Slayer

Biography

1981-1982: Beginnings

Slayer is formed in 1981, when the guitarist Kerry King meets Jeff Hanneman during a hearing for a group. Both recruit the bass player/singer Tom Araya, who had already played with King in a group named Quits, and the beater Dave Lombardo, which meets King by delivering a pizza pie to him. The group starts to play various resumptions of the songs of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in clubs and festivals in the south of the California. The first shows refer to the satanic imagery with pentagrams, make-up, and reversed crosses. The demonstration is widely diffused in the medium underground, the group is seen offering the opening of the Bitch group to Woodstock Club with Los Angeles. Whereas they play “ Phantom off the Opera ”, the group is discovered by Brian Slagel, old a critic music which recently founded Metal Blade Records. Slagel records a new of the group “ Aggressive Perfector ” which appears on Metal compilation Massacres III, left in July 1983 in music. Having had much success, Slagel makes sign the group on a label.

1983-1984: Show No Mercy

Without a budget of recording, the group is forced to finance the album. Combining the savings in Araya, which was employed as respiratory therapeutist, and the money borrowed from the father of King, the song of opening, “ Chemical Warfare ” became a required passage in the lives ones: the song is played has almost all the concerts of the group since 1984. After the exit of Haunting the Chapel , Slayer makes its first lives Europeans with the Heavy Sounds Festival in Belgium opening for the group UFO, then returns to the United States to begin the round Haunting The West Coast . During the round, King temporarily leaves Slayer to join the new group of Dave Mustaine: Megadeth. Hanneman is anxious decision of King, and with declared on this subject “ I suppose that we will have a new guitarist ”. After the return of King in the group, the group embarks for the 1984 Combat Turn , with Venom and Exodus, and carries out an album live called Live Undead in November.

1985-1986: Hell Awaits

Slayer leaves its first live video in 1985, Combat Turn: The Ultimate Revenge . The video is a video live fimé with New York with Studio 54 club at the time of the round of the group in 1984 with Venom and Exodus. With the beginning of the year 1985, Show No Mercy is sold 40000 explaires, of “ Welcome Back ” after the song starts. and the first album of the group to being gold disc in the United States. and the second album of the group to receive the distinction of gold disc. The opinions of the press as for the album divergaient, with the All Music Guide quoting the album like " worrying and powerful”, and the Rolling Stone indicating it like a " satanic drivel ". King: " This album was my performance more somber". Seasons in the Abyss , left in October 1990, was the first album of Slayer to be left by the new label Rck Rubin, Def American (because him and the other creator of Def Jam, Russell Simmons, took to ways different louse causes musical divergences). The album between with 44 place du Billboard 200, Lombardo forms its own group Grip Inc, with Voodoocult guitarist Waldemar Sorychta, and Slayer recruits the old beater of Forbidden Paul Bostaph to take his place. Slayer off makes its first live with Bostaph with the Monsters Rock'n'roll festival of Castle Donington in 1992. The first effort studio of Bostaph is a medley song of The Exploited, " War" , " The U.K. '82" , and " Disorder" , with Ice-T, for the original soundtrack of Judgment Night in 1993.

The golden age: the years 1980

Slayer belongs to the founders groups of the Thrash metal, recording its first disc studio in 1983: Show No Mercy, which keeps a single character in the discography of the group, from the enormous influence of the traditional Heavy Metal (in particular by the means of the soli). As of its beginnings, the group however dissociates itself by its capacity to play fast, aggressive a Metal music. In 1985 is recorded less known and under estimated Hell Awaits, sinks, unhealthy and violent one, who seems today an album hinge in the evolution of extreme Metal.

Between these two discs are produced an mini-album ( Haunting The Chapel ) and the recording live Live Undead on the subject of which a rumor affirms that it would have been recorded in studio with effects live introduced with the mixing. Today still, the group refuses any comment, although one knows from now on that it is actually about a recording organized in the room of repetition of the group, the public making up of friends of the 4 musicians.

