SLAYER: 'Portraits' photo book coming from Rufus Publications
13-10-2023
“Portraits Of Slayer”, the latest book in the new “Portraits” series from Rufus Publications, is a photographic celebration of SLAYER, one of the premier thrash metal bands. This brand new, coffee table photobook traces the career of SLAYER with rare and unseen photographs from some of rock’s greatest photographers.
Grammy Award-winning SLAYER was one of the most influential bands in heavy metal history, crucial to the development of thrash which became the foundation of many different sub-genres. The band’s 1986 album “Reign In Blood” is considered a genre-defining classic with its razor-sharp articulation, tightness and extraordinary riffs. In 2006 Metal Hammer declared it to be the best metal album of the last 20 years. Between 1991 and 2013, SLAYER sold almost five million albums in the U.S. alone and as Dave Grohl said, “Me and my friends, we just wanted to listen to fucking SLAYER and take acid and smash stuff.”
“Portraits Of Slayer” also features a career-spanning essay by journalist Dave Ling.
This unofficial book is 230mm square, case-bound, 240 pages, printed on luxury 170gsm matt-coated paper. The book comes with a fold-out poster and is presented in a black slipcase with a blood red foil logo. The main edition comes in 666 numbered copies and sells for £55 plus shipping.
In addition to this, there will be a much larger, ultra-limited black leather and metal edition measuring 375mm square and presented in recycled leather and a hand welded aluminum metal slipcase with a screen-printed logo in a run of 50 numbered copies. This will sell for £500.
The book will be available to pre-order Friday, October 13 at 3 p.m. U.K. time.
SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, guitarist Kerry King‘s wife Ayesha King said that there is “not a chance in hell” that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances. In August 2020, she once again shot down the possibility of her husband and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner.
After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: “No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial”. Ayesha then replied: “don’t worry, they’ll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy”.
That same month, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph confirmed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by Kerry King. The duo spent much of the last four years working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic had subsided.
SLAYER‘s final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band’s intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.
SLAYER recently announced the limited edition-re-issue of their last album ‘Repentless’ on orange coloured cassette. The cassette will be released this week by the band’s last label. Nuclear Blast Records.
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