EXODUS' Gary Holt Is NOT Interested In Joining SLAYER Full Time - Statement Available!

Recently, Kerry King stated that Gary Holt from EXODUS, who has been the TEMPORARY replacement for Jeff Hanneman ever since the SLAYER guitarist contrived an acute infection known as necrotizing fasciitis (usually caused by a spider bite) over two years ago, might remain in the band for good! Here is what KFK said about this:

"I think Gary is in for the long haul. I haven’t really discussed it with him. But he keeps his schedule free when he knows we’re on tour… If Jeff all of a sudden came back in June, we would probably pay Gary for freeing up his time… But if Gary played with us for ever? I’m okay with that."

Well, Holt is not interested in joining SLAYER full time. Here is what he had to say about this during an interview with Metal Titans:

"Not if it meant the end of what I’ve been doing my whole life. If I could manage both, you know… But I’ve been filling in for just over two years now and I’m booked all year with them. But I’m just keeping the work going with Exodus and I’ve been doing a lot of riff writing on tour. And on the summer [run] with Slayer, I’m taking a little portable, digital recording rig with me so I can continue working on [new Exodus] stuff in hotel rooms and shit."

It is great to hear that Holt still has his musical heart in EXODUS and that he is not going to ditch SLAYER when they need him. That is what we call PROFESSIONAL! Also, who doesn't want to receive a double paycheck? Here is the entire interview:



Related links:
Slayer's official site
Exodus' official site 

SLAYER's Kerry King Wants To "Fire" Jeff Hanneman?!

The end of SLAYER is near! If you are a SLAYER fan you might still be pissed off at Kerry King for letting go of drumming legend Dave Lombardo because he basically didn't want to re-negotiate Lombardo's contract with the band. Not only did Lombardo not make the trip to Australia for the bands recent appearance at SOUNDWAVE Festival (Jon Dette was his temporary replacement), but Jeff Hanneman hasn't performed with the band since the BIG FOUR concert in Indio, California in April of 2011 (EXODUS' Gary Holt is his temporary replacement). 


Now King is stating that Gary Holt from EXODUS, who has been the TEMPORARY replacement for Jeff Hanneman ever since the SLAYER guitarist contrived an acute infection known as necrotizing fasciitis (usually caused by a spider bite) over two years ago, might remain in the band for good! During a recent interview with Metal Obsession, King had this to say about the future of Hanneman in the band:

"I think Gary is in for the long haul. I haven’t really discussed it with him. But he keeps his schedule free when he knows we’re on tour… If Jeff all of a sudden came back in June, we would probably pay Gary for freeing up his time… But if Gary played with us for ever? I’m okay with that."

We personally saw Hanneman's last performance with the band at the Big Four concert in Palo Alto, California, and Hanneman didn't seem to be struggling when he performed the bands encore right before METALLICA took center stage. In our humble opinion, that was SLAYER saying good bye to their legendary guitarist who has written MANY of the bands classic songs. Otherwise why didn't he continue to perform with the band? It is too bizarre of a situation and we wish SLAYER's camp would be more clear with what is happening. The fans deserve to know the truth! Here is a partial list:

1) Angel of Death
2) South of Heaven 
3) Raining Blood
4) War Ensemble
5) Die by the Sword
6) Altar of Sacrifice
7) Seasons in the Abyss
8) Disciple

9) Dead Skin Mask 

Here is the entire interview:



Image by Damien Maurer

Related links:
Slayer's official site

Dave Lombardo Is Very Happy With The Reaction Of The SLAYER Fans!

As we all know, there is a lot going on within the SLAYER camp as of late that has nothing to do with their music. Not only did Dave Lombardo not make the trip to Australia for the bands appearance at SOUNDWAVE Festival (Jon Dette is his temporary replacement), but Jeff Hanneman hasn't performed with the band since the BIG FOUR concert in Indio, California in April of 2011 (EXODUS' Gary Holt is his temporary replacement). 

