MTV.com is reporting that SLAYER will be teaming up with LAMB OF GOD, MASTODON, CHILDREN OF BODOM and THINE EYES BLEED for a two-month U.S. tour beginning on June 6. Dubbed the Unholy Alliance Tour, the trek will make stops in most major cities, although the actual routing of the run is still being fleshed out.
"It's been 18 months since we've toured in the States," SLAYER guitarist Kerry King told MTV.com. "People are going to be chomping at the bit to see us again. Our initial thought [with Unholy Alliance] was to go up against Ozzfest, because I think that tour's getting a little bit tired and I think people are tired of going out and getting sunburned for hours every summer. Every place we play is going to be indoors, with a good-sized lineup. We're certainly not going to try to make Ozzfest go away. We're just trying to offer an alternative."
On Tuesday (Feb. 28) SLAYER entered a Los Angeles studio, where they started recording the 11 songs that'll comprise their yet-untitled album. Rick Rubin (SLIPKNOT, SYSTEM OF A DOWN) will executive-produce the disc, while Josh Abraham (VELVET REVOLVER, STAIND) will turn the knobs. One of the songs has an official title ("Cult"), but all of them, King promised, will be devastatingly grim.
"There are definitely things you can't write about in SLAYER, and there are definitely things people expect you to write about," he said. "Everybody expects war, Satanism or anti-religious stuff — and this record's chock-full of that."
Most of the 11 songs SLAYER will record were written more than two years ago, the guitarist said. "We're hoping to do it old-school and record everything in like four weeks," he added. "We're ready. This is probably the most ready we've been since 'Seasons'. We've been spinning our wheels in rehearsals, just waiting for the green light on this thing. Now that we've got it, we're ready to go.
"It's definitely going to be a riff-fest," King continued. "There's riffs all over the place. As much time as we've had to work on it, there better be riffs on it. I think anybody who likes SLAYER, musically, is going to love it."
On Saturday, MTV2's "Headbangers Ball" will feature an exclusive interview with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya regarding the forthcoming album and the Unholy Alliance run.
