Which thrash metal band's vocalist is Tom Araya?

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Which thrash metal band's vocalist is Tom Araya? Tom Araya is the vocalist and bassist of Slayer, the American thrash metal band he co-founded in Los Angeles. His distinctive voice and aggressive bass playing became central to Slayer's sound during the band's influential career.

Araya was born Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz in Viña del Mar, Chile, on 6 June 1961, and later moved to the United States. He joined guitarist Kerry King in forming Slayer in 1981. Before the band's success, Araya worked as a respiratory therapist and used money from that job to help finance Slayer's debut album, Show No Mercy, released in 1983.

The other options are notable thrash bands, which makes this question easy to mix up. Testament is associated with Chuck Billy, Anthrax with Joey Belladonna and John Bush, and Megadeth with Dave Mustaine and other vocalists. Araya remained one of Slayer's defining members, alongside Kerry King, through the band's major recordings and tours.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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