SLAYER has recruited
Gary Holt (pictured below) from veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers
EXODUS to be
SLAYER's guest guitarist, temporary filling in for
Jeff Hanneman who is currently recovering from surgery.
Holt will immediately join
Tom Araya (bass, vocals),
Kerry King (guitar) and
Dave Lombardo (drums) for their five-date Australian
Soundwave Festival tour that begins February 26.
Hanneman underwent emergency surgery on his right arm late last month after contracting a serious infection, possibly caused by a spider bite. He is now recuperating at home and is expected to make a full recovery. He will return to the
SLAYER lineup as soon as he has fully recovered.
While
Hanneman's doctors were not able to definitively identify the infection's origin, they diagnosed necrotizing fasciitis, an infection caused by bacteria. According to
WebMD, necrotizing fasciitis can destroy skin, fat, and the tissue covering the muscles. The disease sometimes is called "flesh-eating" bacteria.
"
Jeff is our brother, we've all been friends and together as a band for almost 30 years," said
Araya, "so we just want him to completely recover as soon as possible."
"After everything that happened last year,"
King added, "we all agreed that we just can't let our fans down again," referring to
Araya's severe back and neck pain that prompted his January 2010 surgery, unfortunately leading to the band's postponement or cancellation of numerous shows in 2009 and 2010. "
Jeff is totally on board with this decision, so we will tour as planned. At this point, we can't pinpoint exactly what day he'll be back, but he'll be back as soon as he possibly can. And we can't wait for
Jeff to get better and get his ass back on the road."