Focus has kept thrash-band Slayer around

The long haul: It's a hard feat in the world of rock music, and most groups can't pull it off. Trends shift, restless fans move on, band members succumb to the pressures – or temptations – of life off the stage.

Slayer is one of the survivors. Twenty-six years after forming in Los Angeles, the band is, in fact, enjoying new career peaks, generating the sort of big sales and broad recognition that had long eluded the thrash-metal quartet. Where other enduring bands have forged careers marked by zipping across the musical map, Slayer's longevity is a testament to the group's single-minded focus, says vocalist, bassist and all-around band brain Tom Araya.

"I think the biggest reason would probably be that we've stuck really close to what we've always done. That's what we owe it to," he says. "We never gravitated too far away from center."

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