Slayer
This article refers to the thrash metal band. See Slayer (Buffyverse) for the supernatural concept established by the fictional universe created by Joss Whedon.
Slayer is an American thrash metal band, founded in Huntington Park, California (not Huntington Beach, as has often been reported), in 1982[Marc Paschke and Eric Braverman. "Essay & Liner Notes to Soundtrack to the Apocalypse". ]American Recordings''. November 25, 2003. by
Tom Araya (bass guitar and vocals),
Kerry King (guitars),
Jeff Hanneman (guitars) and
Dave Lombardo (drums). Lombardo has been in and out of the group three times, but the other members have been permanent members. Hanneman and King are the group's main songwriters.
Slayer (along with
Metallica,
Anthrax,
Megadeth) is often credited with creating American
thrash metal by speeding up the sound of
NWOBHM bands like
Iron Maiden. Slayer also drew from
hardcore punk influences such as
Minor Threat,
Dead Kennedys,
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles,
Black Flag and
The Misfits, borrowing some of that music's emphasis on extremely quick
tempos in many of their songs. The riff style and thematics of the NWOBHM band
Venom is without a doubt the main metal influence in Slayer's aesthetic, especially in their early career.
Slayer found moderate commercial success and are known for their devoted cult following. Their lyrics, which touch on subjects like
serial killers, the
Holocaust, and , and their graphic album art have generated strong criticism.
Though Araya has rarely used the
"death grunt" vocal style (minor incorporations of the grunt on Hell Awaits being the most notable exception) usually associated with
death metal, Slayer's music, especially the albums
Hell Awaits (
1985) and
Reign in Blood (
1986) is generally regarded as a major influence on death metal. However, due to the higher pitched vocals in their songs (compared to the lower death metal range), their influence on
black metal must also be noted. Several premier black metal acts such as
Emperor[Allmusic.com. Emperor-entry. [1]] and
Mayhem[Allmusic.com. Mayhem-entry. [2]] cite Slayer as an influence.
|
Slayer eagle logo, used during the Seasons in the Abyss period |
The band was originally known as
Dragonslayer before shortening its name to Slayer. Contrary to what some believe, the name was not chosen as an
acronym for
Satan
Laughs
As
You
Eternally
Rot; rather, this wording, found on the liner notes to
Divine Intervention, was added as a
backronym after the name was shortened. Araya has jokingly stated that they chose Slayer because "it was cool, easy to chant".
[Slaytanic.com. Quotes Section. [3]] The backronym might orginate from the line "Laughing as you eternally rot" from the song
"Live Undead" (
South of Heaven,
1988) or from vinyl copies of the band's first album,
Show No Mercy where the words "Satan Laughs As You Eternally Rot" were etched in the blank space next to the record's label.
Slayer's first album,
Show No Mercy, was released in 1983 on
Metal Blade Records. It contains fan favorites such as "Die By the Sword", "The Antichrist" and "Black Magic." It was essential in gaining the band a cult following and respect in the metal community.
The band's second release, the
Haunting the Chapel EP, was considerably darker and more
thrash-oriented than its predecessor, and is considered to have laid the groundwork for what the band's classic sound would become. It opens with the song "Chemical Warfare," which is typically one of two songs the band plays as a live closer.
The band's second full-length release,
Hell Awaits, expanded on the darkness of
Haunting the Chapel, as
hell and
Satan were common song subjects. Musically it is the band's most
progressive offering, containing only seven tracks, three of which clocked in at over six minutes. The intro to the album is a demonic-sounding voice repeating "Join us," reversed on tape to play backward, and ending with an ironic "Welcome back" before the title track proper begins.
After being offered a recording deal by
Rick Rubin's Def Jam Recordings, the band signed and quickly began working on its third album with Rubin as co-producer. The result, 1986's
Reign in Blood, has been called a "thrash metal masterpiece" and even credited with almost single-handedly inspiring the entire death metal genre, at least in North America.
Kerrang! called
Reign in Blood "the heaviest album of all time". In 2003 Slayer played the album in its entirety throughout their fall tour, something they never did on the original album tour. A DVD of one of these performances was released with the title
Still Reigning. Closer "Raining Blood" culminated with the band being drenched in a rain of fake blood. In 2006 Metal Hammer named
Reign in Blood their number one of their top two hundred albums in Metal Hammer's lifetime. It also came in at number one in their top twenty thrash albums.
