This summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival features a compelling blend of the old and now. Young, fiery upstarts including The Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel, Betraying the Martyrs and Upon a Burning Body, set the stage for some of the veteran, legendary names in metal and hard rock. Incredibly, the bill features Anthrax, Motorhead, Slipknot, and one of the genre's most vaunted names, Slayer.
Formed more than 30 years ago, the Southern California icons' Reign in Blood album is thought by many to be one of the most important albums in the history of heavy metal. They're also two-time Grammy winners, but more importantly, they remain a solid inspiration for many up and coming bands on Mayhem - many of whom professed their adoration of Slayer to Noisecreep in San Bernardino, Calif. last week at the tour's kickoff date.
Chilean-born Slayer lead vocalist/bassist Tom Araya helped finance the band's first album -- 1983's Show No Mercy -- and there's been no looking back since.
On day one of the Mayhem tour, Noisecreep had the privilege of visiting Araya on his tour bus to talk for awhile. The wide-ranging conversation with the thoughtful, soft spoken metal hero chatted with us about being honored with the keys to the city of Vina del Mar, his Chilean hometown, how he balances his Catholic faith with some of Slayer's edgier material, his appreciation of country music, and perhaps most poignantly, Araya's feelings about being away from his family on the road - and the pain it causes him.
Watch Noisecreep's Chat with Slayer's Tom
