In perhaps the first wholesome story in Slayer history, Tom Araya renewed his wedding vows over the weekend – and Gary Holt officiated the ceremony

News
By ( Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Louder ) published

Holt swapped his Kill The Kardashians top for a clerical shirt on Saturday

Gary Holt and Tom Araya performing live with Slayer in 2018
(Image credit: Gary Miller/Getty Images)

Slayer singer/bassist Tom Araya and his wife Sandra have renewed their wedding vows in a ceremony officiated by the thrash metal band’s guitarist Gary Holt.

In a post to Instagram on Sunday (September 7), Holt revealed that he was ordained to oversee the vow renewal, which took place somewhere in the state of Texas on Saturday (September 6). He also shared a photo of himself in a clerical shirt, which you can see below.

Holt wrote: “So yesterday I had the great honor of having been asked to renew the vows for my dear friends Tom and Sandra Araya! (yes I am ordained!)

“What a great day in the great state of Texas! @lisaholt777 [Gary’s wife Lisa Holt] and our BFF @jrohova and I made the trip for this most special of occasions! Much love to all!”

Tom and Sandra Araya married on September 6, 1995, with the vow renewal ceremony marking their 30th wedding anniversary. The couple have two children together, Ariel Asa Araya (born 1996) and Tomas Enrique Araya Jr (1998), and live on a ranch in Texas.

Araya co-founded Slayer in 1981 and Holt joined the band first in a live capacity in 2011 – replacing founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, then ill with necrotising fasciitis – before becoming a full-time member following Hanneman’s death as a result of liver failure in 2013.

Slayer retired at the end of an extensive worldwide farewell tour in 2019, but made their comeback last year. Since their return they’ve played a number of US festivals, appeared at Black Sabbath’s farewell show Back To The Beginning and headlined two concerts in the UK.

They’ll perform at Louder Than Life festival in Louisville on September 18, after their planned set there last year was cancelled due to adverse weather, and will play their first North American headline concert in six years at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania on September 20.

As well as Slayer, Holt plays guitar in the thrash band Exodus, where he also serves as their main songwriter. The band brought ex-vocalist Rob Dukes back into the fold in February, following the third departure of longtime frontman Steve Souza, and hope to release a new album in 2026.

Matt Mills
Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.