1986 is one year headlight for the group, whose third recording studio is awaited with a bit of concern by the fans because Slayer joined for the occasion the producer of rap Rick Rubin. The result of this collaboration however exceeds all until one could wait: in 10 pieces adding up less than 30 minutes, Reign in Blood revolutionizes the Thrash metal by its amazing brutality for the time. This disc quickly reaches the envied statute of disc " culte" and will influence several generations of musicians. It also marks the beginning of a controversy about the group, because of the words of the piece " Angel off Death " who describes the atrocities of the doctor Nazi Josef Mengele with Auschwitz.

Collaboration with Rick Rubin continues on the following recordings. In 1988, South Of Heaven disorientates the fans of the first hour by his side more posed, more melody and especially slower, even if there remains obviously a disc of thrash metal. It is followed by Seasons in the Abyss (1990), the second great classic of Slayer, which shows a ripe group and with the apogee of its creativity, knowing to alternate fast titles and violent ones with others heavier and unhealthy. Even if Reign In Blood arrives generally at the head of the surveys as for the best album of Slayer, certain fans prefer to him Seasons in the Abyss for its greater subtlety and its larger variety. In 1991, the live exit of the double-album Decade Off Aggression makes it possible Slayer to mark a pause after several intense businesss year. Not worked again in studio, this recording testifies to the quality of the scenic services of the group and gives very an other dimension to the versions studio of the interpreted pieces. This disc marks the one time end, the following one being marked by an instability of the station of beater (the original beater Dave Lombardo regularly being returned then reinstated).

In 1993, they take part in B.O. film Judgment Night with the rappor Ice-T.

Since the years 1990

It is necessary to wait until 1994 and the album Divine Intervention, always produced by Rick Rubin, to attend the return of Slayer. With this album, the group modernizes its approach of the production but it is also starting from the latter that the division of the fans will start, some reproaching the group more for not evolving/moving and for remaining on its assets. This disc also starts again the polemic, because of the piece " SS-3" evoking again the atrocities Nazis. In 1996 is recorded Undisputed Attitude, a succession of interpretations of pieces Punk testifying to their influences. In spite of its radicality this disc is most badly liked albums of Slayer, from its very marginal nature in the discography of the group.

On Diabolus in Musica (1998), the group incorporates elements of Hardcore in its music: attempt at modernization whereas the American public is in full wave of Néo metal, new sound, new approach primarily due to Jeff Hanneman, principal type-setter of this brilliant album for the ones, unsuitable in Slayer for the others.

Unhappy coincidence, the exit of God Hates Custom All (ninth recording studio of Slayer) passes relatively unperceived because it takes place the September 11th, 2001.

The November 25th 2003, leaves Soundtrack To The Apocalypse , a compilation of 74 titles out of 4 CDs.

The August 8th 2006 left the tenth album studio Slayer: Christ Illusion. One finds in this album the influences of Slayer at the time of Reign in Blood and Seasons in the Abyss , mixed with those of God Hates Custom All . The reception of the public is very shared: return to the sources for some, repetition of the old albums for others, the case Slayer continues to make jaser in the Metal community.

Influence

Slayer is one of the groups which one calls the Big furnace : four groups of Thrash metal regarded as being most influential with Megadeth, Carbuncle and Metallica. All were success at the beginning of the year 1980. Slayer, moreover, was classified number 50 in the classification of the largest artists of Hard rock. Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King was classified tenth in signal 100 of the largest metal guitarists, made by the magazine Guitar World in and was elected " better duet of guitaristes" by the readers of the magazine Revolver . Dave Lombardo, as for him is " better batteur" and it group is even in signal 5 of the greatest groups of all times, is " better live" group; and also a title of " has; better album of the année" (for Christ Illusion), and of " group année."

Reign in Blood, left in 1986 had an influence as of its exit on the extreme groups of Thrash metal. He saw himself decreeing the titles of " album more “heavy” of all temps" by the magazine Kerrang! , and of " traditional as of its sortie" by All Music Guides . In 2006 it had the title of better album metal of these 20 last years decreed by the magazine Metal Hammer . Richard Christy, of the group Death was époustouflé by the performance of Lombardo on the album Reign in Blood, just like Paul Mazurkiewicz of Cannibal Corpse.