South of Heaven, released in 1988, marked a significant musical departure. To contrast the speedy assault put forth on
Reign in Blood, Slayer consciously slowed down the tempos and focused on sheer heaviness. They also added clean, undistorted guitars in parts, as well as toned-down vocal styles not heard on previous albums. Though critics praised the album as evidence of Slayer's desire to grow musically and avoid repeating themselves, the new sound disappointed some of the band's fans who had grown accustomed to the thrashier style of earlier releases. Yet, even though fans remain divided on the subject, two songs from the album ("Mandatory Suicide" and "South of Heaven") have become almost permanent additions to the band's live setlist. Following the release of
South of Heaven, the band recorded a thrash-metal cover of
Iron Butterfly's signature song,
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. This song was included on the soundtrack to the movie
Less Than Zero.The follow-up album,
Seasons in the Abyss, was more of a return to the sound of
Reign in Blood and was greeted warmly by fans. A video clip for the title track had the band playing in the
Middle East, shortly before the start of the
Gulf War. Vocal overdubs on "Temptation" and a child's voice pleading underneath the track "
Dead Skin Mask" (about necrophile
Ed Gein)â€"as well as the title track, which originally made use of a fluteâ€"were the most obvious signs of the band's growth.
A double live album,
Decade of Aggression, was released in 1991, and aside from a brief tour the next year (including an appearance at the 1992 Monsters of Rock festival at
Castle Donington, nothing new would be heard from Slayer until 1994's
Divine Intervention. The new record boasted songs about
Jeffrey Dahmer ("213," his apartment number) and
Reinhard Heydrich ("SS-3") amongst other themes of murder and the evils of church and government.
Live Intrusion, a video of concert footage, was released the next year and features a joint
cover of
Venom's "Witching Hour" with
Machine Head, who were Slayer's support on the spring 1995 tour. (Relations between
Kerry King and
Robb Flynn have since badly deteriorated.)
Undisputed Attitude (1996) found Slayer reaffirming their love for hardcore punk. The band covered songs by
Minor Threat,
T.S.O.L.,
D.R.I.,
D.I.,
Dr. Know,
Verbal Abuse, and even
Iggy and the Stooges. Songs "Can't Stand You" and "Ddamm" were previously unreleased punk songs written by Hanneman in 1984-1985 while in an unnamed side project. The album's ending track was an original song entitled "Gemini".
Diabolus in Musica (Latin for "The Devil in Music") was released in 1998 and marked, along with an altered logo, a change in compositional style for the band. This style incorporated a new groove into some song structures and fan reaction was divided. Nevertheless, a successful world tour followed.
God Hates Us All was released on
September 11, 2001. Some promotional material announcing the album title and release date drew an unintended connection with the
9/11 terrorist attacks. They have also released two live DVDs (
War at the Warfield and
Still Reigning) and box set (
Soundtrack to the Apocalypse) featuring rarities, live CD and DVD performances and various Slayer paraphernalia.
In
1996, a lawsuit was brought against the band by the parents of Elyse Pahler, who accused the band of encouraging their daughter's murderers through their lyrics. The lawsuit was thrown out in
2001, for multiple reasons including "principles of free speech, [lack of a] duty and [lack of] foreseeability" - California Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County.
The band received their first
Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" on
January 8,
2002.
Slayer's new album,
Christ Illusion was released on August 8th, 2006.
Dave Lombardo left the band in
1986 briefly during the
Reign in Blood tour and was replaced by Tony Scaglione of
Whiplash. However, after the tour was over, Lombardo came back and asked to rejoin Slayer. Lombardo left the band again in
1992 (most believed for good) and formed a band called
Grip Inc. Lombardo has also been the drummer in experimental group
Fantômas, led by former
Faith No More and
Mr. Bungle frontman
Mike Patton. Lombardo also appeared on the experimental Finnish heavy metal cello band
Apocalyptica's Reflections and self titled albums.
