I still like Slayer

[Dirty Boy]

They're apparently reforming even though Tom Araya can't move his neck and Kerry King suffers from being a terminal cunt. It's probably a big mistake, but Hell Awaits>Seasons In The Abyss is incredible metal and even Divine Intervention has it's moments despite sounding like the death throes of a once magnificent band.

SLAYEEEEEEEEEER!

[idunnosomename]

yeah I was going to make a thread about this*, as it's quite interesting from any perspective.

they did a "Farewell World Tour" in 2018-9 and now have announced two festival shows, both in the Midwest (if Kentucky counts as Midwest? I guess kinda), despite Kerry King just on the cusp of releasing his first solo album.

Hanneman had to retire from the band and died in 2013. Likely they'll have Gary Holt from Exodus again on second guitar. Dave Lombardo won't have anything to do with them since early 2013 as he left on very bad terms by all accounts.

I always went along with the assumption Tom Araya had to keep the band going another decade because he lost money in the financial crash of 2008, and wouldn't have a decent retirement package otherwise. he hasn't got the pipes anymore, but he is 62 after all.

There must be a fair bit of money for the festival appearances that Araya and King can't turn down. A lot of people are kinda pissed off because it's not even 5 years since they said this was it, forever. But I don't think they'll be touring extensively or recording.

* ^{you didn't beat me to the punch, I just couldn't be arsed. I also want to make one about shit AI metal album covers that have started dropping as it's of general interest to this forum}

[Queen Peach]

they're not worth the time

[markburgle]

I really liked some of the World Painted Blood stuff, but I came to them very late and hadn't been hearing them do probably similar stuff loads of times before. Never listened to the last LP though, too much King

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

I've never really liked Slayer. Influential as they have been, the legions of bands they inspired have almost always been more impressive than them. They're boring as fuck live too. Other than that, I love em! Slayer! Slayer!

[timahall]

Slayer!!

[Kankurette]

Not a massive fan but liked them at Reading, though putting them on before My Chemical Romance was a questionable decision.

[Pink Gregory]

any time I've listened to a Slayer album I have kind of tired of it after a few songs.  Undoubtably they always start strong but the album tracks all kind of sound the same, they don't really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.

[Noodle Lizard]

I didn't know they were gone! I never trust these Farewell Tours anyway, musicians can't retire anymore.

[The Mollusk]

the album tracks all kind of sound the same, they don't really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.

That's what I love about them! At their early years best those peak albums are just one big screeching squalling thrash assault. I'm not the biggest fan of the genre but in terms of nailing a vibe consistently they are fucking killer. Should come as no surprise following my Mick Barr thread but I adore those batshit solos as well. Unhinged, chaotic, thrilling.

[sevendaughters]

Reign In Blood is just 30 minutes of pestilent fury, wouldn't want them to really start throwing in variance.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Why wouldn't you still like Slayer? First five albums are still amazing and even the ones that are supposed to be crap are at least entertaining

[ASFTSN]

HELL AWAITS

[druss]

Why is Kerry King an arsehole?

[idunnosomename]

HELL AWAITS

that and Show No Mercy with Haunting the Chapel EP are my favs tbh. Savage speed metal.

[Magnum Valentino]

I only got into Slayer aged 31. Same for Pantera, Black Sabbath and a few other staple metal bands. Still an extreme music devotee at heart.

Any other fans of Divine Intervention?

Also is Hell Awaits on Decade of Aggression the best live album opener ever?

[Pink Gregory]

That's what I love about them! At their early years best those peak albums are just one big screeching squalling thrash assault. I'm not the biggest fan of the genre but in terms of nailing a vibe consistently they are fucking killer. Should come as no surprise following my Mick Barr thread but I adore those batshit solos as well. Unhinged, chaotic, thrilling.

I'm admittedly not a huge thrash fan but from the little I've heard I far prefer the German big four to the American one.  Sodom at least anyway.

[hermitical]

I don't get the arguments that the "album tracks all kind of sound the same, they don't really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves" or "At their early years best those peak albums are just one big screeching squalling thrash assault", of course this totally depends what you consider their early years or their best!

Show No Mercy and Hell Awaits are my two favourite Slayer Albums. Show No Mercy is full of ideas, admittedly very raw. It is NWOBHM on speed with a possessed, twisted spirit. Iron Maiden on PCP.

Hell Awaits is darker, a step further away from the NWOBHM sound (though you can still hear the influence). It is really intricate, listen closely and it just sounds so weird for a metal album from that period. The time changes, the wooziness, lovely stuff.

I don't find either of them devoid of ideas or one big screeching, squalling thrash assault (even though that was a compliment!).