The beater Dave Lombardo influenced many beaters of current groups like Ray Herrera of Fear Factory, Pete Sandoval of Morbid Angel, Adrian Erlandsson of Cradle off Filth, and max Kolesne of Krisiun. Patrick Grün, on the group Caliban as for him decided to play of the battery thanks to Lombardo and Jason Bittner de Shadows Fall used the double gross case when it began his career always thanks to the influence from Lombardo.

Style

Their first albums were greeted for their " speed époustoufflante and instrumental prowesses, " combining the tempos of the Hardcore and Speed metal. The album Diabolus in Musica is the first with a guitar tuned in Drop D, God Hates Custom All the first in adjustment drop B, utilizing guitars with seven cords. All Music Guide said album that it " gave up the extravagance and the accessibility of their work of the end of the year 80/début 90 and turned over to an approach more brute" , that certain fans qualified Naked-metal.

The solos of guitar of Jeff Hanneman and King were described as " wildly chaotic, " The beater Dave Lombardo, as for him, uses the double gross case, instead of the double pedal. Its speed and its aggressivity were worth to him the title of “godfather of the double gross case” decreed by Drummerworld.Il uses, for the double gross case, the technique of the " heel-up"

Quarrels

In 2007, Araya and King had mesh to leave with Dave Mustaine Megadeth. All started when Mustaine tried to convince King to rather remain with Megadeth than with Slayer Mustaine has advanced with Araya which he liked when this one “sucked the cock” in 1991 to him during the round " Clash off the Titans". Araya contradicted to have treated it the homosexual one. and that it is a " dictateur". Recently, in Guitar World , King said “to have admired it so far”, but only as a guitarist, same if he regards Mustaine as a " hypocrite".

The relations between Machine Head and Slayer also worsened when King treated them “sold” after the exit into 2001 of Supercharger . King continued to criticize the group, saying qu'" in particular; they are responsible for the Rap metal " , qu'" they misled me when I thought that they made metal" and that " they do not have any more a intégrité." Robb Flynn of Machine Head specified that King had not caused them and that these assertions came from nowhere.

Controversies

Slayer was shown to have sympathy to the Nazis, because of resemblance of the logo of the group to the sign S applied to the guitars of the musicians, and because of the words of the song Angel off Death . Words of " Angel off Death" were inspired by the acts of Josef Mengele, the doctor having led the experiments on human beings lasting the Second world war to Auschwitz, and which was called " Angel of Mort". During their career, the members of the group were questioned very often on these accustions, and declared that they did not guarantee the Nazisme. The guitarist Jeff Hanneman in particular denied himself these charges while insisting on the fact that there does not require that a song says it explicitly to know that the acts of Mengele are atrocious and condemnable.

The resumption of Minor Threat " Guilty off Being White” (guilty to be white) raised the question of a hypothetical apology for supremacy by the group. The controversy surrounds the recovery in which the refrain " guilty off being white" was changed into " guilty off being right" , at the end of the song. That irritated the frontman Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye, which declared: " It is an offense towards moi".

Araya declares in an interview of 2004 (when him the " question is asked; Did the people criticizing you realize that you made parody? ") : " Not people believe that we are serious! … front, there was the PMRC, which very took really all in heart, whereas you just try to create you an image. One tries to frighten exprès" people;. He also refuted the rumors according to which the members of the group would be satanists, and added that they found nevertheless this subject interesting: " we all are on this planet to learn and make expériences".

The song " Jihad" being reproduced on the album Christ Illusion immediately created a polemic within the families of the victims of the Attentats of September 11th, 2001. The milked song of these attacks from the point of view of the terrorists. The group has quite precise that it was placed from their point of view without to adhere to their cause. Finally, all publicities were withdrawn.

In India, the album was recalled by EMI India after protests on behalf of religious groups Moslem and catholic as for the nature of the artwork of the small pocket. The cover is of Larry Carroll . It represents a Christ with the arm amputees, one-eyed, upright in a sea of blood. October 11th, 2006, EMI announced that all stocks had been destroyed.

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