#slayer!

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, March 22: Slayer, “Consfearacy”

Just as Diabolus in Musica was a bit underrated, Christ Illusion was overrated as a return to form for Slayer: its songs mostly rehashed Kerry King’s increasingly tiresome fixations, and were only barely livened up by the return of the mighty Dave Lombardo on drums.  For all the talk about how Slayer was revitalized on Christ Illusion (with Angrymetalguy.com going so far as to rank it second only to Reign in Blood among Slayer’s all-time best albums- um, NO), Josh Abraham’s production was strangely anemic, most of the tracks rehashed earlier themes, and King’s lyrics (King dominated the writing) were childish to the point of inanity.  Of course, this was still Slayer, so every record was good for at least a couple ragers: “Consfearacy” was Cavalera-esque in the stupidity of its title, but the tune banged with prime Slayer ferocity, and illustrated how much Lombardo really contributed to the band with his precise and musical approach to thrash drumming.  And even if Tom Araya’s live vocals remained hit or miss, in the studio he ripped with conviction, yelling these lyrics with an authority that masked their immaturity.  The tune could’ve fit on God Hates Us All, though it would’ve likely suffered without Lombardo.  Nonetheless, “Consfearacy” was naturally Slayer, and felt true to the band’s mission, which counted as a major victory for them by 2006.

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Friday, August 31: Slayer, “Snuff”

Slayer put out one more record before announcing their farewell in 2018, but their true end came almost a decade earlier with World Painted Blood, as it was the last time all four original members played together, to say nothing of it being Jeff Hanneman’s last record.  And although Kerry King claimed that the late guitarist was barely involved in the recording of most Slayer records, usually only recording his solos, there was no denying Hanneman’s value as both a writer and a counterpoint to King’s composing style.  As a result, even a track like “Snuff”, which was written solely by King, was a bit more focused than, say, Christ Illusion’s “Flesh Storm” or “Catalyst”: it offered King’s classic blend of hardcore and thrash, but didn’t flail aimlessly, and there was no doubt that Hanneman’s more deliberate writing style pushed King to work a little harder, especially since World Painted Blood was largely driven by Hanneman.  Beyond that, “Snuff” was representative of late-period Slayer, with all the good and bad that entailed, since Greg Fidelman’s production followed Josh Abraham’s work on Christ Illusion and tamped down the ferocity in Dave Lombardo’s drumming, while Tom Araya’s shouting occasionally felt like a panicked attempt at recapturing the wrath of old.  At the same time, Slayer was incapable of not kicking ass, and the track didn’t deviate from the course, even if Terry Date would’ve delivered a far more powerful production and Araya could’ve used a longer break from touring before recording his vocals.  In truth, one could only expect so much from Slayer by this point, and when grading on a curve, “Snuff” raged with a fury that could only come from this particular group of individuals.

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Friday, March 2: Slayer, “Take Control”

Repentless came out to decidedly mixed reviews, but there was no other way Slayer’s first album without Jeff Hanneman could be received.  Even more than God Hates Us All or Christ Illusion, this album was the Kerry King show: although the band managed to flesh out Hanneman’s “Piano Wire” from a demo to a working track, “Atrocity Vendor” was the only other song not written solely by King, and without Hanneman around to provide some checks and balances, Repentless found Kerry King at his most unrestrained, which was too much for even a lot of diehards to take.  But even with some truly lunkheaded lyrics and aimless riffing, Slayer could still be the most lethal band on the planet when everything aligned, and “Take Control” would’ve been a highlight on any of the band’s last three albums.  Good production was definitely a major factor, as Terry Date’s recording was far more robust than the anemic production Josh Abraham and Greg Fidelman delivered on Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood.  But focus mattered a lot as well, and “Take Control” was not only full of typical Slayer venom, but was also played with purpose, as Gary Holt ably filled in on lead guitar while Paul Bostaph slammed his drums with perhaps the most intensity we’ve ever heard from him.  Yes, both Hanneman and especially Dave Lombardo were dearly missed, but Tom Araya snarled with much more fury than anyone expected, and Date’s mix gave King’s rhythm guitar added bite. The tune ably continued the rampage brought forth by “Repentless”, and briefly gave hope that Slayer could produce a great album without Jeff Hanneman.  The rest of Repentless wasn’t quite as strong, but “Take Control” at least showed that the right dose of Kerry King could still pack one hell of a punch.

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, September 1: Slayer, “Reborn”

“Angel of Death” and “Raining Blood” rightfully became evergreens that were ranked among the greatest metal songs ever written, but they were actually the least representative tracks on Reign in Blood: the bookends on Slayer’s major label debut were more dynamic, more ambitious, and twice as long as every other tune on the record.  “Reborn”, on the other hand, epitomized Reign in Blood’s approach, as it was a breathless and barely two-minute outburst that played less like a proper song and more like an anguished cry for help. Everything about it, from Tom Araya’s manic ranting to Kerry King’s and Jeff Hanneman’s shredding and squealing leads to Dave Lombardo’s punch-drunk drumming was pure violence, emboldened by Rick Rubin’s focused production (and more accurately, by Andy Wallace’s absolutely lethal mix).  “Reborn” was Slayer in their furious prime, terrorizing every other act in the world and taking not just thrash, but all of heavy metal, in a more intense and extreme direction.

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Monday, June 12: War Curse, “Severed Crosses”

Most of the thrash bands that have emerged over the last several years were little more than an homage to the mid-level Bay Area acts from back in the day, but while War Curse’s debut was no less of a throwback, its frame of reference was unique: surprisingly enough, nobody really thought to recreate the precise pummeling of late ‘80s/early ‘90s Slayer until Final Days played like a more accurate recreation of South of Heaven than even Kerry King could muster these days.  Indeed, “Severed Crosses” wouldn’t have felt out of place on Seasons in the Abyss, which is pretty high praise: Tarek Puska’s snarl couldn’t quite approximate Tom Araya circa 1990, but then again, neither could Araya after 1992.  Most of all, the song was well-crafted and brimming with confidence, its aggression fused with hooks and never giving way either to aimless ranting or technical wankery.  Because it was more song-oriented than most modern thrash, Final Days and “Severed Crosses” announced War Cross as a band to watch.

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Friday, March 3: Slayer, “Live Undead”

Today’s Metal Tune posted its first song (Bruce Dickinson’s “Freak”) 3 years ago today.  Next week we will celebrate this anniversary by airing encores of songs posted during this tumblr’s first weeks (after some 780 unique songs, it’ll be nice to take a look back for a sec).  THANK YOU to the over 2,600 followers who have since joined in on the fun- for the ones who came in early on, hope you enjoy revisiting some of the early jams, and for those who came along later, these are some of the tunes you might’ve missed.  Thanks again, and let’s stay metal for a long time to come...

“Live Undead” might be best remembered as the last time Tom Araya ever screamed on a Slayer record, but that one very jarring moment aside, the song was fully of a piece with the band’s best material.  South of Heaven’s third track had a different feel than the anthemic title cut and the thrashtastic “Silent Scream”, but as was the case with those songs and the rest of the album, “Live Undead” was most immediately defined by Dave Lombardo’s dynamic and pulverizing drumming.  The song actually moved in a few different directions during its brief running time, going from an ominous mid-paced shuffle in the verses to frenzied double-kick fury in the bridges.  It was hard to pay attention to anyone besides Lombardo, since Rick Rubin’s production put him so high up in the mix, but Jeff Hanneman wrote yet another sterling riff and asserted his role as Slayer’s most interesting composer.  Most of all, “Live Undead” had the same sense of dread that permeated much of Slayer’s golden-era output, and with its fierce performances and unfiltered attitude, helped make South of Heaven another classic album.

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