A new full-length biography of iconic heavy metal band SLAYER continues to top key Amazon.com charts. Written by award-winning journalist D.X. Ferris, the timely Slayer 66 2/3: The Jeff and Dave Years… has spent 11 straight days as the #1 top seller on the Amazon Kindle Store’s Hot New Releases in Popular Culture chart. It has been #1 on the Kindle Store’s Popular Culture chart for nine of the last ten days (#1 the previous five).

Available in paperback and e-book, the exhaustively researched book features 59 chapters, 400 footnotes, 3 appendices (e-book, 2 in the paperback), 11 illustrations, and 33 photos by photographers including Harald Oimoen of Murder In The Front Row renown.

Says Ferris, “It started as a standard-but-detailed rock biography. And it ended with some fairly complicated journalism. I found some material that nobody ever thought to look for before - not TMZ, not the music press, not local newspapers, nobody. 2013 was a year of attrition and loss for Slayer. Fans have questions, and I found answers.”

David Konow, author of Reel Terror and the metal history Bang Your Head, says it is “the biography the band has always deserved... A book documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly without spin or sensationalism has been long overdue, and hats off to D.X. Ferris for getting it all down in this remarkable volume, which no Slayer fan should be without.”

The first six and a half chapters can be read at the Kindle book's Amazon page (link below).

Author D.X. Ferris is an Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Reporter of the Year. His previous book about Slayer is part of the prestigious 33 1/3 series (from Bloomsbury Academic, formerly Continuum). He began the project shortly after the band and drummer Dave Lombardo parted ways for the third time, in February 2013. After guitarist Jeff Hanneman’s unexpected death in May 2013, it turned into a career-spanning look at the group’s ups, downs, hiatuses, breakdowns, and rebirth.

Both versions of the biography are available exclusively available via Amazon worldwide. The e-book can be read on any smart phone, tablet, or computer with the free Kindle app. For a limited time, the electronic version costs $6.66 (US). The 320-page paperback is temporarily priced at $16.66. The book ships free with orders over $35. The creator-owned independent release is the first product from 6623 Press.

Slayer's manager Rick Sales has released the following statement clarifying reports that the band was seeking a new label home and was no longer working with American Recordings, the label led by producer guru Rick Rubin.

"With Jeff's (Hanneman) tragic passing and Slayer's eventual hectic touring schedule over the past several months, there has been a bit of mutual 'holding off' on jumping into any new long-term recording commitment, but we would like to clarify the comments that Tom and Kerry made in the Fuse interview.

It is true that Slayer is currently out of contract, as they delivered their final required album to American Recordings some time ago. Rick Rubin began a new distribution agreement with Universal last year and American/Universal absolutely has made a significant proposal to re-sign the band.

Both parties had been in substantial negotiation over that proposal at the time of Jeff's passing; and in fairness to everyone, a little space has been given on all sides in terms of closing any new deal.

We are excited about the possibility of re-signing with Rick Rubin's venture, and are also considering several other options that have been presented since the previous long-term contract with American expired.

The band has been taking much needed time to regroup and consider their various options for the future, and looks forward to a new beginning, wherever that may be."

BraveWords recently had the opportunity to sit down with singer Tom Araya to talk about Jeff Hanneman’s tragic passing, the current status of the band with “new” recruits Gary Holt (of EXODUS fame), returning drummer Paul Bostaph and of course, his comrade in arms - and only other original member- Kerry King.

Regarding a timeline for the new album, Araya told BraveWords: “No timeline. But I’m sure you understand this, that it is something that has to be amazing and extraordinary. This is after-the-fact, but I hope we put time and energy into it and we are in no hurry of a release date. I want to make sure that it’s the best and do it justice, because this can’t be just another record. And as I said, there’s a lot of communicating that Kerry and I are going to have to sit down and do. I feel strongly about having to put some serious time and energy into making it the best that it can be, because it just can’t be another average record.”

Read the entire story at Bravewords.com.