Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman has contracted a flesh eating disease that has caused him to pull out of the band's upcoming tour.

Hanneman is believed to have caught necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite. The disease is rare and destroys skin, fat and tissue from below the surface of the body.

The band, who are due to play a number of shows throughout the summer, will now recruit a guitarist to stand in while Hanneman undergoes surgery.

Guitarist Kerry King said in a statement: "After everything that’s happened we all agreed that we just can’t let our fans down again."

He added: "Jeff [Hanneman] is totally on board with the decision, so we will tour as planned. We can’t pinpoint what day he’ll be back, but it will be as soon as he possibly can. We can’t wait for him to get better and get his ass back on the road."

Meanwhile, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax are set to headline this year’s Sonisphere festival.

(by Holly Frith)