This weekend, we posted a statement from Kerry King regarding the bands future (read it HERE). Now this is what Lombardo posted after reading his fans reaction to all of the bands nonsense:

"I have always known that my fans were awesome! But never has it been more clear to me than in the past two weeks, how passionate, supportive and sincere you really are.

"Thank you for all your kind responses and I hope to see you all very soon."

Sincerely,

Dave Lombardo

NOTE: The band is on their way back home from Australia, so we should know what the future holds for Lombardo very soon! Stay tuned!

Related links:
Slayer's official site

SLAYER Drama: Kerry King Breaks His Silence About Dave Lombardo & Updates Fans On NEW Record!

As we all know, there is a lot going on within the SLAYER camp as of late that has nothing to do with their music. Not only did Dave Lombardo not make the trip to Australia for the bands appearance at SOUNDWAVE Festival (Jon Dette is his temporary replacement), but Jeff Hanneman hasn't performed with the band since the BIG FOUR concert in Indio, California in April of 2011 (EXODUS' Gary Holt is his temporary replacement).  

While the band is working on some NEW music, nothing concrete has been announced regarding the future of the band until now. Here is what Kerry King had to say to Soundwave Festival TV regarding the bands future:

Asked whether he saw the dispute coming, King tells Soundwave TV: "Tom did. Tom’s been on the fence about Dave for a while and I was pretty much the one that said, ‘Nah, I’m not comfortable moving on.’

"Then it got thrust in our face, and I took action immediately.

"It’s unfortunate that Dave couldn’t be with us. I planned on him being here up until the Monday before I left – then I saw trouble in paradise. Since I’m the mastermind on making decisions like this, I was like, ‘Alright, I’ve got a backup plan.’ I did what I thought was best and we pulled it off.

"I’m like, ‘How are we going to get a visa for whoever goes with us?’ I went, ‘Jon’s with Anthrax, Jon knows our stuff. If he couldn’t do it I don’t think I could have taught it to anybody in time.

"We rehearsed three times and the first show was Brisbane. He’s doing really good. He was completely out of playing for a while, he told me. To just be at the level of playing he is, it’s really awesome."

According to King he has put together 11 tracks for SLAYER's NEW album – but there are no concrete plans as in when and who will record the NEW batch of music.

"I would like to do it between Australia and Europe in June. It could get mixed while I’m out on tour and be out in September or October.

"I’ve been working on the new material a lot – I worked on it a lot with Dave. So I haven’t decided."

It seems that SLAYER's future is opaque and very uncertain. Lets hope that once the band is back home that they will settle the differences. The Metal world can't afford to lose SLAYER over some paperwork.

SLAYER in Australia:

03.01.13	Melbourne, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.02.13	Adelaide, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.04.13	Perth, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets

Photo by: Zulie Alvarez

Related links:
Slayer's official site

John Dette Talks About The Experience Of Performing With Both SLAYER & ANTHRAX - Video Available!

As previously reported drummer Jon Dette (Testament, Slayer) was recently recruited by SLAYER and ANTHRAX to fill in for Dave Lombardo and Charlie Benante, respectively. As you probably heard, Lombardo didn't make it to Australia because of contract issues within the band, while Benante wasn't able to travel outside of the United States to some legal issues he is currently facing.

So Dette is now drumming for BOTH bands during Australia's Soundwave Fest. Dette recently took a few minutes out of his busy rehearsal and touring schedule to tell TAMA what the experience has been like.

Related links:
TAMA Drums 
Slayer 
Anthrax 

A heartless concert goer “seriously burned and disfigured” a young girl in the crowd at SOUNDWAVE Festival!

This should never happen! According to MusicFeeds.com, a member of the audience at Soundwave 2013 in Sydney smuggled in a magnesium flare, and the ignited it in the middle of the crowd during either METALLICA's set or Bring Me The Horizon's set, and “seriously burned and disfigured” a young girl in the crowd, according to promoter AJ Maddah.

Reports are unclear at this stage but it seems that there were TWO flares lit tonight at Soundwave Sydney, one during each bands set.

