Slayer singer/bassist Tom Araya says he and his thrash metal bandmates are happy their 2006 album, "Christ Illusion," is getting a second chance to be heard.
A limited edition version of the title, which was Slayer's first new release in five years and marked the return of original drummer Dave Lombardo to the fold, is coming out July 24 on Rick Rubin's American Recordings via the imprint's new distribution deal with Sony BMG. It features an alternate version of the song "Black Serenade," a new song called "The Final Six" that wasn't finished in time for the album's original issue and a DVD with the video for the Grammy-winning track "Eyes of the Insane" and other footage.
"When we got word Rubin was gonna move (American) over from Warners to Sony, my initial response was, 'Sh*t ... now nothing's gonna happen with the album," Araya notes. "(Warners) literally stopped ... not working the album, but they slowed it down. We just had to wait it out, and now everything's cool."
In addition to the new version of "Christ Illusion," Araya says Sony BMG's Legacy imprint will be re-releasing Slayer's catalog, although no release dates or information about bonus material have been determined.
Meanwhile, Slayer is gearing up for its tour with Marilyn Manson, which begins July 25 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Araya says the group is "going for an all-brutal set" that will feature songs Slayer hasn't played in awhile, including "Bitter Piece" and "Ghosts of War." "We've been playing mostly the standards on this trip," Araya says, "so we kind of dug a little deeper and added a couple more to make it a little heavier."
As for the unlikely pairing with Manson, Araya says, "you take a deep breath and go, 'Alright, let's see what happens.' I'm not a Manson fan; it isn't bad, not my cup of tea. I'm not really a fan of it, but certainly Kerry (King, Slayer's guitarist) is. And I would assume there are some Slayer fans that are Manson fans, and vice versa.
"What I really expect is a majority of the audience to be of looky-loos -- people who wouldn't normally go to a Manson show or normally go to a Slayer show, but since it's one package, 'Let's kill two birds with one stone.' They want to see it 'cause it's such a strange bill -- 'What's gonna happen? Let's check it out.' I'm just hoping nothing goes bad."
A limited edition version of the title, which was Slayer's first new release in five years and marked the return of original drummer Dave Lombardo to the fold, is coming out July 24 on Rick Rubin's American Recordings via the imprint's new distribution deal with Sony BMG. It features an alternate version of the song "Black Serenade," a new song called "The Final Six" that wasn't finished in time for the album's original issue and a DVD with the video for the Grammy-winning track "Eyes of the Insane" and other footage.
"When we got word Rubin was gonna move (American) over from Warners to Sony, my initial response was, 'Sh*t ... now nothing's gonna happen with the album," Araya notes. "(Warners) literally stopped ... not working the album, but they slowed it down. We just had to wait it out, and now everything's cool."
In addition to the new version of "Christ Illusion," Araya says Sony BMG's Legacy imprint will be re-releasing Slayer's catalog, although no release dates or information about bonus material have been determined.
Meanwhile, Slayer is gearing up for its tour with Marilyn Manson, which begins July 25 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Araya says the group is "going for an all-brutal set" that will feature songs Slayer hasn't played in awhile, including "Bitter Piece" and "Ghosts of War." "We've been playing mostly the standards on this trip," Araya says, "so we kind of dug a little deeper and added a couple more to make it a little heavier."
As for the unlikely pairing with Manson, Araya says, "you take a deep breath and go, 'Alright, let's see what happens.' I'm not a Manson fan; it isn't bad, not my cup of tea. I'm not really a fan of it, but certainly Kerry (King, Slayer's guitarist) is. And I would assume there are some Slayer fans that are Manson fans, and vice versa.
"What I really expect is a majority of the audience to be of looky-loos -- people who wouldn't normally go to a Manson show or normally go to a Slayer show, but since it's one package, 'Let's kill two birds with one stone.' They want to see it 'cause it's such a strange bill -- 'What's gonna happen? Let's check it out.' I'm just hoping nothing goes bad."
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