Tom Araya
Born on June 6, 1961, in Viña del Mar, Chile, Tom Araya is a citizen of both Chile and the United States, a dual status that situates him across two countries and two languages — Spanish and English.
He attended South Gate High School and Bell High School in the United States, completing his secondary education before pursuing a career in music. That career has taken shape within the thrash metal genre, where Araya works as a singer, a bass guitarist, and a songwriter. Those three roles place him at multiple points in the process of making music rather than at a single one, combining performance with composition.
Araya's work in thrash metal encompasses vocals, bass, and songwriting contributions, a combination that has defined his professional identity across his career. His Chilean birth and his United States citizenship together form one of the more distinctive aspects of his biographical record, as does his use of both Spanish and English — two languages that have each appeared in his output as a musician and songwriter.
Quotes by Tom Araya
Tom Araya's insights on:
Whatever had been on the radio in the '60s; I mean we were always listening to the radio.
That was the reasoning behind learning to play bass, and then after that it was more like it was neat to play songs together - for me to play bass and for him to play guitar.
Yeah, yeah I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions towards the band. The biggest one is that we're Satan worshippers, but next to that just the fact that we're normal.
We just bought a new house, so my wife's been doing all the moving and other stuff, so I would like to go home and just sit and enjoy all that for a couple months before I gotta start playing again.
I am not an atheist; I believe in God. But my religion ends there. I have my own personal belief system that is so strong it allows me to do what I do. I don't have to worry about going to Hell because of Slayer, you know? Everyone has a personal belief system and believes in life somehow.
We did like 12 shows, then we did the entire Ozzfest with the first half completely booked; then we did the second half with a couple days off here and there.
That was the reasoning behind learning to play bass, and then after that it was more like it was neat to play songs together – for me to play bass and for him to play guitar.