Slayer 66 2/3: The Jeff & Dave Years. A Metal Band Biography.
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12. “Dead Skin Mask”
13. “Raining Blood”
Encore:
14. “South of Heaven”
15. “Angel of Death”
“In fact,” noted Axl Rosenberg of Metal Sucks, “of the fifteen songs the band played, only five feature music written or co-written by King or Tom Araya (‘Hallowed Point,’ ‘Hate Worldwide,’ ‘Bloodline,’ ‘Mandatory Suicide,’ and ‘Chemical Warfare’), and only three were from the first Bostaph era (‘Stain of Mind,’ ‘Disciple,’ and ‘Bloodline’).”59-10
Days later, King took time to acknowledge the eighth International Day of Slayer. On a dark waterfront in Germany, a little after midnight, the guitarist filmed a brief message for the fans.
Head shaved, sunglasses off, pointed beard hanging halfway down his chest, King was, by far, the most emotional he had ever appeared in public — which isn’t to say that he was anywhere close to welling up. But when King said his missing friend would have been glad to be in Germany, his voice wavered ever so slightly as light reflected on his eyes in a melancholy glint.
“We’re out on tour, the first tour since Jeff’s passing, so that’s tough,” King said. “But me, Tom, Gary, and Paul are out here carving the next legendary, monumental thing that is bound to happen on this tour…. Cheers to you fans for supporting us, and we will see you on tour.”59-11
Slayer’s permanent fill-in guitarist: Gary Holt. Live with his other band, Exodus. April 15, 2013 at the Rex Theater, Pittsburgh. Photo by Sean Benedict of www.ironcityrocks.com.
The new face of Slayer. 2013 lineup, left to right: Holt, Araya, King, and Bostaph. Picture taken backstage before a show 7 June 2013, at Rodahal in Kerkrade, Holland. Photo by Tim Tronckoe, © Tronckoe, reprinted with permission. http://www.timtronckoe.com
Notes Tronckoe, “I got ten minutes to shoot this new promo shot, right before showtime. The band was super relaxed and cooperative, which made it a pleasure to work with these guys. They were joking around constantly, not stressed at all, making it hard to get everyone looking serious.”
As Slayer edged closer to its first album following Hanneman’s death, speaking to Loudwire’s Graham “Gruhamed” Hartmann, Araya made it official: He might be gone, but Jeff would be part of the next record, too. Not only did the band plan to use the song Hanneman gave them before his death. The group planned to revisit a near-complete leftover Hanneman song recorded during the World Painted Blood sessions. And they planned to scour his archives for any other material he had left behind. Even after his death, Hanneman remained an active part of Slayer59-12.
Life after any loss is sad, but life goes on. And it becomes more bearable with time.
“Let’s not downplay the amazing chops Gary has brought the last couple years,” offers Howell. “Not to mention balancing his time between Slayer and Exodus. You take the good with the bad; there’s no law that says they need to stop playing. It’s a band, and it’s a brand. With Tom and Kerry, you have the voice and one of the main components of the songwriting — you’re not going to have some Slayer tribute band. Slayer is Slayer. This is Slayer, moving forward.”
As Slayer moved forward, the setlist stayed much the same for the summer shows, but with some slack.
“At Dawn They Sleep” and “The Antichrist” rotated in and out of the set list. The next month, Slayer fans witnessed something even rarer: not only a cover song, but a guest appearance.
In Athens, Greece, former Pantera singer and metal icon Phil Anselmo was working on his 45th birthday. On tour with Down, he joined Slayer live during their set, and they ripped through a cover of Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile.” The singer and guitarist had worked out the song during a recent edition of Metal Masters, an ongoing educational, promotional, and concert event that pooled headbanger all-stars into short-lived supergroups.
“Slayer ain’t never needed nobody for nothin’,” Anselmo said before the song. “They never needed me, but you know what? I needed Slayer!”59-13
And maybe the world needs Slayer.
Those immediate post-Hanneman concerts represent an intriguing possibility as Slayer continues. Countless times, King has compared his group to one of Rubin’s other favorite bands.
“[Fans] can expect the same record we've been giving them for the last 20 years,” King told gear website The Tone King in 2012. “It’s the AC/DC of thrash metal. You know what you're gonna get.”59-14
Like the Ramones before them, long after they graduated from their status as underground heroes, Slayer continued making powerful records and staging killer tours. Sadly, they were easy to take for granted as the band lunges into its fourth decade.
Looking back at Slayer’s first 26 years, King told me the band Slayer learned the most lessons from was Slayer itself: The group has remained what it is. They haven’t slowed down. They haven’t chased radio play. They haven’t written a ballad. They never hired a stylist to update their look.
Said King: “I don’t think we’ve done anything professionally that was a mistake. “
And at this late stage in the game, Slayer were unquestionably winning.
