With vocalist/bassist Tom Araya now on the right track to recovery, Slayer announces the rescheduling of its UK concert trek.  The dates will kick off on May 26 at the 02 Academy in Leeds, with the band playing seven headline shows, ending with two in London.   All tickets for the original shows are valid, and The Haunted will remain as main support on all dates. With vocalist/bassist Tom Araya now on the right track to recovery, Slayer announces the rescheduling of its UK concert trek.  The dates will kick off on May 26 at the 02 Academy in Leeds, with the band playing seven headline shows, ending with two in London.   All tickets for the original shows are valid, and The Haunted will remain as main support on all dates.  The original-scheduled dates had to be put on hold due to Araya's ongoing treatment for what was diagnosed as a Cervical Radiculopathy, an occupational hazard for the rocker who is known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing.

Originally, Araya opted for a series of minimally-invasive procedures, and while they resulted in some improvement, they didn't entirely remedy the severe pain, numbness or muscle spasms that Araya continued to experience.  Consequently, Araya made the difficult decision to undergo a surgical procedure, called an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion, a relatively routine practice with an excellent recovery rate.  "I think that his just making the decision to have the surgery has helped improve the way he feels," said long-time Slayer manager Rick Sales.  "While no one wants to go under the knife, his doctors are very confident about this procedure taking care of the problem once and for all."  The new UK schedule is as follows:

May 2010
26th Leeds                 O2 Academy   0844 477 2000
27th Glasgow            Barrowland     0871 230 7131
29th Birmingham      O2 Academy   0844 477 2000
30th Manchester       O2 Academy   0161 832 1111
31st Nottingham       Rock City        0871 3100 000
 
June 2010
2nd London                HMV Forum    0844 847 2405
3rd London                 HMV Forum    0844 847 2405
 
Tickets also available from 0871 230 5595, www.kililive.com www.seetickets.com and usual outlets