Thrash legends Slayer have begun work on a new album, the follow-up to 2009’s World Painted Blood. Drummer Dave Lombardo, who returned to the band in 2001 after a decade-long hiatus, confirmed the news on Twitter when he wrote, simply, “Slayer is writing a new record.”

The band had previously postponed work on the album until guitarist Jeff Hanneman was fully recovered from a flesh-eating virus, reportedly caused by a spider bite. Singer and bass player Tom Araya told Billboard.com earlier this year that there was no way Slayer would return to the studio without Hanneman. “As a band we’re not going to do something without him,” Araya said. “He’s an integral part of the band. We require his musical skills, his writing skills. He’s an integral part of the band. So we’re going to hold off until he’s at 100 percent and can join that process and be part of it.”

Exodus’s Gary Holt stood in for Hanneman at most shows this year, with the exception of a handful of dates handled by Cannibal Corpse’s Pat O’Brien. Hanneman joined Slayer for two songs – “South of Heaven” and “Angel of Death” – at the Big Four show in California in April.

-gipson.com