“I think we’re pretty consistent,” Hanneman told me in 2007. “We wanted to stay true to our roots, not change like all of the other bands we listen to changed. They do a couple great albums, and then they say, ‘This is what we wanted to do all along.’ Like, ‘What?’ To us, it’s like you either didn’t mean what you did on the first album, or you’re just trying to make money, because you got a little bit of success, you tasted a little green. We just wanted to stick to our guns.”59-15
And as it played out, maybe that consistency became a liability. The band’s background visuals are increasingly elaborate. But give or take three songs and some stage props, fans always know exactly what they’ll get at a Slayer show. Imagine going to a Slayer concert, with full faith that it will be a solid set, but still unsure what you’re going to see.
With Hanneman and Lombardo gone, the band staged its first true headlining tour in eight years in Fall 2013. Just before it kicked off, the group announced it would play an old-school set concentrating on classic material — nothing from after Seasons, including the Bostaph albums. Hanneman’s Heineken-style logo appeared in a giant projection as the band played, and mortality was on Araya’s mind. He updated one of his oldest stage raps.
“Do you wanna die?” the singer asked between songs, opening night. “Seriously, do you wanna die? Why? Why? No comes up with a reason. They come up with excuses. Nobody wants to die. Dying is a part of life. Let it happen. You should let it be. This is ‘Postmortem.’”
Once the tour hit its stride, the old-school shows typically ran:
1. “Hell Awaits”
2. “The Antichrist”
3. “Necrophiliac”
4. “Mandatory Suicide”
5. “Captor of Sin”
6. “War Ensemble”
7. “Postmortem”
8. “Altar of Sacrifice”
9. “Jesus Saves”
10. “Die by the Sword”
11. “Spirit in Black”
12. “Hallowed Point”
13. “Seasons in the Abyss”
14. “At Dawn They Sleep”
15. “Dead Skin Mask”
16. “Raining Blood”
17. “Black Magic”
Encore:
18. “South of Heaven”
19. “Angel of Death”
The old-school tour was received well. After 25 years, Slayer was returning to the former Felt Forum, and even went back to the Palladium, the site of the 1988 riot and Hanneman’s memorial. The Hollywood show sold out, and the band added a second night.
As the group made its way across the country, its members seemed conflicted about the future. Araya initially seemed torn about writing and recording with Hanneman, but definitely leaned toward continuing:
“I've got to sit down with Kerry and share my thoughts with him and see how he feels,” the singer told Kory Grow. “I do
n't even know how he feels. Everybody's moving forward and saying, ‘We're gonna do this’ and ‘We're gonna do that.’ And in all honesty, I really don't know how he feels. So the two of us are going to need to sit down and really go over how we feel about where we're at and how we move forward.”59-16
King, on the other hand, was resolute: He wanted Slayer to continue.
“It's going to be business as usual going forward, just one member less, which sucks for everybody,” King told Full Metal Jackie. “I've got my songwriting partner taken away from me — it's not like he left. And I'm still in a place where I've gotta work. And I don't want a new job; I like my job.”59-17
Some fans argue that Slayer without Hanneman and Lombardo isn’t Slayer. They say King and Araya should retire the name. In light of Lombardo’s accusations, they dismiss the Bostaph-Holt lineup as a cynical cash grab.
And Slayer isn’t above an extra income stream or two. The group has put its name on a dozen questionable items: a Reign in Blood wine. A holiday sweater. Condoms. A bikini. A Divine Intervention belt buckle. Reign in Blood water bottles (available in red and black). “FUCKIN’ SLAYER” pint glasses. Beverage coasters. A blanket. A bar towel. A 2013 St. Patrick’s Day leprechaun shirt. A Kerry King bobblehead. Socks. Sunglasses. Ski goggles.59-18
But Slayer could have done much more to cash in over the years. The new music has been better, but the songs still have integrity. The band haven’t released a convenient Nice-Price Best Of collection. They still haven’t mounted a tour presenting South of Heaven in its entirety. (A wager of $6.66 says that will happen eventually, though.) It’s high unlikely, but it wouldn’t be the oddest thing in the history of rock if Lombardo joined the group for a farewell reunion tour.
And what are King’s options now that Hanneman is dead? Change the group’s name? Start a new band? Produce albums for bands that will be lucky to sell 20,000 copies? Buy a Subway franchise and use it to apply all his hard-won knowledge about presenting a consistent product?
No question: Money played a role in the band’s busy tour schedule since Hanneman took ill. Money plays a role in every successful band’s career.
In 2008, Araya told Thrash Hits he was close to having enough funds banked to retire. But he wasn’t sure59-19. And the Slayer strategy seems to prescribe a “better safe than sorry” approach.
“After 25 years, we’re finally getting top dollar,” Araya told KNAC.com in 2006. “In my opinion, we’re being paid what we’re actually worth now.”59-20
As the members of Slayer stared down their 50s, metal had been back, in force, for over a decade. Even if the bigger metal groups — Metallica excepted — had to rely on festival tours to pack arenas, the genre could still bring big crowds to large venues. And the box office draw had dispersed: In most cities with an active music scene, a metal show is never more than a week away.
