Slayer will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Reign in Blood by performing the album in its entirety on a Latin American tour this fall, with five dates running Oct. 21 through Dec. 17, 2026. Kreator supports on four of the five dates.
In Los Angeles, a second Kia Forum show has been added on Nov. 14 after the Nov. 13 date sold out during Citi and artist presales. The two Kia Forum shows will mark Slayer‘s first Los Angeles concerts in seven years. The band will also headline a “Reign in Blood” anniversary show at Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minn., on Sept. 4. These three U.S. headline dates are the only domestic shows at which Slayer will perform Reign in Blood in full; festival appearances throughout the year will feature different sets.
Slayer “Reign in Blood” 40th anniversary Latin American tour dates:
- Oct. 21 — Palacio de los Deportes — Mexico City, Mexico (with Power Trip)
- Dec. 5 — Vive Claro — Bogotá, Colombia (with Kreator and Ultra Legends)
- Dec. 10 — Estadio Santa Laura — Santiago, Chile (with Kreator and Avernal)
- Dec. 14 — Movistar Arena — Buenos Aires, Argentina (with Kreator and Criminal)
- Dec. 17 — Allianz Parque — São Paulo, Brazil (with Kreator and Korzus)
Slayer U.S. headline and festival dates:
- Sept. 4 — Mystic Lake Amphitheater — Shakopee, Minn. (with Down, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed)
- Sept. 6 — Rocklahoma — Pryor, Okla.
- Oct. 24 — Sick New World Texas — Fort Worth, Texas
- Nov. 13 — Kia Forum — Inglewood, Calif. (with Cannibal Corpse, Cavalera, Crowbar)
- Nov. 14 — Kia Forum — Inglewood, Calif. (with Cannibal Corpse, Cavalera, Crowbar)
The lineup for all of Slayer‘s comeback shows in 2024 and 2025 was the same as the one that last toured in 2019: guitarist Kerry King and drummer Paul Bostaph, alongside bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and guitarist Gary Holt. In 2025, the band performed at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. (30,000-seat capacity, Sept. 20), Louder Than Life in Louisville, Ky., Blackweir Fields in Cardiff, U.K., Finsbury Park in London, and the Festival D’été De Québec in Canada. The band also played a six-song set at Black Sabbath‘s sold-out “Back to the Beginning” final concert on July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
Reign in Blood was released on Oct. 7, 1986, via Def Jam Recordings and marked the band’s first collaboration with producer Rick Rubin. Kerrang! magazine described it as “the heaviest album of all time” and a breakthrough in thrash metal and speed metal. The album was the band’s first to enter the Billboard 200 chart, debuting at No. 94, and was certified gold by the RIAA on Nov. 20, 1992, for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.
The release of Reign in Blood was delayed due to concerns over its graphic artwork and lyrical subject matter, particularly the opening track “Angel of Death,” which refers to Josef Mengele and describes acts committed at Auschwitz. Allegations of Nazism followed, though the band repeatedly stated they did not condone Nazism and were solely interested in the subject as a documentary. Guitarist Jeff Hanneman previously said: “‘Angel of Death’ was a big problem… Sony wasn’t going to release it. I remember being at home, pissed, throwing things… I didn’t think anything was wrong with ‘Angel of Death’ or anything else we did; it’s a documentary! There’s no ‘Heil Hitler’ or ‘white people rule,’ it’s a documentary; grow up, people.”
