Slayer To Go Faster, Heavier And More Brutal On New Album

Anyone with the stones to say that metal is dead is in for a very heavy wake-up call. Slayer, the band who paved the way for modern speed metal as we know it, are set to release their first album of new material in five years.

The still-untitled disc was produced by Josh Abraham (Staind, Velvet Revolver). It probably won't hit store shelves until late July, but a digital release will be available on June 6. The 6/6/06 release date was chosen on purpose, since it evokes Iron Maiden's favourite satanic number (of the Beast). That should come as no surprise, considering that themes of hell, hate and religion have been typical of Slayer's music since their formation in 1981.

The album's tracks include "Catalyst," "Catatonic," "Cult," "Jihad" and "Eyes Of The Insane" — a song sparked by an article in Texas Monthly magazine about the effect that the war in Iraq has had on those fighting in it.

"Musically, it's going to blow everybody away," singer Tom Araya told MTV News. "It's going to trip everyone out.

"It has all the elements of everything we've done. No one's going to be disappointed with this record. It's fast, heavy — maybe faster than anything we've done before. It's going to be brutal. It's what everyone expects from a Slayer record."

Fans can preview tracks from the new album when Slayer roll through a city near them as part of the Unholy Alliance tour along with Mastodon, Children Of Bodom, Lamb Of God and Thine Eyes Bleed. Here are the Canadian dates:

July 4 Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
July 9 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
July 11 Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Centre
July 13 Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place