Tom Araya is an American rock musician originally from Chile. He is the bassist, songwriter and vocalist of the legendary thrash metal band Slayer. According to Hit Parader magazine, Araya is one of the 100 best metal vocalists of all time.
early years
Tom Araya was born on June 6, 1961 in the Chilean city of Viña del Mar into a large family (he was the fourth child of seven).
When Tom was five years old, his parents moved to the States, to the Californian town of South Gate. At the age of eight, Tom Araya got acquainted with such an instrument as the bass guitar, and together with his brother Juan began to learn the compositions of the Rolling Stones and Beatles. In the future, by the way, Juan also became a musician and played in the metal band Thine Eyes Bleed.
In the early eighties, the financial difficulties of a large family forced Tom to take a two-year medical course and get a job as a respiratory therapist in a hospital.
Tom Araya as Slayer
In 1981, Tom met Kerry King, the creator of the young, then unknown band Slayer. And King soon offered Tom a place as bassist in this group. Around the same time, it included drummer Dave Lombardo and lead guitarist Jeff Hanneman.
At first, Tom Araya combined music rehearsals with work in a hospital. In addition, this work allowed him to save money for the studio recording of his debut album. This album was released in 1983 by Metal Blade Records and was called "Show No Mercy" ("Show no mercy"). It sold 40,000 copies, which is a decent result for an aspiring band.
In 1984, Araya asked the hospital management to give him a long leave. The musician needed him to go on his first concert tour in Europe. However, the management refused him. Despite this, Araya still went on tour with his team, which, in general, was the reason for his dismissal. After that, Tom Araya was able to devote himself entirely to music.
Also in 1984, the Slayer group released a mini-album "Haunting the Chapel", consisting of three tracks and lasting about seventeen minutes.
And 1985 was marked by the release of the second full-length studio album "Hell Awaits", which was greeted with genuine interest by music critics and lovers of heavy music. In addition, this year the live album "Live Undead" was released, which is a live recording of the performance in front of fans.
And in 1986, Slayer created their undoubtedly best album, Reign in Blood. It should be noted that initially there were problems with its release. Due to the shocking cover art and provocative lyrics, Columbia Records refused to work with Slayer and the guys had to sign a new contract with Geffen Records. Despite all the difficulties, in the end this disc was recognized as a classic of the genre. And Slayer, after its release, became, in fact, the leading thrash metal band in the States.
Then the albums "South of Heaven" (1988) and "Seasons in the Abyss" (1990) were released, on which the group's search for a new sound (while maintaining a recognizable style) was strongly noticeable.
In 1991, Slayer embarked on a major tour called "Clash of the Titans" with metal bands Megadeth, Anthrax and Suicidal Tendencies. Moreover, Slayer was announced here as a headliner. During this tour, a conflict broke out between Megadeth vocalist Dave Mustaine and Tom Araya, which led to a long-term feud between the bands.
In the nineties and two thousandths, five more studio albums by Slayer were released - "Divine Intervention" (1994), "Diabolus in Musica" (1998), "God Hates Us All" (2001), "Christ Illusion" (2006), "World Painted Blood "(2009). And to each of them, Araya, of course, made a significant contribution. In particular, he wrote poetry for some of the songs from these albums. It should be noted here that the theme of his texts (and Slayer's texts in general) has always been quite specific - death, Satanism, hell, violence, wars, maniacs, etc. On the other hand, the appeal to such themes is typical for the overwhelming majority of bands working in the thrash metal genre.
Slayer's last album, "Repentless", was released in 2015. The rock band will no longer record new albums. After the final world tour, which began in the spring of 2018 and will continue until the end of 2019 or 2020, Slayer as a musical group will cease to exist. Tom Araya's further creative plans are still unknown.
Receiving a Grammy Award and a Key to Hometown
Among the songs composed by Tom, the composition "Eyes of the insane" from the disc "Christ Illusion" deserves special mention. Araya wrote the lyrics to it, inspired by an article in the Texas Monthly magazine. The article described how American soldiers returning from the war deal with physical and psychological trauma. Araya read it on a plane flight and she literally shook him. The very next night he wrote his lines.
Ultimately, the song "Eyes of the Insane" received critical acclaim, was featured on the soundtrack for the horror film Saw 3, and won the Best Metal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards. The famous gramophone figurine was presented directly to Tom Araya.
In June 2011, Tom Araya won another important award - a symbolic key to the city of Viña del Mar, from which the musician left as a child. He received this key from the hands of the woman-mayor of Virginia Reginato. And the very fact of receiving it became a wonderful gift for Araya, who specially came to Chile on the eve of his fiftieth birthday.
Personal life
Tom Araya lives with his wife Sandra on a ranch near Buffalo, Texas. The couple have two children - daughter Ariel (born 1996) and son Thomas Enrique Araya Jr. (born 1999).
The Araya farm includes over 60 head of cattle. In addition to cattle breeding, Tom and Sandra have another hobby - they are fans of horror films and often watch them together.
In 2010, Tom underwent spinal surgery, and now his neck is supported by titanium plates. Many years of headbanging (head shaking to the beat of the music) during the performances affected. After surgery, Araya no longer uses this technique on stage.