King recruited former
Forbidden drummer
Paul Bostaph who remained in the band until
1996. Bostaph left the band to join a project called "The Truth About Seafood"; he was replaced by Jon Dette of
Testament. Jon Dette left Slayer in 1997, because things did not work out with the rest of the band.
Slayer asked Bostaph to return to the band. Bostaph agreed and stayed in Slayer until
2001. Bostaph claimed he had sustained an injury that would hinder his ability to play. Shortly thereafter, he announced he had joined the
Bay Area band
Systematic and later
Exodus. Lombardo rejoined Slayer once again during the
God Hates Us All tour and has remained there since.
Critics accuse the band of holding
Nazi sympathies, basing this claim on the lyrics of the song "
Angel of Death" from the
Reign in Blood album (which, incidentally, was produced by
Rick Rubin, who is
Jewish). The lyrics were inspired by the acts of
Josef Mengele, the doctor who committed atrocities against Jewish and Gypsy prisoners in the name of pseudo-scientific research during World War II, and who concentration camp inmates dubbed the "Angel of Death".
In addition to the controversy caused by "Angel of Death", Slayer's cover of
Minor Threat's "Guilty Of Being White" raised questions about a possible message of
white supremacy in the band's music. Most of the controversy surrounding the cover involved the changing of the refrain "guilty of being white" to "guilty of being right" at the song's ending. This reportedly incensed Minor Threat frontman
Ian MacKaye, who said "that is so offensive to me."
[Steven Blush, American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Blush (New York: Feral House, 2001), "Guilty of Being White", in an interview with Ian MacKaye, 30-31.]An argument is made against these theories both by Slayer's supporters and what seems to be definitive proof that these critics are wrong in their accusations. In a 2004 interview with Tom Araya, when asked, "Did critics realize you were wallowing in parody?", Tom Araya replied, "No. People thought we were serious!...Back then you had that
PMRC, who literally took everything to heart. When in actuality you're trying to create an image. You're trying to scare people on purpose". Those who disagree with these critics assert that Slayer has no Nazi sympathies or racist views, and point out that Tom Araya and Dave Lombardo have Hispanic ancestry
[Slayer discusses in interview Hispanic ancestry and accusations of racism: ]It is also worth noting that true Nazi sympathizers are well-known for their
Holocaust denial, which is inconsistent with use of the "Angel of Death" lyrics as a basis for criticism because the song describes events that real Nazi sympathizers claim never occurred. However, the lyrics to "Behind the Crooked Cross" repeat the controversial perspective that Germans were forced to join the Nazi army, as opposed to doing so by choice, a point of view often put forward by Nazi sympathizers and apologists.
Slayer often seeks to challenge societal norms and problems, therefore their lyrics, which may appear shocking, seek to promote opposite ideals of tolerance and nonviolence. Additionally, Slayer has ties to the hardcore punk scene, which, aside from the
Nazi punk element, is overwhelmingly
anti-racist. Photographs of Slayer members sporting
Dead Kennedys stickers on their guitars can be found in several albums and posters. Dead Kennedys are notable for their famous song "
Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" The most that can be objectively said is that Slayer enjoys flirting with taboo ideas and Nazi imagery, which are part of the overall concept of the band as musical portrayers of evil and death (not unlike
horror films) and that its lyrics are often open to conflicting interpretations.
Even before it has been officially released, the song "Jihad" has already begun to stir more controversy. Written from the perspective of a religious terrorist, some people have drawn comparisons between it and "Angel of Death". Although this comparison could be considered meaningless since it is highly questionable that "Angel of Death" is intended to have any racist intentions, Slayer continues to stir debate over where their true sympathies lie.
Adding to the suggestion of nazi sympathies (but not conclusive evidence thereof) is the S in slayer, which is somewhat similar to a sigrune of the nazi paramilitary group, the
SS. In the same line, Slayer fans are sometimes referred to as the Slaytanic Wehrmacht. This use of religious and moral icons for shock effect is a widespread custom among various genres of metal bands.
