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02-26 Slayer returns?
04-01 🔥New Slayer LP, September 6
01-22 Slayer announce farewell tour
09-04 Another new Slayer song
08-31 Slayer unleash new single
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Slayer were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics dealt with everything fromdeath and dismemberment to war and the horrors of hell. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chopspainted an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side; this correspondence helped Slayer's music holdup arguably better than the remaining Big Three '80s thrash outfits (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax). Naturally, Slayer stirred up quite a bit ofcontroversy over the year ...read more
Slayer were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics dealt with everything fromdeath and dismemberment to war and the horrors of hell. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chopspainted an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side; this correspondence helped Slayer's music holdup arguably better than the remaining Big Three '80s thrash outfits (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax). Naturally, Slayer stirred up quite a bit ofcontroversy over the years, with rumors flying about Satanism and Nazism that only added to their mystique. Over the years, Slayer put outsome high-quality albums, including one undisputed classic (Reign in Blood), and saw the numbers of naysayers and detractors shrinking as theirimpact on the growing death metal movement was gradually and respectfully acknowledged. Slayer survived with arguably the most vitality andthe least compromise of any pre-Nirvana metal band, and their intensity inspired similar responses from their devoted fans.Slayer were formed in 1982 in Huntington Park, California, by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman; also recruited were bassist/vocalist TomAraya and drummer Dave Lombardo. They started out playing covers of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden songs, but quickly discovered that theycould get attention (and fans) by exploiting threatening, Satanic imagery. The band was invited by Metal Blade's Brian Slagel to contribute atrack to the Metal Massacre, Vol. 3 compilation (a series that also saw the vinyl debuts of Metallica and Voivod); a contract and debut album,Show No Mercy, followed shortly thereafter. While Slayer's early approach was rather cartoonish, their breakneck speed and instrumentalprowess were still highly evident. Two EPs, Haunting the Chapel and Live Undead, were released in 1984, but 1985's Hell Awaits refined theirlyrical obsessions into a sort of concept album about damnation and torture and made an immediate sensation in heavy metal circles, winningSlayer a rabid cult following.Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin took a liking to the band, signed them to his label, and contributed the first clear-sounding production heard onany Slayer album for the stripped-down Reign in Blood. Due to the graphic nature of the material, CBS refused to distribute the album, whichgarnered a great deal of publicity for the band; eventually, Geffen Records stepped in. Combining Slayer's trademark speed metal with thetempos and song lengths (if not structures) of hardcore, along with the band's most disturbing lyrics yet, Reign in Blood was an instant classic,breaking the band through to a wider audience, and was hailed by some as the greatest speed metal album of all time (some give the nod toMetallica's Master of Puppets).South of Heaven disappointed some of the band's hardcore followers, as Slayer successfully broke out of the potential stylistic straitjacket oftheir reputation as the world's fastest, most extreme band. Drummer Lombardo took some time off and was briefly replaced by Whiplashdrummer Tony Scaglione, but soon returned to the fold. Released in 1990, Seasons in the Abyss was well-received in all respects, incorporatingmore of the classic Slayer intensity into a more commercial -- but no less uncompromising -- sound. "War Ensemble" and the title track becamefavorites on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, and Slayer consolidated their position at the forefront of thrash, along with Metallica. Following the releaseof the double-live album Decade of Aggression, Lombardo left the band again and formed Grip Inc.Slayer remained quiet for a few years; the only new material released after 1990 was a duet with Ice-T recorded for the Judgment Nightsoundtrack on a medley of songs by the Exploited. After leaving the Forbidden, Paul Bostaph signed on as the new drummer for 1994's DivineIntervention, which was released to glowing reviews; thanks to the new death metal movement, which drew upon Slayer and particularly Reignin Blood for its inspiration, Slayer were hailed as metal innovators. The album was a massive success, debuting at number eight on the Billboardalbum charts.Bostaph left the band to concentrate on a side project, the Truth About Seafood, and was replaced by ex-Testament drummer Jon Dette forUndisputed Attitude, an album consisting mostly of punk and hardcore covers. Bostaph rejoined Slayer in time to record 1998's Diabolus inMusica. The band reunited with Def Jam for 2001's God Hates Us All and in 2002, Lombardo rejoined the band once more. In 2004, theyunleashed the four-disc anthology Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, followed by an album of all-new material, Christ Illusion, in 2006. After arelentless tour and festival schedule in 2007 and 2008, Slayer emerged from the studio with World Painted Blood in 2009. In 2010, Slayerappeared with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax on Big 4: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria. On May 2, 2013, Slayer guitarist and co-founder JeffHanneman died of liver failure at a Los Angeles hospital; he was 49 years old.King and Araya refused to let their friend's death deter them from carrying on with Slayer, and set to work writing a new album. Lombardo waskicked out of the band for the third time; Bostaph came back on board, and Exodus' Gary Holt, who had filled in for Hanneman when he wasseriously ill with necrotizing fasciitis in 2011, joined as his permanent replacement. The album was eventually finished in 2015 and titledRepentless. Three tracks, "When the Stillness Comes," "Implode," and the title cut -- which King dubbed a "HannemAnthem" in tribute -- werereleased as digital singles throughout the spring and summer. Repentless appeared on September 11 through Nuclear Blast. « hide |
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