10 Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Bands That WILL Headline Download Festival

2. Slayer

Staggeringly, the mighty Slayer have never headlined Download. Main stage slots, second stage headliners sure, but never the top spot.

And yes, we have to contend with the fact that 2018 is also what singer Tom Araya is calling Slayer's final string of performances... but we've heard that about everyone from System of a Down to Black Sabbath to Guns n' Roses. If the paycheck came through and after a couple of years living without Slayer in our lives, a return gig would not only be welcomed with open arms, but writes itself into the history books with every passing song.

Raining Blood, Angel of Death, Seasons in the Abyss, South of Heaven... for many of us, Slayer are the absolute epitome of metal as an attitude and aesthetic. They deserve to play the grandest stage of them all, and THAT is how you end a career.