As expected, AJ has launched an all-out assault on this idiot, calling for blood. “Dear piece of shit who lit the flare in BMTH pit: Tonight you seriously burned and disfigured a young girl. I hope you fucking get yours,” he tweets. 

Twitter user @DanielTome tweeted, “Some idiot just lighted a flare during Metallica #soundwave he got hosed down.”

Maddah is calling for action from Soundwave attendees: “If anyone can correctly identify this son of a bitch I will shower you with so much tickets, backstage and cash you wont know what to do.” He also asks those who see anyone with a lit flare to take a photo and pass it on to him so he can give it to the authorities.

At this stage, there is no news on the condition of the girl, other than that she has been “seriously burned and disfigured” with a “massive, awful burn on her forearm”.

Know more? Let AJ know on Twitter.

Note: AJ is already tweeting he has “multiple angles” of the alleged perpetrator. Keep them coming!

Here are some images and video footage of this absurd incident: http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/breaking-audience-member-lights-flare-disfigures-girl-at-soundwave-2013/

Related links:
Soundwave Festival 

SLAYER's Tom Araya Talks About Bands Future & Having Jon Dette On Drums At Soundwave Festival - Video Available!

As we all know, there is a lot going on within the SLAYER camp as of late that has nothing to do with their music. Not only did Dave Lombardo not make the trip to Australia for the bands appearance at SOUNDWAVE Festival, but Jeff Hanneman hasn't performed with the band since the BIG FOUR concert in Indio, California in April of 2011 (EXODUS' Gary Holt is his temporary replacement). While the band is working on some NEW music, nothing concrete has been announced regarding the future of the band.

Yesterday (February 23), Tom Araya was interviewed by Soundwave TV's Christina about plans for the future, the (lack of) memories of the past, how the songwriting process works within Slayer, his most creative period and the story behind Slayer in Sydney back in 2011. Araya also discussed the involvement of Jon Dette with the band. Dette is currently stepping for the bands original drummer Dave Lombardo. Here is the interview:

SLAYER in Australia:

02.24.13	Sydney, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
02.25.13	Sydney, Australia	Big Top Luna Park, Sydney, Australia		Tickets
03.01.13	Melbourne, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.02.13	Adelaide, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.04.13	Perth, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets

Photo by: Zulie Alvarez

Related links:
Slayer's official site 

Dave Lombardo's Son Is Also A Drummer, Listen To His Music Here!

Why don't we all take a break from the SLAYER drama involving Dave Lombardo (info HERE), and listen to his sons band TO HUMANS. Here is what Lombardo posted regarding his sons band: "My son Jeremy Lombardo on drums. These guys are having fun doing what they love.... play music."



Related links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tohumansband
Bandcamp: http://tohumans.bandcamp.com/album/ep

SLAYER Releases A Very Vague Statement Regarding The Future Of Dave Lombardo In The Band

On Wednesday night, Dave Lombardo stated that he discovered that "90% of Slayer’s tour income was being deducted as expenses including the professional fees paid to management, costing the band millions of dollars and leaving 10% or less to split amongst the four of us. In my opinion, this is not the way a band’s business should operate. I tried rectifying it by letting my band mates know, and Tom and I hired auditors to figure out what happened, but I was denied access to detailed information and the necessary back up documents."

To this he added: "Last Monday, I sat down with Kerry and Tom to rehearse for Australia and to propose a new business model that I felt was the best way forward for Slayer to confidently protect itself so we could do what we do best . . . play for the fans. Kerry made it clear he wasn’t interested in making changes and said if I wanted to argue the point, he would find another drummer. On Thursday, I arrived at rehearsals at 1 pm as scheduled, but Kerry did not show. Rather, at 6:24 pm I received an email from the lawyers saying I was being replaced for the Australian dates." Read his full statement HERE!

Following Lombardo's statement, according to Metal Hammer the Slayer camp have posted the following statement:

“Slayer confirms that Jon Dette (Testament) will drum for the band on its Australian tour that starts this Saturday, February 23 in Brisbane. As regards Dave Lombardo’s Facebook post, Slayer does not agree with Mr. Lombardo’s substance or the timeline of the events, except to acknowledge that Mr. Lombardo came to the band less than a week before their scheduled departure for Australia to present an entirely new set of terms for his engagement that were contrary to those that had been previously agreed upon.

