Slayer formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman . In 1983, the band released their first album, Show No Mercy , with Tom Araya on bass and vocals and Dave Lombardo on drums.
In 1992, already with five studio albums and a solid reputation in the metal scene, Lombardo left the band and drummer Paul Bostaph took his place. The band then released four albums with Bostaph until 2001, when an elbow injury prevented him from continuing and Lombardo returned to the drums.
In 2011, Jeff Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis after being bitten by a spider. The guitarist was absent from the band until his death from cirrhosis in May 2013. Dave Lombardo left Slayer once again that same year, claiming he wasn't being financially compensated in the same way as the other members, and Paul Bostaph rejoined in his place.
Slayer has sold approximately 20 million albums to date, and is part of the iconic thrash metal quartet, the Big Four , along with Anthrax , Metallica , and Megadeth .
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