For every beginning, there is bound to be an end. For a ‘hello’, there is always be a ‘goodbye.’ Today, the metal community bids farewell to one of the giants of the genre, who is billed as the pioneers of Thrash Metal and defined the genre as their long-lasting legacy. During their time producing “noisy pleasures”, there were dramas, line-up changes, feuds, and even some criticism (mostly about their supposed satanic imagery and their lyrical content, which evolves around war, religion, anti-religion, terrorism, human experimentation and prison). They might not be performing live ever again, but there is still one thing left to do: release another album. This is a heavy metal tribute to the Californian behemoths Slayer.
Slayer first formed in Huntington Beach, California by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, Chilean vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo in 1981. At that time, they performed mostly cover songs from various legendary bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Venom. Since their formation up until today, they released 12 studio albums, 2 live albums, a box set, 6 music videos, 2 EPs and a cover album. They also bagged two Grammy Awards for ‘Best Metal Performance’ in 2007 and 2008, with both songs came from their 2006 albumChrist Illusion.Among those 12 albums by Slayer so far, most metalheads will tell you that the 1986 offering Reign in Bloodis considered one of the heaviest and the most influential Thrash Metal records ever. Those feats came from humble beginnings, with considerable amount of popularity after being spotted by Brian Slagel, founder of Metal Blade Records, Slayer released their first ever (self-financed) studio albumShow No Mercy in 1983. During the process of making the record, Araya worked as a respiratory therapist to cover the expenses, as well as using the money borrowed from Kerry’s father. Their future direction was established by the release of Haunting The Chapel EP in 1984. Metal Blade financed their second album Hell Awaits, with producer Ron Fair, which featured even darker sound from its predecessor and more complexity in its composition. Slayer switched to Def Jam records for their iconic Reign In Blood album, which features the then highly controversial song Angel of Death. The song itself is about Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician who conducted human experimentations on concentration camps like Auschwitz. They decided to slow down the tempo and incorporate more melodic singing with the release of South of Heaven in 1988 with mixed reception. While being the most commercially successful records at that time, this move also generated critics alike. Realizing this, they cranked it back to eleven while still retaining their melodic element with 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss. Two years after the release of the album, Lombardo left the band and was filled by then Forbidden drummer Paul Bostaph. He contributed as the drummer for four Slayer albums between 1992 and 2005 with Divine Intervention (1994), a Punk cover album titled Undisputed Attitude(1997), Diabolus in Musica (1998) which was heavily criticized for incorporating Nu Metal elements like tuned-down guitars, and God Hates Us Allin 2001. He would later return to Slayer with the release of 2015’s Repentless. Lombardo continued as the drummer in the years following his exit in 2005, with the first record back being Christ Illusion. The album itself contained songs Eyes of The Insaneand bonus track Final Six, which snatched a Grammy Award for ‘Best Metal performance’ in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The final album with the original Araya, King, Hanneman and Lombardo line-up was World Painted Blood,released in 2011. Hanneman died from cirrhosis due to his habit of drinking on May 2013, while Lombardo was fired on February. For Repentless,King and Araya enlisted Exodus guitarist Gary Holt and the aforementioned Bostaph, who mad his return to the band since 2005 (although Holt was not credited with the writing process of the album itself).
There is no denying the legacy of the band Slayer. They are regarded as one of the “Big 4” bands of the Thrash Metal genre, alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. They are also said to be responsible for the rise of Death Metal, and had influenced numerous bands like Behemoth, Gojira, Kreator, Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb of God, Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse and Avenged Sevenfold. Their playing style is also distinguishable from the rest of the Big 4, with fast-paced drums, chaotic-sounding guitar riffs, and overall aggression of their music paired with their murderous and graphic image as well as their violent lyrical content. No wonder some crazed members of the society hated this band so much. Not only the music is deemed dangerous, their album covers are controversial as well. Most notably God Hates Us All, which had to be released with an alternative version featuring crosses lined up, down, right and left (the original cover itself features the Slayer logo carved into The Bible with blood spattered all over it) and Christ Illusion, which gained backlash from the Christian community.
Slayer recently wrapped up their final tour on November 30 in Los Angeles’ The Forum. While stating that the band would continue, they stated that there are no further plans to tour and play live ever again, although they are currently working on the follow up to Repentless.This is a huge loss for the Metal community, as Slayer is regarded as the most violent, yet successful bands to ever graced the genre. You reigned in blood, showed no mercy, and most importantly, you thrashed your way in the middle of a raining blood with a repentless attitude. As a metalhead myself, I salute the guys at Slayer, past and present and congratulate them for an amazing career from 1981 to 2019. Reign strong, Slayer, enjoy the times ahead, and we’ll see you down the road.
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