One of 2018’s most anticipated tours made a stop at The Bomb Factory, last week. While the impressive bill included some of metal’s hottest acts it’s the headliner that's been bringing out fans in droves. Admittedly, this show was held at a much smaller venue than most of the stops on the tour. Still, it sold out in 3 minutes. Any way you slice it, that's impressive! This is because speed metal titans Slayer are calling it quits at the conclusion of their worldwide farewell tour. While the chance to catch the band one last time is incentive enough, the Southern Cali juggernauts are bringing along the likes of Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth and Testament. As you can see there is a lot to be excited about.
Being a big fan of all five bands I was really looking forward to this show. Of course, it’s bittersweet to know this will be my last opportunity to see a band whose music has been a part of my life for nearly 28 years. I remember back in college, when a friend of mine threw on then then newly released Seasons in the Abyss album, I was immediately hooked. I was fortunate enough to see the band shortly thereafter on the Clash of the Titans Tour in 1991, alongside Megadeth and Antrhax, as well as seeing them several more times over the years. This farewell tour was one last chance to witness the classics that I’ve been rattling speakers with for almost 3 decades.
All four openers threw down hard and got the crowd moving and mosh pits rolling. There was plenty of thrash from Testament and Anthrax, mixed with a little black metal from Behemoth and some pure American metal from Lamb of God. As I looked around the venue during each set, I saw pits grow progressively larger and crowd-surfing become ever more prevalent, but on this night it was Slayer who whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
The band tore through a 19 song set list comprised of numberss dating back to 1983’s Show No Mercy and culminating in selections from its most recent album Repentless, released in 2015. The only albums not represented in this impressive collection were that of Undisputed Attitude and Diabolus In Musica. Although mostly a covers album, Undisputed Attitude boasts one of my favorite Slayer tunes, the original track “Gemini,” which was not played, but, with all the heavy-hitters in the set, who could complain? The album that started it all for me back in 1990, generated four songs on the list, including the title track – “Seasons in the Abyss” – which still ranks as one of my all-time favorites. The classic, and voted one of the best metal albums of all time, Reign in Blood, was right behind it with 3 songs; two of which found their rightful place at the end of the set. Every Slayer fan rightfully expects a relentless assault on the senses when seeing the band live, but there was something special about this show. It was confirmation that Slayer is going out on its own terms and still atop the thrash heap.
There was very little time for fans to catch their breath as the band served up the likes of “Blood Red,” “Disciple,” “Mandatory Suicide” and the high-octane “War Ensemble”. Next came a well-timed break as “Jihad” and “When the Stillness Comes” varied the speed with the dirge, but it was full-steam-ahead when “Postmortem”, “Black Magic” and the blistering “Payback” came calling.
Tom Araya, a fixture behind the mic, still has that lethal combination of harsh, aggressive vocals along with the banshee wail when needed. His ability to spit venom at a furious pace is what gives songs like “Dittohead” and “Hell Awaits” breathe a whole new life on stage. To this day, the live version of “Hell Awaits”, from Decade of Aggression, ranks in my top 5 Slayer songs, and on this night the song was just as potent as ever!
A stage full of towering flames creates a lot of excitement, but so does having the break-neck rhythm & leads of guitarist Kerry King. He and Araya have been doing this since the early 80’s and 35 years later neither show any signs of taking his foot off the gas! King has always been the fountainhead of Slayer's songwriting. Whether it’s the clean intro to “Seasons in the Abyss,”, the ominous beginning of “South of Heaven,” the unmistakable “Raining Blood” lick or the sheer speed of “Chemical Warfare,” there aren’t many that rival his originality or ferocity. So many legendary riffs created over the years and every one on this night was performed flawlessly.
Proving to be a pivotal year for the band, 2013 saw original drummer Dave Lombardo dismissed and original guitarist Jeff Hanneman pass away. Nevertheless, the band soldiered on by bringing back drummer Paul Bostaph and enlisting the assistance of Exodus guitarist Gary Holt. Live, these two gentlemen are much more than mere replacements. Each brings new energy to the songs and Holt, in particular, is a spectacle to behold on stage with his fiery riffing and constant head banging that would give George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (Cannibal Corpse) a run for his money. He keeps the speed and intricacy of the riffs on-point and shreds nasty leads when needed. All the while, drummer Bostaph continues to set the bar impossibly high, laying the rock-solid foundation these iconic songs demand.
As the night thunders to a close, the jam-packed set list has kept the Dallas crowd buzzing more fiercely than a hive of angry bees and everyone know what’s coming... With the blitzkrieg of licks and that infamous shriek “Angel of Death” sets off this already raucous crowd and gets the blood flowing for one last dance in the pit. After an evening of album cover themed backdrops adorning the stage, the final image behind the band is the Heineken (beer) inspired logo with the words “Angel of Death” and “Still Reigning” on the top and bottom respectively, surrounding the name “Hanneman” and the dates “1964 – 2013”. The logo is reminiscent of both the beer and the guitar pick I caught from Jeff in 2001 that had “Hanneman Lager Bier” printed on the back. It was truly an epic night and a fitting way to end the evening. While I wish Slayer's farewell would be postponed indefinitely, I do want to thank the band for all the years of great music that will continue to live on long after that final note decays into the night.