SLAYER CANCELS AMERICAN AND CANADIAN CARNAGE TOUR DATES

California thrash legends SLAYER have canceled the bands aforementioned AMERICAN and
CANADIAN tour due to bassist/vocalist TOM ARAYA's back injury. Both SLAYER and MEGADETH have promised to reschedule all dates. MEGADETH will announce a spring 2010 headlining tour very soon.
FROM BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
California thrash metal legends SLAYER have been forced to cancel all of their immediate tour plans — including the American and Canadian Carnage tour dates with MEGADETH and TESTAMENT that were set to kick off on January 18, as well as the band's European headline tour scheduled for March and April.

SLAYER bassist/vocalist 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.

"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."

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.

Booking agents for both SLAYER and MEGADETH are already hard at work rescheduling tour dates; tickets already purchased for all shows will be honored at the rescheduled dates.

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."
FROM MEGADETH: The much-anticipated American Carnage tour, featuring thrash metal 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 "is concerned for Araya and wish[es] him a speedy recovery," according to a statement released by the band's record label, Roadrunner Records.

MEGADETH is currently scheduling a U.S. headline run for March and April, and hopes to reschedule the American Carnage tour for this summer.

Anyone who has purchased an American Carnage ticket should hold on to it until further notice.
FROM SLAYER: While Tom is at rest working on his recovery, the Slayer team is working hard to reschedule all postponed shows!

For all your fans with tickets to the American Carnage, Canadian Carnage, and UK/EU shows: Hold on to your tickets, more information will be coming your way!

Thanks for all of your support."
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-