Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo has released a lengthy tribute via Metal Hammer to his friend and former bandmate, late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away in May 2013. An excerpt follows:

"The first time I first met Jeff was in 1981, just after Kerry [King] and I had put the band together, when we were rehearsing at my parents’ house. I guess Kerry had met him somewhere, and they got talking, and the next thing you know he’d brought Jeff to the house. He just looked like some quiet surfer kid to me: long blond hair, living in Long Beach, could be on a surfboard. I was, like, 'This kid is cool.'

"Jeff was such a big influence on the sound of Slayer. We were into the typical metal of the time - Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, Deep Purple, you know? Then one day Jeff shows up to rehearsal with a shaved head. We were all, like, 'Whoa, Jeff, what’d you do?!' He went: 'I’m punk. It’s over.' And he brought all of this music with him: some vinyl, some cassettes - Black Flag, TSOL, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks. I was, like, 'Wow, what rock have I been under? This is fantastic!' It was a huge pivot point - our songs became faster, more aggressive after that. He was the one that brought that element to Slayer."

Read Lombardo's full letter at Metal Hammer.

Upcoming dates on Slayer's Final World Tour are listed below:

October
7 - ForceFest @ Campo De Golf Teotihucan - San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico  (headline)

November
1 - Dublin 3Arena - Dublin, Ireland
3 - Wembley Arena - London, UK
5 - Cardiff Arena - Cardiff, UK
7 - Birmingham BCA - Birmingham, UK
9 - Manchester Arena - Manchester, UK
10 - Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
12 - Glasgow Hydro SSE - Glasgow, UK
14 - Westfalenhalle 1 - Dortmund, Germany
15 - IJsselHal - Zwolle, Netherlands
17 - Palacio Vistalegre - Madrid, Spain
18 - St. Jordi - Barcelona, Spain
20 - Mediolanum Forum - Milan, Italy
21 - Halle 622 - Zurich, Switzerland
23 - Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria
24 - Freiburg, Sick Arena - Freiburg, Germany
26 - Barclaycard Arena Hamburg - Hamburg, Germany
27 - Atlas Arena - Lodz, Poland
29 - Olympiahalle - Munich, Germany
30 - Messchalle - Erfurt, Germany

December
2 - Mercedes-Benz Arena - Berlin, Germany
3 - Royal Arena - Kobenhavn S, Denmark
5 - Hovert - Stockholm, Sweden
6 - Oslo Spektrum Arena - Oslo, Norway
8 - Helsinki Ice Hall - Helsinki, Finland

June
23 - Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France  (headline)