Slayer is an American thrash metal band created in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the big four bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax.
In the original lineup, King, Hanneman and Araya made most of the band's lyrics, and all of the band's music was written by King and Hanneman. The band's lyrics and album art, which cover harsh topics such as serial killers, torture, genocide, organized crime, secret societies, occultism, terrorism, religion or antireligion, fascism, racism and war, have generated album bans, delays, lawsuits and criticism from religious groups.
Slayer's current lineup consists of King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt, who initially joined as a touring member in 2011 before joining the band permanently after Hanneman's death in 2013
Its music has been highly influential, being cited by many bands as an influence musically, visually and lyrically; the band's third album, Reign in Blood (1986), has been described as one of the heaviest and most influential thrash metal albums of all time.
How The Band Was Formed
Slayer was formed in 1981 by Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Tom Araya in Huntington Park, California. The group started out playing covers of songs by metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Venom at parties and clubs in Southern California. The band's early image relied heavily on Satanic themes that featured pentagrams, heavy make-up, spikes, and inverted crosses.
There were rumors that the band was originally called Dragonslayer, but the rumours were denied by King, who said “We never were: it’s a myth to this day.” Apparently, the original band name was meant to be ‘Wings of Fire’ before they decided on slayer
