Slayer, Megadeth Reschedule American Carnage Tour

After going under the knife last week for minimally-invasive spinal surgery, Slayer's Tom Araya is nearly ready to rock again. According to a press release from the band's publicist, Araya is recuperating after the procedure, called an anterior cervical discectomy, and the American Carnage Tour Slayer was forced to cancel last month has been rescheduled for this summer.

The bassist's medical condition forced the cancellation of the trek, which was scheduled to start last month and continue through February with co-headliners Megadeth and support act Testament. Araya will receive ongoing treatments for what has been diagnosed as a cervical radiculopathy, an occupational hazard caused by aggressive headbanging. The condition caused some numbing in Araya's fingers and muscle spasms.

"The doctors said that Tom's surgery went very smoothly and was a resounding success," said Rick Sales, the band's longtime manager. "He's home now, doing really well, and he said the numbness in his fingers had already diminished considerably."

The rescheduled Canadian shows will kick off in Quebec City on July 23. Then Slayer head overseas for some European festival dates before returning for the American leg of the trek, which launches in Albany, N.Y. on Aug. 11. There are 26 dates in all, and tickets purchased for the original American Carnage jaunt will be honored for these rescheduled dates. Alas, due to venue availability and other conflicts, those shows set for Houston, Nashville, Duluth, Minn., Louisville, Ky. El Paso, Texas can't be rescheduled. Ticket holders for those shows can obtain refunds at point of purchase.

Several new dates have been added in Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego and Sacramento. The tour will hit Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Phoenix, Ariz., San Diego and Seattle before winding down Sept. 4 in Portland, Ore.