Remaining SLAYER 2026 concerts:

Oct. 21 – Mexico City, Mexico – Palacio de los Deportes
Oct. 24 – Fort Worth, TX – Sick New World
Nov. 13 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
Nov. 14 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
Dec. 5 – Bogotá, Colombia – Vive Claro
Dec. 10 – Santiago, Chile – Estadio Santa Laura
Dec. 14 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movistar Arena
Dec. 17 – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque

The lineup for all of SLAYER‘s comeback shows in 2024 and 2025 was the same as the one which last toured in 2019: guitarist Kerry King and drummer Paul Bostaph, along with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and guitarist Gary Holt.

Formed in 1981, SLAYER assaulted the world with a new hybrid of metal and punk — heavier, faster, and darker than the rest — and set a new standard, defining not only a genre, but an attitude. Throughout SLAYER‘s history, the band never faltered in unleashing their extreme and focused aural assault, and repudiating temptations, SLAYER always chose to remain crushing and brutal, steadfastly refusing to cater to the mainstream.

“It’s the record where SLAYER became SLAYER.” That’s what Kerry King says about “Hell Awaits”. And he knows of what he speaks. As the band’s guitarist, co-songwriter, and co-lyricist, he was in the trenches with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, guitarist Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.),and drummer Dave Lombardo, creating what has become one of heavy metal’s greatest albums.

A significant departure from SLAYER‘s 1983 debut, “Show No Mercy” — and every SLAYER album that came after it — “Hell Awaits” is both an outlier and a solidification of form. “Show No Mercy” was the mission statement, but “Hell Awaits” is a more developed and intricate execution of SLAYER‘s speed, chops, and aggression.

Released in April of 1985 by Metal Blade Records, “Hell Awaits” was the pinnacle of an action-packed thrash year that saw debut albums from the likes of MEGADETH, EXODUS, KREATOR, POSSESSED, DESTRUCTION, HIRAX and OVERKILL. Heavily influenced by MERCYFUL FATE, the longer, more progressive arrangements on “Hell Awaits” marked a new era for SLAYER. Whereas most of the songs on “Show No Mercy” were less than four minutes long, three of “Hell Awaits”‘s seven tracks go beyond the six-minute mark.

“Jeff and I were still trying to figure out who we were as musicians, and we were both infatuated with MERCYFUL FATE‘s ‘Melissa’ album during the writing process for ‘Hell Awaits’,” King says. “That’s why there’s so few songs and most of ’em are pretty long. That’s the only time anything like that ever happened with us.”

Tom Araya‘s performance is similarly impressive. The vocalist spat lyrics a mile a minute on the likes of “Kill Again” and “Praise Of Death”.

“I don’t recall the songs being hard to sing,” he says. “Singing fast and clearly has always been something that I strived for.”

The reissue arrives May 15, 2026 in three physical formats and digitally. Preorders are available now at metalblade.com/slayer.

Vinyl box set:

3 LPs total: Seven-track “Hell Awaits” + 18-track live bonus audio (“Live From Bochum 1985”)

– 60-page book (12″ size)
– “Hell Awaits” album (in gatefold sleeve, 1xLP) mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025. Vinyl color = Fire Splatter
– “Live From Bochum 1985” (in gatefold sleeve, 2xLP) – 18 live tracks never before released physically or digitally
– Replica ticket from the Bochum show
– Replica “Hell Awaits” tour laminate
– “Hell Awaits” tour poster (German dates)
– Slipmat
– Band posters
– Replica merch flyer
– Replica Satanic Wehrmacht newsletter
– 2 flyers

“Blood” Filled Liquid Vinyl (SLAYER store exclusive – limited to 666 worldwide):

Seven-track “Hell Awaits” album mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025

– “Blood” filled liquid vinyl – gatefold

CD Earbook:

Earbook includes 3xCDs — seven-track “Hell Awaits” CD + 18-track live bonus audio (Live From Bochum 1985):

– “Hell Awaits” album (1xCD) mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025
– Live From Bochum 1985 (2x CD) 18 live tracks never before released physically or digitally
– 60-page 11″ book
– Poster

Digital:

Includes seven-track “Hell Awaits” + 18-track live bonus audio (Live From Bochum 1985)

“Hell Awaits (40th Anniversary)” track listing:

01. Hell Awaits
02. Kill Again
03. At Dawn They Sleep
04. Praise Of Death
05. Necrophiliac
06. Crypts Of Eternity
07. Hardening Of The Arteries
08. Hell Awaits (Live From Bochum 1985)
09. Aggressive Perfector (Live From Bochum 1985)
10. Captor Of Sin (Live From Bochum 1985)
11. The Final Command (Live From Bochum 1985)
12. Kill Again (Live From Bochum 1985)
13. Crypts Of Eternity (Live From Bochum 1985)
14. Fight Till Death (Live From Bochum 1985)
15. Necrophiliac (Live From Bochum 1985)
16. Haunting The Chapel (Live From Bochum 1985)
17. Hardening Of The Arteries (Live From Bochum 1985)
18. Black Magic (Live From Bochum 1985)
19. Die By The Sword (Live From Bochum 1985)
20. The Antichrist (Live From Bochum 1985)
21. At Dawn They Sleep (Live From Bochum 1985)
22. Show No Mercy (Live From Bochum 1985)
23. Evil Has No Boundaries (Live From Bochum 1985)
24. Chemical Warfare (Live From Bochum 1985)
25. Praise Of Death (Live From Bochum 1985)