The tour starts on the ominous date of 6/6/06, and is dubbed The Unholy Alliance Tour – Preaching to the Perverted.

Arenas and amphitheatres in 17 U.S. cities are booked through late July, with more dates to be added soon.

Lamb of God, Mastodon, Children of Bodom, and Thine Eyes Bleed will support.

Slayer’s Tom Araya, Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman haven’t recorded an album with drummer Dave Lombardo since 1990’s Seasons In The Abyss. Paul Bostaph, who handled drum duties through most of the ’90s, left the group after 2001’s God Hates Us All.

“Dave’s been back with us, playing live, for a couple of years now, and we’re all looking forward to recording together again,” Araya said.

“It feels really good being back with the same guys I started out with,” Lombardo added. “The chemistry is definitely there, that’s the exciting part of it, to capture that chemistry again. And that’s what is happening.”

Slayer is recording in a Los Angeles studio with longtime associate Rick Rubin in the executive producer’s chair. The band plans to have the album out this fall.

The upcoming shows will be the group’s first road trip since headlining the Jagermeister Music Tour in late 2004. That same year, they also toured with Slipknot and Ozzfest.