Columbia Records has confirmed a July 7th release date for the new album from US thrash legends SLAYER. The band are currently in a Los Angeles, California studio putting the finishing touches to the follow-up to 2006's Christ Illusion which entered the Billboard 200 at #5 - the band's highest US chart position to date.

The first new track from the album - 'Psychopathy Red' - was made available as a 7-inch vinyl disc on April 18th, as part of the third annual Record Store Day. Only 5,000 of these limited edition discs were manufactured worldwide. The blood-red vinyl 'Psychopathy Red' 7-inch collectors item will be packaged in a special Russian crime scene "evidence envelope," as the song was inspired by the heinous Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, aka the Rostov Ripper, who confessed to brutally murdering 56 children. The song was recorded by the band - guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo - in a Los Angeles recording studio last October.

Slayer's as-yet-untitled new album will coincide with the band's co-headline trek with MARILYN MANSON on the five-week Mayhem Festival set to kick off July 10th in Sacramento, CA.

Prior to that, Slayer are teaming up with MEGADETH for the Canadian Carnage tour which will also feature MACHINE HEAD and SUICIDE SILENCE, and will see Megadeth and Slayer each closing two of the four shows.

Dates include:

June

24 - GM Place - Vancouver, BC
26 - Rexall - Edmonton, AB
27 - Saddledome - Calgary, AB
29 - MTS Centre - Winnipeg, MB