“The band was unable to reach an agreement on these new demands in the short amount of time available prior to leaving for Australia. There is more to the account than what Mr. Lombardo has offered, but out of respect to him, Slayer will not be commenting further. Slayer is grateful to its Australian fans for their understanding of this unfortunate last-minute change, and very much looks forward to seeing them at these shows.”

While there are two sides to every story, it seems like SLAYER fell ill with the BLACK SABBATH disease and are now dicking their drummer Dave Lombardo around. And as of right now, SLAYER only features two original members: Tom Araya (vocals, bass) and Kerry King (guitars).

The future of the band is indeed very opaque, since SLAYER fans don't like bullshit! Don't you wish we could rewind time and go back to the days in which the band had little money to fight about? We'll see what happens after the band returns from Australia, but it seems like Lombardo's chapter with SLAYER might be closed for good. But hey, is not like Lombardo will having any troubles landing a NEW gig.

SLAYER in Australia:

02.23.13	Brisbane, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
02.24.13	Sydney, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
02.25.13	Sydney, Australia	Big Top Luna Park, Sydney, Australia		Tickets
03.01.13	Melbourne, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.02.13	Adelaide, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.04.13	Perth, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets

Related links:
Slayer's official site 

SLAYER Already Replaced Dave Lombardo For Australian Tour & He Is Not Listed As A Band Member On Wikipedia!

This is the type of news we hate reporting. While there are always two sides to every story, it seems like SLAYER fell ill with the BLACK SABBATH disease and are now dicking their drummer Dave Lombardo around. And as of right now, SLAYER only features two original members: Tom Araya (vocals, bass) and Kerry King (guitars).

As we all know, Bill Ward was forced to quit SABBATH after some contractual issues made it clear that Ward was not getting the percentage of money he deserved for putting an equal amount of work as the rest of the band - Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitars), Geezer Butler (bass). 

Last night, Lombardo stated that he discovered that "90% of Slayer’s tour income was being deducted as expenses including the professional fees paid to management, costing the band millions of dollars and leaving 10% or less to split amongst the four of us. In my opinion, this is not the way a band’s business should operate. I tried rectifying it by letting my band mates know, and Tom and I hired auditors to figure out what happened, but I was denied access to detailed information and the necessary back up documents."

To this he added: "Last Monday, I sat down with Kerry and Tom to rehearse for Australia and to propose a new business model that I felt was the best way forward for Slayer to confidently protect itself so we could do what we do best . . . play for the fans. Kerry made it clear he wasn’t interested in making changes and said if I wanted to argue the point, he would find another drummer. On Thursday, I arrived at rehearsals at 1 pm as scheduled, but Kerry did not show. Rather, at 6:24 pm I received an email from the lawyers saying I was being replaced for the Australian dates." Read his full statement HERE!

And the band have indeed replaced him. According to Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah, SLAYER has tapped drummer Jon Dette. Dette joined SLAYER in 1996 when Paul Bostaph left to work on his side project, THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD. Dette performed with SLAYER at the 1996 Ozzfest to promote the band's covers album, 'Undisputed Attitude'. Dette is already in Australia and will be performing with both SLAYER and ANTHRAX. Talk about a twisted sequence of events. This is what happened with ANTHRAX.

Additionally, SLAYER's Wikipedia is already listing Lombardo as a former member. WTF? See for yourselves: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slayer#Band_members


UPDATE: The bands has re-added Lombardo as a band member on their Wikipedia page.

We'll see what happens after the band returns from Australia, but it seems like Lombardo's chapter with SLAYER might be closed for good. But hey, is not like Lombardo will having any troubles landing a NEW gig.

SLAYER in Australia:

02.23.13	Brisbane, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
02.24.13	Sydney, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
02.25.13	Sydney, Australia	Big Top Luna Park, Sydney, Australia		Tickets
03.01.13	Melbourne, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.02.13	Adelaide, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets
03.04.13	Perth, Australia	Soundwave Festival 2013		Tickets

Related links:
Slayer's official site 

ANTHRAX: Charlie Benante To Sit Out During Bands Australian Tour!