[Pink Gregory]

disclaimer, judging this entirely by Reign in Blood, Seasons in the Abyss, and bizarrely, God Hates Us All

[Shaky]

The worst of the Big Four - fight me! Fight me!

By that, I mean while Slayer have obviously released some great songs I really struggle to listen to a whole album of their stylings from any point of their career. I've always felt I should like them much more than I ultimately do.

The timing of this reunion is also quite hilarious. King has been up to his usual arseholery - Lombardo is "dead to me," "I played bass on all our albums since 1990" or whatever, "please love my lacklustre new song which sounds exactly like weak latter-day Slayer." He's a silly little turd.

[iamcoop]

Anthrax are by far the worst of the big four. That's objectively true.

Seems odd timing as King is about to launch a solo album.

How much bank will this even make anyway? They're not that big these days surely. I remember seeing the original line up play Reading, and even then they were on mid-afternoon and most people were cigs.

There's WAY bigger reformation news in my household anyway, given the JESUS FUCKIN' LIZARD are playing a festival in the US this summer.

[thugler]

They're great. Something underrated about them is their songwriting, specifically the amount of hooks and catchy bits. It's just s fantastic good laugh. Always found some of the later King penned lyrics/titles pretty damn cringey, but i see it as like ac/dc or something. They're just so good at what they do, and just don't sound like the other thrash guys. Even the much whined about atonal squeal solos are a breath of fresh air amongst all the shredding that was around. I actually really like some of them, dittohead is my favourite one.

Also saw them live a few times with hanneman back in the day as a 14/15 year old tyke and it was great (whole of reign in blood, ending on raining blood while it, rained blood), and a really friendly atmosphere weirdly. Later saw them at the odd festival where it was ridiculously aggro, so I'm not sure what happened there.

[cosmic-hearse]

Big 4 rankings:

1. Slayer (other 3 not even close)







2. Anthrax (I'll include SOD in this as they're 75% Anthrax, sketchy lyrics aside)
3. Metallica (they might be 2nd but can't stand Hetfield's vocal drawl)








































4. Megadeth

[idunnosomename]

Diablous in Musica, Risk, Stomp 442 all tremble before St Anger tho

[idunnosomename]

How much bank will this even make anyway? They're not that big these days surely. I remember seeing the original line up play Reading, and even then they were on mid-afternoon and most people were cigs.

Seems Riotfest Chicago is banking on them as they're the only act announced so far.

The Kentucky roster is depressing



Judas Priest billed under Korn and Breaking Benjamin? fuckin hell

American festivals are shit, though*. Milwaukee Metalfest is a huge exception

*I mean so are UK ones, although I have a lotta respect for Damnation

[drummersaredeaf]

That's a surprisingly huge line up for those into that kind of thing isn't it. All throughout the bill there's something for those who comment about how they were born in the wrong generation and 'music isn't real like this anymore'.

Which is also to say that rock and metal are utterly fucked and finished. Of all the bands in yellow, what's the most recent debut album? Mid 2000s? I bet the average debut is easily around the millennium.

[idunnosomename]

oh there's a massive problem with all the tentpole bands getting elderly and there being very little to step up to plate when they are absolutely beyond performing/dead to take the... whatever tentpoles hold up. the canvas.

One in yellow Lorna Shore (Friday, 4th stage, top), New Jersey deathcore are young and pretty huge though with a debut in 2015. despite having to fire their new lead singer after sex pestery allegations. deathcore is full of that shit (as well as being largely shit)

Also Architects on Sunday are a British metalcore band, debut album 2006. under fucking STAIND though! imagine being under Staind. in 2024.

[lankyguy95]

Spiritbox's debut full-length was 2021. They have exploded in the last two or three years to the point of collaborating with Megan Thee Stallion, and they're pretty typical of the sludge of pop metalcore acts that have gained significant popular ground in heavy music. This movement is hitting the very apex of its sanded-down, soul-deadening pretension.

By far the biggest mover of the newer bands, although they're not playing that festival, is Sleep Token, and they are, currently, barely even a hard rock band, and, always, thoroughly joyless. The fact that they're well on their way to selling out an arena tour here including two nights at The 02 is enough to make me consider that I may have brain cancer.

Slayer could not sound more vital in comparison and I don't enjoy how antiquated that makes me sound.

[The Mollusk]

Also Architects on Sunday are a British metalcore band, debut album 2006. under fucking STAIND though! imagine being under Staind. in 2024.

I simply cannot underStaind it

[druss]

Metallica
Megadeth
Slayer







Anthrax.

First three places move around but come on, Anthrax are clearly not in the same league.