing out a 28-year relationship with Rick Rubin and American Recordings. All future recordings on the band's label imprint will be released worldwide exclusively through Nuclear Blast.

Tom Araya says: "Rick has played a huge role in our career, we've made some great albums with him. But today is a new day, record companies don't play the kind of role they once did, and we really like the idea of going out on our own, connecting directly with our fans, and Nuclear Blast is fired up about taking on that challenge with us."

Added Nuclear Blast label manager Gerardo Martinez: "The prospect of helping Slayer take a leading role in the creative process surrounding their releases, projects and other cross-promotional opportunities is the ultimate honor for me, a metalhead who grew up in Los Angeles listening to Slayer. Nowhere in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that Nuclear Blast would be making history alongside one of the best bands in metal."

Slayer - Tom Araya/vocals, bass, Kerry King/guitar, drummer Paul Bostaph, and Gary Holt who continues to stand in for the band's founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman - will spend the next few months on the road touring major North American and European festivals as well as headlining dates, but the band is expected to be back in the studio in the fall to record the rest of the new album.




Tour dates:

09.05. US - Salt Lake City, UT - The Great Salt Air
10.05. US - Denver, CO - Fillmore
11.05. US - Billings, MT - Shrine
13.05. US - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
15.05. US - St Louis, MO - The Pageant
16.05. US - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom,
17.05. US - Columbus, OH - Rock on the Range

European Tour:
28.05. - FIN, Helsinki - Sonisphere Festival - Hietaniemi Beach
30.05. - SWE, Stockholm - STHLM Fields - Gardet Royal Park
31.05. - NED, Nijmegen - FortaRock Festival - Goffertpark

01.06. - NOR, Oslo - Sonisphere Festival - Valle Hoven
03.06. - DEN, Horsens - Horsens Gaol
04.06. - GER - Hamburg - Sonisphere Festival - Imtech Arena
05.06. - LUX, Luxembourg City - Den Atelier
07.06. - GER, Nurburgring - Rock am Ring
08.06. - GER, Nürnberg - Rock Im Park
09.06. - SUI, Pratteln - Z7 Konzertfabrik
13.06. - AUT, Nicklesdorf - Nova Rock - Pannonia Fields
15.06. - ITA, Milan - Live Club
16.06. - ITA, Bologna - Estragon
18.06. - FRA, Niems - Paloma
20.06. - FRA, Clisson - Hellfest - Rue de Champ Louet
21.06. - NOR, Halden - Tons of Rock Restival
24.06. - POL, Poznań - Stadion Miejeski
26.06. - FRA, Strasbourg - La Laiterie
27.06. - BEL, Dessel - Graspop
30.06. - UK, Belfast - Limelight

01.07. - IRE - Dublin - Academy
04.07. - FRA - Paris - Paris Le Zenith
05.07. - UK - Knebworth Park - Sonisphere Festival - Knebworth

03.08. - RUS - Nizny Novgorad - Milo Club
04.08. - RUS - Moscow - Arena Moscow Club
05.08. - RUS - St. Petersburg - A2 Club
08.08. - CZE - Jaromer - Brutal Assault Festival
10.08. - CAN - Montreal - Heavy Montreal Festival - Parc Jean

Source:	nuclearblast.de
Band profile:	Slayer