Anthrax bassist Frank Bello has become the latest musician to express doubt about just how permanent Slayer’s upcoming breakup will be.
Back in January, Slayer announced that their career as one of the world’s biggest metal acts was set to come to an end, unveiling a series of dates that would see the group play their final shows. Since then, the band has been out on tour with the likes of Lamb Of God and Anthrax, leading to some interesting stories along the way.
However, just last week, Rob Zombie spoke out about the group’s upcoming disbandment, explaining that he doesn’t think their breakup will be as permanent as they say it will be.
“I don’t think anyone ever thought they would be doing it this long,” Zombie began. “Just a couple of days ago, I was hanging out with Alice Cooper, ’cause he was at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and I just dropped by to say hi. He’s 70, and he has no plans of retiring. I mean, Jesus Christ, Jerry Lee Lewis hasn’t even retired yet.”
“No rock guys have ever retired — they just… they died; that’s why they retired,” he continued. “And when I hear, ‘Oh, Slayer are retiring,’ I go, ‘No fucking way! No way!’ They think they wanna be home and have a life. After two years, they’re gonna go cuckoo and they’re gonna be back on the road.”
However, while Rob Zombie hasn’t toured with Slayer since 2011, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello – who is currently out on the road with the band – has also expressed his doubt about the group’s breakup.
“We have toured a lot with these guys and we are lucky and fortunate to be on this tour,” Bello said in an interview with Post Journal. “Despite what it is called, I don’t think this will be the end of the road for Slayer. Slayer is a way of life, not just a band.”
This happens to continue on from the comments that Frank Bello made just a few months ago, where he stated he hopes the band will continue to do one-off shows down the line.
“I know these guys pretty well; they’re good friends of mine, specifically Kerry [King, guitarist]. And they’ve been talking about [breaking up] for quite a while,” Bello explained in an interview with RadioactiveMike Z.
“And I’m actually surprised that it came now, [and] I’m kind of bummed, but, you know, Slayer will never die, at the end of the day. So maybe they’ll do one-off shows and stuff like that.”
As it stands, there’s currently no word if Slayer’s farewell tour is set to include an Australian leg, though some comments made by Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah – who brought the band back to Australia for their last tour – suggests that we might be receiving some final dates from the thrash-metal legends at some point this year.
Check out Slayer’s ‘War Ensemble’:
