Slayer 66 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years. A Metal Band Biography.

by Ferris, D. X.

  8:50 p.m.: “Raining Blood,” one of the two best metal songs in the history of the multiverse. Strobe lights fill the tent like deadly lightning, and Dave Lombardo’s rolling double-bass is a thunderous apocalypse. If this is what the end of the world will be like, bring it on. I bet it won’t be as loud.

  8:55 p.m.: “South of Heaven,” a Satanic dirge. The human tidal wave roars back and forth. Drop a piece of coal in the crowd, and it’ll come out a diamond – if the sound doesn’t blow it to pieces.

  9:10 p.m.: “Angel of Death” slays. Still reigning.

  Click here to Google search “Slayer photos 2007”

  Chapter 41:

  Big Winners

  The Christ Illusion tour wrapped in early September, 2007. 2008 wasn’t a big year for the band, but it was something to write home about, nonetheless.

  In July 2007, Slayer released an expanded reissue of Christ Illusion with new, non-Carroll artwork and two new tracks: an alternate version of “Black Serenade” and a new track called “The Final Six.” “Final Six” was based on the “Spill the Blood” template: a clean intro and slow riff give way to the same bumpy groove that runs through the rest of the record.

  So far, “The Final Six” is a unique entry in Slayer’s catalog: Not only did Hanneman and Araya co-write the lyrics; after 25 years in the band, the singer received his first music composition credit.

  The two new tracks pushed the album length to 11 songs and 45 minutes.

  Araya proved to be the band’s lucky rabbit’s foot. The new song netted the group its third Grammy nomination, again for Best Metal Performance.

  A year after Slayer’s improbable Grammy win, the band scored another.

  Beaming, Araya humbly accepted the award. He thanked Rubin, his family, the band’s manager, and most of all, the fans.

  “The industry is great,” said Araya. “But the fans are the ones that take the time to look you up to see what you're doing, wait for the record to come out and buy it.”41-1

  Then the talk gave way to silence. But come summer, the silence made way for rock. The band played European festivals for a month.

  Age was inevitably settling in on the band. Araya, then 47, hinted he was getting ready for retirement.

  "Seeing a 50-year-old man headbanging on stage would make me cringe,” he told Joel McIver of Thrash Hits. “If I was watching that, I'd think, Dude, you're a little too old for that, aren't you? You're gonna fall off!"41-2

  Araya wouldn’t be headbanging much longer.

  Gray strands were infiltrating Hanneman’s hair, as they were with Araya. But it suited them well. The bearded Araya looked like a wise wizard, Hanneman like a veteran Viking. And more than ever, Hanneman was feeling his battle scars.

  Playing wasn’t easy for Hanneman, but he did it. As always, his preferred self-medication was beer, either Coors Light or Heineken. His wife Kathryn tried her best to talk him into minimizing his drinking. Sometimes he’d dry out for months. Then the wet periods never stopped.41-3

  Hanneman’s drinking took a turn for the worse in 2008, when Jeff’s dad died. Hanneman had felt neglected as a kid — his father, a World War II veteran, was around 40 and had four other kids by the time Jeff came along. But they had become closer later in his life. After Hanneman’s dad passed, his disposition took a turn for the worse.41-4

  In October and November, Slayer spent a month reenacting their latest live DVD, Unholy Alliance, in Europe. Starring management stablemates Slayer and Mastodon, with melodic metalists Trivium and Viking heshers Amon Amarth in tow, the trek raged from Spain to Russia.

  Unholy Alliance was Slayer Inc.’s attempt to launch an Ozzfest-style recurring tour with a super-bill. The first Alliance tour launched with the 2004 Slipknot teamup. It didn’t take off as an annual affair, but continued intermittently though Unholy Alliance III in 2008.

  With a little over 40 shows played in two dozen countries, that was the year in Slayer.

  Click here to Google search “Slayer photos 2008”

  [2008 also saw the release of Ill Bill’s “U.B.S. (Unauthorized Biography of Slayer),” bar none the best rap song about Slayer. The album title was The Hour of Reprisal, a nod to “Raining Blood,” and featured Larry Carroll’s first album artwork outside Slayer.]

  Chapter 42:

  World Painted Blood

  Slayer’s classic lineup released their final album in 2009. It was an epochal year in Slayer history. After it, things were never the same.

  Before Araya, Hanneman, King, and Lombardo’s final record was released, a major change took place behind the scenes, away from the public eye.

  Late in the game, Lombardo’s bedrock foundation cracked. The Lombardo marriage crumbled. After 27 years of constant companionship. After the relationship pushed the band members’ connections to the breaking point. After Mrs. Lombardo convinced Dave to rejoin the band. After three children. After nearly 23 years of matrimony. Surprisingly, Dave was the one who tapped out. He filed for divorce in July 2009, citing irreconcilable differences.

  When he filed the paperwork, two of the three Lombardo children were still minors, which complicated the matter. As of this writing, ancillary issues are still in dispute.

  In the divorce records, Teresa claims Dave “decided to leave the marriage”42-1 and moved on to a new girlfriend, though the new relationship was short-lived42-2.

  One of Lombardo’s associates venomously offers that Teresa has a “flare for the dramatic.”

  The divorce didn’t become final until September 2012, when Dave’s tenure in the band still seemed solid. The billable hours added up month after month, and Lombardo decided he didn’t like his legal team. Early in the proceedings, Lombardo filed a motion to dismiss his attorney. And that action was slow to resolve, as well: In 2012, Lombardo’s attorney filed a small-claims case against the drummer, for debt under $5,000. (The small-claims case was shortly dismissed without prejudice later that year42-3.)

  By then, the divorce case had turned ugly, and the file would grow until it was thicker than an encyclopedia volume. In 2011, the court ordered that Lombardo not take his daughter, who was still a minor, along to bars or clubs — which, in his case, often constitute his place of business. Even after the divorce was final, the two continued battling over expenses and support (which is common in separations).

  The 2012 stipulated judgment that accompanied the dissolution ruled: After a lifetime of partnership, Dave must continue to support Teresa at level she was accustomed to. The “Permanent Spousal Support” section declares, “The purpose of this agreement is insure that Respondent [Teresa] receives at least $100,000 per year of income, including spousal support and her share of community property royalties, share of merchandising, etc.”42-4 from all his projects over the years, from Slayer to Power Grooves42-5. The court awarded joint custody of the minor children42-6.

  In 2013, Dave split with Slayer and lost the vast bulk of his income from the band, which averaged around $200,000 in later years. After he failed to negotiate a new contract with Slayer, he was suddenly less flush. Now the drummer decided he wanted a new deal with his ex-wife, too.

  So far, the Lombardos had been fortunate in the divorce. Unlike so many celebrity splits, details from the proceedings — and other incidents — remained buried in court files, and never made it into the press, either musical or mainstream outlets.

  In the 21-page Judgment from September 2012, Superior Court Judge Debra Harris justified the alimony, noting, “Respondent [Teresa] is not employed, having been a homemaker throughout her marriage to Petitioner [Dave]. Respondent was employed in a union job when the parties first married, but she left that job at Petitioner’s request so Respondent could travel with the Petitioner while he was on tour. Respondent agreed to leave the work force at that time as Petitioner assured her he would care for her for her life. Respondent is now forty-nine (49) years old. Respondent has a high school education and no significant employment experience, nor any college education. Re
spondent has also been a victim of domestic abuse in the past in this relationship.”42-7

  Dave’s July 2009 Petition for Dissolution of Marriage followed an incident that took place in March of that year. Dave was charged with Inflict[ing] Corporal Injury on Spouse/Cohabitant, identified as “Jane Doe” in the court records, which do not list Teresa as a victim. (Domestic cases customarily omit the victim’s name.) Dave initially pleaded not guilty, and later changed his plea to “nolo contendere” (no contest), which is not a guilty plea. The court ordered three years’ probation for Dave, plus enrollment in a 52-week batterers’ program, with fines and fees, the violation of which could result in a 60-day jail sentence, “with credit for time served of 2 day(s).”42-8

  Four years later, when Dave wanted new terms for the divorce, Teresa made detailed new claims. In a sworn response, she recapped incidents from her time with Dave. Claiming he subjected her to “terror,” Teresa said Dave had repeatedly physically and verbally abused her, over the course of the years. “He even slugged me in my stomach while I was pregnant when I was going out to the mailbox,” she claimed in the court records. “When our son, Jeremy, was approximately three months old, Petitioner [Dave] punched our little baby in the stomach while we were in the car.”42-9

  “I was definitely a victim of domestic violence, and the last arrest in 2009 verifies this fact,” Teresa continues in the divorce records. “I foolishly did not have him arrested, but I was afraid he would lose his job as his contract with Slayer could be cancelled if he was arrested. These are just a few of the incidents.”42-10

  In a previous court document, Dave responded to Teresa’s earlier abuse claims, citing a 1994 incident in which both of the couple were arrested: “The true fact of the matter is that the Respondent [Teresa] and I have, in the past, engaged in arguments with each other and, in fact, the Respondent has physically abused me. The Respondent was once arrested for her physical conduct toward me. Thus, if there was any abuse at all, it was, at most, mutual and not as the Respondent’s attorney has described it in the Judgment.”42-11

  Dave declined the opportunity to address Teresa’s individual claims, but offered this comprehensive denial, in which he refers to his ex-wife by her maiden name, though she still appears as “Teresa Lombardo” in court records. Writes Dave, “Regarding Ms. Chavez's claims: I will not entertain Ms. Chavez's asinine courtroom babble, as it was laughable then, and it is laughable now. It is simply the pathetic blubbering of one seeking excessive alimony and attention. Reading these allegations, the only truth I see is: We are divorced. That is accurate. Period.”

  Personal complications aside, Lombardo blew off some steam recording Slayer’s tenth original full-length studio album, World Painted Blood.

  Advance copies of Slayer’s final album with Hanneman came in a biohazard bag. It was that good.

  By 2009, the shrinking record industry had long since discarded the model of releasing an album every year or two. World Painted Blood arrived on pace for Slayer, on November 3, 2009 — three years after its predecessor.

  Since Reign, South, and Seasons, every new Slayer album has been initially hailed as the band’s best since the unholy trilogy. After Seasons, World Painted Blood truly is the best of the bunch.

  “It seems like since God Hates, we’ve been on a severe upturn,” King told Decibel before the disc was finished. “It just keeps getting better. This one has a retro-Slayer vibe to it, and the only thing I can attribute that to is the way we put it together. Jeff’s had some of his songs for awhile, but I didn’t start writing any songs until like four months ago.”42-12

  At the helm for World Painted Blood was producer Greg Fidelman, who had helped Rubin light a fire under Metallica’s ass for their purported return to metal form, 2008’s Death Magnetic. They got the good stuff out of Slayer, too. Or Fidelman did. Witness this 2009 exchange between Vice writer Rockwell and Araya.

  Rockwell: By the way, you still in touch with Rick Rubin?

  Tom: [Grins] Not like I would like to, no, no. I mean we did those three albums [Reign In Blood, Season in the Abyss and South of Heaven] and that was it. He's got his own thing, producing other people. He does good but he doesn't really do a lot... but he manages to get what he needs out of people. He did amazing stuff with Johnny Cash, same with Neil Diamond – that album is really great42-13.

  As Rubin once had, Fidelman camped with the band during rehearsal and stayed with them in the studio, helping finish the second half of the tunes on the fly.

  World Painted Blood has a weak title, but the music delivers. The band tuned back to E and turned in another respectable set of songs about war, serial killers, and religion. It doesn’t have an IMAX-worthy anthem like “Raining Blood” or “South of Heaven,” but it’s a solid listen from start to finish. There’s nothing wrong with the album that wasn’t wrong with music in general in the era: From indie artists to major-label sensations like Lady Gaga, groups could summon a general vibe, but neglected to write memorable hooks.

  The leadoff track, the album’s title song, briefly borrows a hook from Metallica’s “Disposable Heroes.” Then it dives back into Slayer’s own ocean of red.

  Released as a Record Store Day single long before the album, Hanneman’s frantic “Psychopathy Red” is the obligatory song about a serial killer. It’s a speedy song that Lombardo described as “punk,” though it’s not. Hanneman wrote the rager about Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, nicknamed the Rostov Ripper, who slew over 50 children. Araya squeals like he’s being tortured, and it’s his most unbridled performance in years. On the equally morbid “Playing With Dolls,” his escalating vocals sound more menacing than he has since “Dead Skin Mask.”

  Slowly drifting, the hypnotic “Beauty Through Order” takes the band’s downtempo game to a new level. “Hate Worldwide” is the album’s only Kerry King song whose lyrics can be paraphrased as “fuck you and your God.” The rhyme “I’m a godless heretic / Not a God-fearing lunatic” is one of its more adventurous lyrics.

  King, for once, looked at the album and saw a theme: “It’s about what I think the rest of the world thinks of America,” he said in the official Blood press release. “We may not be big on a lot of people’s lists, but I don’t care what you think of my government, of my economy, of whatever. I live here, and this is one of the best places that I’ve ever found to live. So fuck you if you don’t like it.”

  “Not of This God” closes the album. It’s a curious, compelling, and almost playful entry in the band’s songbook. For its first minute and a half, it’s a standard-issue Slayer groove: speedy, but not a whiplash inducer. Then the track slows down, Lombardo drops a funky beat, and Araya spits out a long, rhyming verse. The song climaxes with alternating King and Hanneman solos, everything building momentum as the four players race toward the song’s end. For the first time in their career, the band sound like they’re having fun.

  By the end of World Painted Blood, there was no question: When Slayer pulled together and pushed hard, the four players still had it.

  “On this record, we worked a lot more collectively,” Lombardo explained in the press kit. “We were more attentive to each other’s ideas and willing to try them, which only benefitted the album…. That included Greg Fidelman, who brought the band out of its normalcy; he got a lot out of us.”

  The 11-song album proper runs just under 40 minutes.

  It was an even — yet divided — effort: King penned five solo tracks, writing both music and lyrics.

  Hanneman wrote the music for the remaining six songs, penned two sets of lyrics by himself, and collaborated with Araya on three more.

  Araya and King split lyrics on a bonus track “Atrocity Vendor,” with music by Hanneman.

  On Hanneman’s last album as a physical presence, his only collaboration with King is the three-way split in the lyrics to “Playing With Dolls.”

  [Click here for album's full songwriting credits in Appendix B]

  Hanneman and King �
� the team who co-wrote the lyrics to “Raining Blood” — had collaborated as a duo on just one set of lyrics since: “Love to Hate” from 1998’s Diabolus in Musica.

  After Hanneman died, Araya told Metal Rules’ Peter Atkinson about the band’s creative dynamic late in the Hanneman years: “Me and Jeff collaborated a lot. I collaborated with Kerry on a few songs, but that was not a big thing with Kerry. Kerry liked to do his own stuff, and liked to do it his way, and didn’t really care too much for collaborating; he wasn’t too hip on that.”42-14