Slayer Postpones European Tour

Slayer have issued the following update:

"It is with immense disappointment that Slayer must postpone its U.K. and European tour that had been set to kick off on November 18 in the U.K., and take the band on 19 dates through Europe, ending on December 17th in Germany. The tour will be rescheduled to kick off on March 7th in Manchester, England (complete itinerary is below).

"Vocalist/bassist Tom Araya has been under the care of a specialist for a back injury, and while he has already made substantial improvement, he is continuing on with doctor-prescribed treatment."<>

"Right now," said Slayer's manager, Rick Sales, "our main concern must be the full and permanent recovery of Tom, so we have decided to clear the calendar and give him the extra time he needs to concentrate solely on good health."

Last week, SLAYER announced the postponement of its East Coast "Canadian Carnage" co-headline tour with Megadeth; those dates will be rescheduled in February 2010.

The new European schedule is as follows:

Mar. 7 - Manchester, England - Academy
Mar. 8 - London, England - Forum
Mar. 9 - London, England - Forum
Mar. 11 - Paris, France - Bataclan
Mar. 13 - Bochum, Germany - Ruhrcongress
Mar. 15 - Tilburg, Holland - 013
Mar. 16 - Tilburg, Holland - 013
Mar. 17 - Brussels, Belgium - AB
Mar. 18 - Herford, Germany - X
Mar. 20 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
Mar. 21 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
Mar. 22 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
Mar. 24 - Dresden, Germany - Alter Schlachtof
Mar. 25 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer Early Show
Mar. 26 - Munich, Germany - Zenith (transferred from Tonhalle)
Mar. 28 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Mar. 29 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Mar. 30 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus Late Show
Mar. 31 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
Apr. 2 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
Apr. 3 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowland
Apr. 4 - Leeds, UK - Academy
Apr. 5 - Birmingham, UK - Academy

Slayer's new album, "World Painted Blood", has registered the following first-week chart positions so far:

Canada: #8
Australia: #9
Germany: #7
U.S.: #12
Finland: #12
Norway: #15
Netherlands: #15
New Zealand: #16
Denmark: #21
Ireland: #38
United Kingdom: #41

"World Painted Blood" sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.