Once again, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante is sitting out during his bands live performances. It has been confirmed that Benante did not travel with the band due to personal issues, Jon Dette (former SLAYER drummer) is replacing Benante during ANTHRAX's Australian tour. "Charlie is dealing with personal issues right now and can't leave the country", commented Scott Ian. "He's really bummed about not being able to head down there."

But what are the reasons behind Benante's unavailability and why can't he leave the country? We think it might have to be with the feud Benante had with his wife Sandra last year. The Benante's were arrested for domestic battery in front of a child. Arrest records indicate the pair were arrested at the Hilton Garden Inn in Elkhart, Indiana, and both were released from Elkhart County Jail on Saturday (July 28).

As you may recall, SHADOWS FALL's Jason Bittner filled in for Benante at most of the shows that took place at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. That time around, it was announced that Benante was recovering from a  minor hand injury.

Also last year, Benante and ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello (who is Charlie's nephew) missed several shows on ANTHRAX's North American tour in order to spend time with Charlie's mother, who was terminally ill. On February 4, Benante informed fans via his official web site that his mother passed away.

Additionally, the band will not be performing with guitarist Rob Caggiano, who left the band to join VOLBEAT (More info HERE)! He was temporarily replaced by Jon Donais from SHADOWS FALL.

Benante is expected to be back with ANTHRAX during this year's Metal Alliance tour, which they will be headlining (tour dates below). 

ANTHRAX in Australia:

Thu 21 Feb	Brisbane, AUSTRALIA	The Hi-Fi
Sat 23 Feb	Brisbane, AUSTRALIA	RNA Showgrounds
Sun 24 Feb	Sydney, AUSTRALIA	Olympic Park
Mon 25 Feb	Sydney, AUSTRALIA	Big Top Luna Park (w/Slayer)
Thu 28 Feb	Melbourne, AUSTRALIA	The Hi-Fi
Fri 1 Mar	Melbourne, AUSTRALIA	Flemington Racecourse
Sat 2 Mar	Adelaide, AUSTRALIA	Bonython Park
Mon 4 Mar	Perth, AUSTRALIA	Claremont Showground

Metal Alliance tour:

Event	Venue	Date/Time
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Anaheim Anaheim, CA	Friday 3/22/2013 7:00 PM	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	Saturday 3/23/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Marquee Theatre - AZ Tempe, AZ	Sunday 3/24/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - San Diego San Diego, CA	Monday 3/25/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Sunset Strip West Hollywood, CA	Wednesday 3/27/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA	Thursday 3/28/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Mcmenamins Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR	Friday 3/29/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, Canada	Saturday 3/30/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Showbox SoDo Seattle, WA	Sunday 3/31/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	The Summit Music Hall Denver, CO	Tuesday 4/2/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	First Avenue Minneapolis, MN	Thursday 4/4/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Chicago Chicago, IL	Friday 4/5/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	The Fillmore - Detroit Detroit, MI	Saturday 4/6/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Bogarts Cincinnati, OH	Sunday 4/7/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Dallas Dallas, TX	Tuesday 4/9/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Houston Houston, TX	Wednesday 4/10/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Orlando Orlando, FL	Friday 4/12/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Tremont Music Hall Charlotte, NC	Saturday 4/13/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD	Sunday 4/14/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	House Of Blues - Cleveland Cleveland, OH	Tuesday 4/16/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Theatre Of The Living Arts Philadelphia, PA	Thursday 4/18/2013 TBD	view tickets
Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste	Irving Plaza (Formerly The Fillmore) New York, NY	Saturday 4/20/2013 TBD	view tickets

Metal Alliance Tour: Anthrax, Exodus & Municipal Waste

Irving Plaza (Formerly The Fillmore) New York, NY

Sunday 4/21/2013 TBD

view tickets

Photo by: Zulie Alvarez

Related links:
Anthrax