Slayer guitarist Kerry King has shared his enthusiasm and some details regarding the band’s upcoming performance at the monumental “Back To The Beginning” farewell concert for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Set for July 5th, 2025, in Birmingham, UK, the event will see Slayer joining a star-studded lineup to honor the metal pioneers, and King confirmed they are preparing a special Black Sabbath cover for the occasion.
“It’s such an honor to even be thought of to play that, and I’m glad we were actually in the ‘working mode’ so we can get that offer,” King expressed in a recent interview with Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), highlighting the significance of being included.
He revealed that Slayer‘s contribution involves a carefully considered, if late, choice of cover song. “It’s gonna be awesome. And I drag my feet and picked our song really late, so when there weren’t as many obvious choices, but the one I picked is gonna work out really cool,” King explained. Initial rehearsals have already occurred involving King and drummer Paul Bostaph: “I worked it out with my [solo] band, so me and Paul could rehearse it. So we’ve already got it.” He indicated the full band would convene soon: “We’ve just gotta get Tom [Araya, Slayer bassist/vocalist] and Gary [Holt, Slayer guitarist] on board whenever — probably in June we will rehearse for that. It’s gonna be k*ller. What we’re doing is cool.”
Beyond Slayer‘s own performance, King is looking forward to experiencing the historic day as a fan. “I’ve already thought about being at that show very early ’cause there’s a lot of my friends that are gonna be playing Sabbath songs, and I wanna see a lot of it,” he shared. Anticipating logistical challenges, he added, “I’m sure the stage is gonna be a nightmare getting onto, so I’m hoping there’s live feeds backstage so we can just watch it and hear it. I wanna see Metallica. I wanna see Pantera. I wanna see Lzzy Hale, just to name a few.”
The July 5th concert at Villa Park, billed as Ozzy and Sabbath‘s final show, sold out almost instantly. It promises a massive celebration featuring acts like Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Pantera, and many others. The event also carries the buzz of potentially featuring the first performance by Black Sabbath‘s original lineup in twenty years; Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward.
King‘s discussion of Slayer‘s preparations comes during an active period for the guitarist and the band. King himself recently made a guest appearance performing live guitar at WWE‘s Wrestlemania 41 on April 20th for wrestler Damian Priest – who, in turn, is set to host Slayer‘s headlining show in Hershey, PA, on September 20th.
The Birmingham tribute is a central date in Slayer‘s confirmed 2025 live schedule, which also includes other UK shows in early July, festival appearances in Canada (July 11th) and Louisville, KY (September 18th), and the major Hershey concert.
Okay, here is the list of Slayer’s 2025 reunion show dates as provided in the text:
Slayer 2025 Reunion Shows:
- July 3, 2025 – Cardiff, UK @ Blackweir Fields (with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed, and Neckbreakker)
- July 5, 2025 – Birmingham, UK @ Villa Park (Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath “Back To The Beginning” show)
- July 6, 2025 – London, UK @ Finsbury Park (with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed, and Neckbreakker)
- July 11, 2025 – Québec City, QC, Canada @ Festival d’été de Québec
- September 18, 2025 – Louisville, KY, USA @ Louder Than Life Festival (at Highland Festival Grounds)
- September 20, 2025 – Hershey, PA, USA @ Hersheypark Stadium (with Knocked Loose, Suicidal Tendencies, Power Trip, Cavalera, and Exodus)
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