The long-awaited new album
Christ Illusion (released on
August 8) was to be released on
June 6,
2006, a reference to the
Number of the Beast. However, due to recording difficulties, the date has been pushed back and instead Kerry King attempted to use the date
June 6 to re-launch his personal website, www.kfkindustries.com (which is still pending). This album will be the first with original drummer
Dave Lombardo since
Seasons in the Abyss. A new song, "Cult", is now available at www.slayer.net.
Prior to releasing the new album, Slayer released
Eternal Pyre on
June 6 2006, a limited-edition
EP that features the new song "Cult", a live performance of "War Ensemble" in Germany and video footage of the band recording "Cult" in the studio, was released exclusively through
Hot Topic . The full album can be heard on Slayer's MySpace page.
Current members
*
Tom Araya - Bass, vocals (1982-Present)
*
Kerry King - Guitars (1982-Present)
*
Jeff Hanneman - Guitars (1982-Present)
*
Dave Lombardo - Drums (1982-1986, 1987-1992, 2001-Present)
Former members
*
Tony Scaglione - Drums (1986-1987)
*
Paul Bostaph - Drums (1992-1996, 1997-2001)
*
Jon Dette - Drums (1996-1997)
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from:1982 till:2006 text:"Tom Araya" from:1982 till:2006 text:"Jeff Hanneman"
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from:1982 till:1986 text:"Dave Lombardo"
from:1986 till:1987 text:"Tony Scaglione"
from:1987 till:1992 text:"Dave Lombardo"
from:1992 till:1996 text:"Paul Bostaph"
from:1996 till:1997 text:"Jon Dette"
from:1997 till:2001 text:"Paul Bostaph"
from:2001 till:2006 text:"Dave Lombardo"
An organization known as National Day of Slayer LLC declared that the June 6th, 2006, would be a
National Day of Slayer, during which everyone should "Listen to Slayer at full blast"
. In addition, the single CD
Eternal Pyre was released on the day, exclusive to
Hot Topic chain stores.
Earlier in the year, the Day of Slayer was temporarily altered in honor of the once-per-century timestamp 01:23 04/05/06, but was changed back to the original 06/06/06 date within a few days. Speculation holds that future dates for the "Day of Slayer" will be announced, to give the website a reason to exist.
As of June 13, 2006, the National Day of Slayer site has been the center of controversy, due to the Slayer holiday vandalism of St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Much has been made of the incident in the mainstream press, though no arrests have been made and the creators of the site (who have remained anonymous in interviews) have declined to claim credit for anything other than reporting the story.
* The hook from Slayer's
Angel of Death is sampled for Def Jam co-labelists Public Enemy's
She Watch Channel Zero?! from
It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back.* Slayer's song
Raining Blood is briefly heard in the
South Park episode '
Die Hippie, Die', where
Cartman uses the song to drive all the hippies out of South Park, claiming "Hippies can't stand death metal." While Slayer are not a death metal band, the writers of the show most likely chose the term
Death Metal over
Thrash because it is a more general and recognizable term.
* Slayer's
Raining Blood also appears on the "V-Rock" station from the
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack.
* Slayer appeared in an episode of
Viva La Bam ("Dating Don Vito") on May 2, 2004, on which they can be seen performing
War Ensemble from the
Seasons in the Abyss album in
Bam Margera's backyard.
* Slayer also appeared in an episode of
Monster Garage in 2004, performing
Disciple.
* An excerpt of Slayer's
Hallowed Point is heard in an episode of
Jackass featuring the
Gumball 3000 rally.
* Slayer's
Angel of Death was in
Gremlins 2: The New Batch, when the gremlin Mohawk is turning into a spider.
* Slayer's
Angel of Death was used in
Jackass: The Movie during the car stunt.
* Slayer was featured during Travis Pastranas' X-Games Twelve rally car promo.
* Future baseball Hall-of-Famer Omar Vizquel struts to the plate at
San Francisco Giants home games, rocking to
Skeletons of Society from the album
Seasons in the Abyss* Slayer have recorded at least four unreleased songs;
Assassin,
Blitzkrieg,
Night Rider, and
Simple Aggression.
*
Slayer discography*
Official webpage*
Official Myspace Page*
National Day of Slayer*
Official Kerry King Website*
Tom Araya bio*
Dave Lombardo profile at Drummer World*
An interview with Kerry King in June 2006
