The first leg of Slayer's 2016 North American tour, featuring Testament and Carcass as support, will launch with two shows (February 19th, 20th) at the Riviera Theater in Chicago, IL.

Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph took some time out of his chaotic schedule to talk to Examiner.com. When asked what kinds of things are going through his head during this exciting time in the band, Bostaph replied: “I kind of just look at what's in front of me and in the moment. My head's not spinning over it; it's true I never thought I'd be back in Slayer – not that I never thought I'd come back, but I left the band, they moved on, I moved on – you just don't expect to get a phone call again. Needless to say, I'm basically grabbing the bull by the horns and I'm giving 100-percent effort while I'm here and I always have."

In regards to the upcoming tour, Bostaph has got a pretty clear plan for how it's all going to go down: "I'm a firm believer in that it's all about playing live and I think that we'll still bring it. And I'll keep bringing it live until I can't anymore. It's all about the energy.”

Read more at Examiner.com.

Tour dates:

February
19 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
20 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
22 - War Memorial - Nashville, TN
24 - The National - Richmond, VA
26 - House of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC
27 - The Ritz - Raleigh, NC
29 - The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC

March
2 - Capitol Theatre - Port Chester, NY
3 - The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
5 - The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
6 - The House of Blues - Boston, MA
8 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH
9 - The Orpheum - Madison, WI
11 - Myth - St. Paul, MN
12 - Civic Auditorium - Fargo, ND
14 - MacEwan Hall - Calgary, AB
15 - Shaw Centre - Edmonton, AB
17 - Revolution Event Center - Boise, ID
19 - The Paramount - Seattle, WA
20 - Roseland Ballroom - Portland, OR
22 - Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA
26 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV

(Photo - PaulBostaphDrums.com)