SLAYER's Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo took part in a signing session yesterday (Wednesday, November 4) at the Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic (located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028).

Check out a report from LA Weekly.

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", is on track to sell between 35,000 and 40,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

SLAYER's last CD, "Christ Illusion", opened with more than 62,000 units to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was the highest position ever on the chart for SLAYER, who previously reached No. 8 with their 1994 release "Divine Intervention" after moving 93,000 copies of that album in its first week.

SLAYER's 2001 album, "God Hates Us All", registered a first-week tally of 51,000 to land at No. 28, while 1998's "Diabolus In Musica" opened with 46,000 units, debuting at No. 31.

"God Hates Us All" and its predecessor, "Diabolus In Musica", have each sold more than 300,000 copies so far. Several of the earlier SLAYER albums have been certified gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States, including "Divine Intervention".

SLAYER was forced to postpone its "Canadian Carnage" tour with MEGADETH, which was due to begin on November 8. In addition, the band has cancelled its appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", which had been set for this Wednesday, November 4. More information will be released shortly regarding the rescheduling of the Canadian dates, as well as the "Kimmel" appearance.

SLAYER's Tom Araya is currently under the care of a specialist for a back injury, thought to be related to his on-stage activity, and the physician has ordered an immediate surgical procedure, which was to take place in Texas on Tuesday morning (November 3).

"What is foremost in our minds right now is that Tom do whatever he needs to to get this taken care of," said King. "While all four of us are disappointed that we won't be able to see through all of our commitments set for the next few weeks, the most important thing is Tom's health. We thank the fans in Canada and here in L.A., the MEGADETH camp, and everyone associated with 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' for their understanding. We look forward to seeing you all soon."

Photo below courtesy of LA Weekly