1. Having been around for about 30 years now, how has your sound grown?
We have managed to stick around for 30 years. Jeff has been recovering from his illness. At some point we plan to create new music together.
We believe that you need to have the willpower to create music.
2. Are you ever fascinated as to how various generations can connect with your music? When you get a Slayer album, you are guaranteed to get
When people buy a Slayer album, they get very intense music and crazy lyrics – that’s Slayer and you love it. This has kept us going.
3. How difficult has it been with guitarist Jeff Hanneman being ill with Necrotizing fasciitis and unable to play?
Garry Holt from Exodus will be playing in place of Jeff Hanneman during Vladivar Rock N India. He has been playing with us touring with us for the past two years. He is really good. He is a good friend.
We are hoping that Jeff is able to eventually join the band, but it will not happen for the India tour.
4. Which are some of the tracks that you have lined up for this performance?
We will play a wide variety of songs. This is our first live performance. We will create the live Slayer experience.
5. How important are the sets and the entire entertainment package, when you’ll take stage? Any surprises for this show?
Our music creates the magic. We don’t do gimmicks for our concerts. It’s pure music – great sound equipment, lights. Our music plays, people enjoy it
6. Is this your first time in India? Any Indian band or musician whose work you follow?
Yes this is our first time. We can assure our fans that the music will create a wow for them. They will go crazy. It will be great to hear them sing along the lyrics of our songs.
We have listened to Indian traditional music and we find it very interesting. Cultural type music. It’s new and it’s different. We enjoy it.
7. Anything in particular you’re looking forward to doing in India? (sampling food, touring etc)
We are looking forward to a great time performing for our fans. We wanna play to the great Indian audience.
8. When can we expect your next album and what’s next on the cards for you?
We are working on a new album – 2013. It will sound like Slayer!
9. What do you guys make of aging, fading metal bands, relying on liberalised developing economies, to mount a late-career revival?
Huh!? are you including slayer in that category? hope not I’ll have to kick your ass!!
10. A question for Tom: in various interviews over the last couple of years, you’ve suggested having retirement in sight, while also making statements such as, “I like longevity, and a true musician never abandons his art”. We do realise you’ve got tours lined up for the next couple of seasons already. But, then again, how long do you see yourself shredding up stages with Slayer?
Longevity meaning that the band will live on even though we no longer write or perform as a band, and as a band we’ve never abandoned our art of writing and creating slayer music unlike some bands. I see slayer continuing until we decide as a band not to. I don’t know when that will be, there are many factors to take into account
