SLAYER: New Video Interview With KERRY KING, DAVE LOMBARDO Posted Online

January 20, 2010

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King and drummer Dave Lombardo talk about taking part in the "Big Four" shows (alongside METALLICA, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX) this summer, King's long-running beef with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine, and their favorite songs to play live in a new Shockhound "Alive And Killing" video interview. Watch it below.

Earlier this month SLAYER was forced to cancel all of its immediate tour plans — including the American and Canadian Carnage tour dates with MEGADETH and TESTAMENT that were set to kick off on January 18, as well as the band's European headline tour scheduled for March and April.

SLAYER bassist/vocalist Araya, known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing, began experiencing back problems while on the band's Australian/New Zealand/Japanese tour last October. In spite of his rapidly increasing pain and discomfort, he carried on with the tour, but immediately upon returning home saw an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed a cervical radiculopathy. The rocker initially did not want to take the major surgery route, so the specialist recommended a series of minimally-invasive procedures. While those procedures have resulted in some improvement, Araya continues to deal with intermittent bouts of severe pain, numbness and muscle spasms.

"Tom gave various medical treatments more than a fair shot," said SLAYER's manager Rick Sales, "but they just haven't handled the problem, so he's biting the bullet and is scheduled for back surgery at the end of this month."

The surgical procedure that Araya will undergo, called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, is a relatively routine practice and the recovery rate is excellent.

Booking agents for both SLAYER and MEGADETH are already hard at work rescheduling tour dates; tickets already purchased for all shows will be honored at the rescheduled dates.

Sales added, "As unfortunate as this is for so many people — the MEGADETH and TESTAMENT camps, the concerts' promoters, and, of course, the fans — Tom's health is the number one priority, and this has to happen."

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