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Slayer formed in 1981 in Huntington Park, California, when guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman joined forces with drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya . From the start the band pursued an uncompromisingly extreme sound, and after self-financing their debut with borrowed money and savings, they released Show No Mercy in December 1983, which generated underground popularity for the band and set the template for the ferocious style that would define them. Alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts , known for fast tremolo picking, atonal guitar solos, double bass drumming, and shouting vocals .
Reign in Blood, produced by Rick Rubin and released through Def Jam Recordings on October 7, 1986, became the band's commercial and artistic breakthrough. Despite major-label reluctance over its content, the record debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 127 and climbed to a peak of 94 in its sixth week, holding a chart presence well into 1987 , and it later was certified gold by the RIAA on November 20, 1992 . The album is now regarded as one of the most important records in metal history, and Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album at number 6 in their 2017 listing of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of all time . The band's classic lineup of King, Hanneman, Araya, and Lombardo carried them through further landmark albums including South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss, cementing Slayer's reputation as one of the most extreme and influential acts in the genre.
Slayer's career arc included lineup shifts, most notably Lombardo's departures and returns before Paul Bostaph and later Jon Dette filled the drum seat, while Slayer's final lineup comprised Tom Araya, Kerry King, drummer Paul Bostaph, and guitarist Gary Holt, who replaced Jeff Hanneman in 2011 . The band achieved late-career commercial peaks with 2006's Christ Illusion, which debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, marking a career high for Slayer , and earned them their first Grammy, as "Eyes of the Insane," from Christ Illusion, took the Grammy in the category of Best Metal Performance . A second Grammy followed for "Final Six," and 2009's World Painted Blood added two more nominations. Tragically, Jeff Hanneman, the band's longtime co-guitarist and chief songwriter, died in 2013, and Slayer soldiered on before announcing their retirement.
After more than three decades of recording and performing, Slayer announced in January 2018 that it would embark on a farewell tour, which took place from May 2018 to November 2019, after which the band disbanded , playing their final show at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The group briefly reunited for a handful of festival dates in 2024, including Riot Fest and Louder Than Life, though Kerry King has since made clear there are no plans for new music or a permanent return. Slayer's legacy endures as a cornerstone of thrash and extreme metal, with music author Joel McIver considering Slayer very influential in the extreme metal scene, especially in the development of the death metal and black metal subgenres , ensuring their place among the most uncompromising and enduring bands metal has produced.
Slayer's raw intensity made them a favorite subject behind the lens as well as on record, and their presence in this archive reflects that legacy. Wayne Dennon photographed the band across three shows between 2003 and 2007, spanning two different cities, capturing the group during a period that included the Christ Illusion era and their first Grammy wins. The 119 photographs preserved here have drawn 89,029 views from archive visitors, a testament to both Wayne's eye for the chaos of a Slayer show and the enduring devotion of the band's fans.