Either metal is here to stay (likely). Or the bubble is about to burst (unlikely). But any reasonable student of musical history could make a respectable argument that the big crowds have to dry up eventually. Regardless of whether metal will be as popular in a decade, it’s a safe bet that Slayer will be ready to pack it in by then. In the wake of Hanneman’s death, it would have been foolish to walk away from money while it’s on the table.
Slayer is eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica has the token metal slot. The Hall has a long backlog of worthy, neglected bands like Kiss and Deep Purple. And the Rock Hall is not a reliable laurel in the world of hard rock and metal.
If they ever do enter, Slayer’s lineup turmoil is the rule for rock bands, even Hall of Famers — not the exception. Only 11% of the groups inducted into the Rock Hall have entered with their classic lineup intact, their albums unsullied by replacement players (as of this writing, 9 of 83).
Key people leave bands. Rob Halford and K.K. Downing quit Judas Priest, and the band continued. Richie Sambora left Bon Jovi. Alice in Chains resurrected after the death of frontman Layne Staley. Sabbath rebooted and continued until it was all-but-unrecognizable. And it came back. Except for the drummer. For better or worse.
Hanneman wrote the songs people come to see. And he wrote the most.
As of Hanneman’s passing, the 11 Slayer albums (ten studio, one covers LP), their bonus tracks, “No Remorse,” and “Aggressive Perfector” comprise 116 original compositions, with a total of 281 songwriting credits, including lyrics and music (the early “Ice Titan” has no credits in the Soundtrack to the Apocalypse box set). At the buzzer, the members’ total songwriting contributions (lyrics and music) were:
Hanneman: 125
King: 118
Araya: 36
Bostaph: 2
[Lombardo: zero]
But King has always been the band’s driving force. In fact, in the 21st century, he has done more than Hanneman to keep Slayer running.
Hanneman is gone. His songs are still here. King still has something he wants to say.
So Slayer soldier on. They stand. They fight. They play.
Nobody is happy about the group having to continue with Hanneman. (King and Araya, doubtless, feel different about Lombardo’s absence.)
Like 40+ year-old great athletes such as Nolan Ryan, Jerry Rice, and Curt Schilling, Slayer have redefined what longevity is possible in their field.
Money and boredom always lure bands out for another round. But given this group’s catalog, health, age, and history, once Slayer call it quits, they might be one of the few bands to retire and stay retired.
If Slayer want to play extreme metal when they’re 60, that’s great — but it would be sad if they needed to. Slayer aren’t forcing anyone to buy Slaytanic socks. Or albums. Or tickets. Most bands put on a worse show. Slayer worked like few others to accumulate their stack of chips. If they want to cash them in, that’s their call. It’s their job. They earned it. And they did it the hard way.
No question, also: After decades of heated rivalry, none of the Big Four wants to be the first band to tap out. King will die onstage and let his corpse rot there before he lets Dave Mustaine carry the banner of thrash metal.
Slayer have nothing left to prove, unless King and Araya are determined to show the world that Hanneman and Lombardo helped build a team so strong it can win without them.
Like all gods of the arena that came before, Slayer has proven itself not only mortal, but human — just like every other unforgettable champion.
— 30 —
— 66 2/3 —
“Hanneman: Still Reigning.” Modeled on the Heineken logo, the final backdrop banner in Slayer’s Fall 2013 old-school set. Displayed during the encore of “South of Heaven” and “Angel of Death.” Phone photo by Sean Benedict, Iron City Rocks. 20 November 2013. Pittsburgh, Stage AE.
Appendix A: Slayer Concert Counts By Year
These numbers are approximate. The band seldom spent a full year on the road. They usually mounted a touring season of a few months in the second half of the year, and sometimes continued into the next year.
Most tour records are incomplete; for reliable looks at the major touring years, visit SetList.fm.
These numbers are approximate. The band seldom spent a full year on the road. They usually mounted a touring season of a few months in the second half of the year, and sometimes continued into the next year.
Most tour records are incomplete; for reliable looks at the major touring years, visit SetList.fm.
1982: Records indicate around a half-dozen club shows, all in California
1983: Around a dozen club shows, all California
1984: 60
1985: 55
1986: 30, with less than ten over the course of the year before the October release of Reign
1987: 55, most between January and May
Reign tour cycle: approx. 75
1988: 70, most between August and December
1989: 15, all in January, most in Germany
South tour cycle: approx. 85
1990: 35, most betwee
n September and December
1991: 100, most between January and July, with approx. 20 Decade of Aggression shows in November, plus a New Year’s Eve Headbangers Ball concert
Seasons tour cycle: approx. 115
1992: A half-dozen festival shows in august
1993: 0
1994: 45, most between August and December
1995: 55, most between January and April
Divine tour cycle: approx. 95
1996: 40, most between August and October
1997: 0
1998: 120, most between May and September
1999: 60, most between March and July
Diabolus tour cycle: approx. 170
2000: 40, most between June and August
2001: 80, most between June and December
2002: 90, most between January and September
God Hates tour cycle: approx. 160
2003: 50, most between July and November
2004: 100, most between June and October
2005: 30, most between May and July
2006: 70, most between June and November
2007: 70, most between January and September