The North American leg of the Hell Awaits tour was lean and ferocious. Covered by truck (and Tom Araya’s car), with a bare-bones road crew and no tour bus in sight, Slayer clocked over 40,575 miles chasing stages and chaos. Armed with a list of key contacts, growing buzz for their upcoming album, and the will to conquer, they carved their name deeper into thrash history.
1-2. The band's tour route is drawn in pen on this North American map. Part of the journey (The Combat Tour) was alongside Venom and Exodus and was later called "the greatest metal tour of all time." From the Collection of Doug Goodman
3-6. Typed tour itinerary sheets with handwritten notes, April 1985. This sampling represents stops in Milwaukee, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Albuquerque, and Texas venues in negotiation for May. From the Collection of Doug Goodman
7. Original manilla envelopes containing the travel receipts from the tour in support of Hell Awaits, 1985. From the Collection of Tom Araya
VIDEO:
Tom Araya and Kerry King discuss the culprits behind one recurring phrase in the Hell Awaits tour notebook. From the Collection of Slayer
