Editor’s Note ~ As we were about to go to press with this article, Roadrunner Records issued the following press release (but please see bottom of article for an update as of 2-1-2010!):

AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR FEATURING MEGADETH, SLAYER AND TESTAMENT POSTPONED

MEGADETH TO ANNOUNCE HEADLINE TOUR FOR MARCH AND APRIL

New York, NY- The much anticipated American Carnage Tour, featuring hard rock behemoths Megadeth, Slayer and Testament has been put on hold due to health issues. Slayer’s bassist/vocalist Tom Araya is in need of back surgery which cannot be postponed.

While disappointed by the tour’s delay, Megadeth are concerned for Araya and wish him a speedy recovery.
Megadeth are currently scheduling a U.S. headline run for March and April, and hope to reschedule the American Carnage tour for Summer ’10. Anyone who has purchased an American Carnage ticket should hold onto it until further notice. Please visit www.megadeth.com for the latest updates.

And this press release came to us from Slayer’s camp:

BACK SURGERY SCHEDULED FOR SLAYER’S TOM ARAYA,
BAND’S TOUR PLANS CANCELLED THROUGH APRIL

Slayer Camp Working Hard to Reschedule Dates for Later This Year

Los Angeles, CA – “Tom gave various medical treatments more than a fair shot,” said Slayer’s manager Rick Sales, “but they just haven’t handled the problem, so he’s biting the bullet and is scheduled for back surgery at the end of this month.”

This difficult decision made by the band’s bassist/vocalist Tom Araya means the cancellation of Slayer’s immediate tour plans that include the American and Canadian Carnage Tour dates that were set to kick off on January 18, as well as the band’s UK/European tour scheduled for March and April. Booking agents for both Slayer and Megadeth are already hard at work to see if these dates can be rescheduled, so those holding tickets are asked to sit tight as more info will be announced as progress is made.

The headbanging Araya, known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing, began experiencing back problems while on the band’s Australian/New Zealand/Japanese tour last October. In spite of his rapidly increasing pain and discomfort, he carried on with the tour, but immediately upon returning home saw an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed a Cervical Radiculopathy. The rocker initially did not want to take the major surgery route, so the specialist recommended a series of minimally-invasive procedures. While those procedures have resulted in some improvement, Araya continues to deal with intermittent bouts of severe pain, numbness and muscle spasms. The surgical procedure that Araya will undergo, called an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion, is a relatively routine practice and the recovery rate is excellent.

Sales added, “As unfortunate as this is for so many people – the Megadeth and Testament camps, the concerts’ promoters, and, of course, the fans – Tom’s health is the number one priority, and this has to happen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

American Carnage Tour 2010
Slayer, Testament, and Megadeth

By Jillian Locke

After nearly 20 years, the metal world will finally get what it’s been so sloppily salivating for ~ the “wet dream of metal tours,” as some are calling it, and rightfully so. The second coming is upon us, in the form of a second installment of 1991’s Clash of the Titans tour. BEHOLD! American Carnage Tour 2010 is coming, featuring none other than three of the world’s biggest heavy metal heavy weights: Slayer, Megadeth, and Testament, joining forces once again to bring metal fans to their knees to give praise to the godfathers of modern metal.

This tour is especially poignant for Slayer and Testament for these reasons: World Painted Blood, Slayer’s 11th studio album, was unleashed on the public in November of 2009, a record that deviated from the normal recording processes Slayer had become so accustomed to during their nearly 30 year reign. The mastodon’s of thrash are revisiting a more raw, organic time, a flashback that has earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, and critical acclaim from old and new fans alike.

“The process was a challenge – it was different. It kept us on our toes. We made the most of time we had at the studio and worked for what we achieved,” describes Dave Lombardo, original percussive mastermind behind Slayer, of the recording process with Greg Fidelman. “Greg was there at rehearsal, every day. That’s unusual – he was there from the beginning…from the time we were learning songs and mapping them out. That meant a lot.”

What also turned the tides was a newfound camaraderie in collaboration. “Jeff Hanneman wrote two songs for (2006’s) Christ Illusion. This time, he and King both brought ideas to the table and blended them. Jeff also wrote most of the songs back in the 80’s, which could explain the 80’s feel. This sound is a lot more raw and polished,” Lombardo attests.

Testament, who are celebrating their 20 year anniversary with the original line-up, are seeing a second coming all their own. After Chuck Billy’s cancer scare and open heart surgery back in 2001, the vocalist’s recovery ignited a resurgence of the original line-up and the release of their ninth studio album in 2008, Foundation of Damnation. Touring relentlessly since then, Testament is blazing a revitalized path. “Everything’s kind of falling into place,” Billy proudly confirms. “We finally got a record out, got new management, a new label, and new booking agents. Things are good right now for Testament.”

And with the American Carnage Tour, things are looking even better. Just as Slayer took an unorthodox approach to their latest recording, 2010 holds the same fate for Testament. Just as they were planning to take some time off from touring to write an album, this killer opportunity presented itself, leaving them with no choice but to take advantage of it. But they have an alternative plan. “We haven’t written a record on tour since 1987, but we’re going to attempt to set up a recording studio on the bus to keep the momentum going. We’re pretty excited,” says Billy.

Things are looking more than good for both of these metal behemoths, and 2010 seems a mere stepping stone into the seemingly never-ending legacy of these two greats. Get in on your own slice of metal history at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell on Valentine’s Day.

www.slayer.net, www.myspace.com/slayer
www.testamentlegions.com (hit this site for VIP packages)

For more on Megadeth, check out our own Patrick Douglas’s interview with Dave Mustaine at www.thepulsemag.com/wordpress/2009/12/1209-dave-mustaine-on-megadeth%e2%80%99s-new-album-endgame, and
www.megadeth.com
www.myspace.com/megadeth

THIS JUST IN!  AS WE WERE ABOUT TO PUT THIS STORY ON-LINE, WE RECEIVED GREAT NEWS!

SLAYER, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT ANNOUNCE NEW DATES FOR THE “AMERICAN CARNAGE” NORTH AMERICAN TOUR!

The tour will be at the Tsongas Arena on August 14!!!