Slayer
Creator archive / 44 posts
Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story
None of the tunes and few of the faces and stories in this doc will be unfamiliar to thrash aficionados, but as someone who always felt a strong connection to the music and no connection at all to the beer-soaked mayhem that fueled it, I was most interested in the glancing references made to the adults in the room, some of whom were new to me. Metal Blade Records honcho Brian Slagel; Ruthie’s Inn proprietor/promoter… See more →
That Was 2019
The highlights of what I took in and put out
My immune system didn’t do me many favors in 2019. I was sick on five or six separate occasions in the first half of the year, including an obnoxious bout of bronchitis that lasted the entire month of February. Luckily that didn’t stop me from having an adventurous and fulfilling year, and for the first time in my four years at ProPublica, I used every single one of my vacation days.
Projects
My first three… See more →
Slayer
Previous legs of Slayer’s sprawling farewell tour included support from Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth, Testament, Napalm Death, Obituary, Amon Amarth, and Cannibal Corpse, none of whom could entice me to drag my ass into a cavernous arena or amphitheater. And the last time I saw Slayer turned out to be the last ever appearance of the original lineup, shortly before the untimely death of Jeff Hanneman and the departure of Dave Lombardo, which seemed… See more →
However it all eventually ends for me, I’m just glad I got to be here for Reign in Blood.
If I could justify the cost, the Metal Eagle Edition of the new Slayer album would greet my home’s every visitor. avclub.com/article/slayer…
You know, I didn’t expect much from this ukulele cover of Slayer’s “War Ensemble.” But I got much. youtu.be/VznAYy5yL2A
Thrash metal: So many bands have nailed the sound, but so few have written memorable songs. Maybe that’s why the “big four” bands dominated?
100 Cassettes
“You guys in the front, keep an eye on each other… That’s what you’re here to do, help each other out. This is a song called WAR ENSEMBLE!”
Realized this morning that @essl and @VictoriaMia and I saw Jeff Hanneman’s final live performance with Slayer in Indio, CA two years ago.
Fun fact for web standards geeks! One of the only acceptable uses of presentational markup: <font size="7" color="red">SLAYER</font>
More than any other thrash shredder, Jeff Hanneman’s solos were evocative of the music’s subject matter. He tortured that fucking guitar.
How @essl and I grieve.
My neighbors will definitely be hearing some Slayer tonight.
Damn. Rest in peace, Jeff Hanneman. May you be a monarch to the kingdom of the dead.
Art and Artifice
The why of art is more important than the how.
Art communicates. The core message might be as simple as “I like Slayer” or as complicated as “Let’s begin reversing centuries of female marginalization.” The work’s context and various expressive textures contribute narrative layers that enrich that core message. The more we identify with the message, its layers, and their convergence, the more we like the art, even if we can’t explain what those things are or how we connect with them.
In the who,… See more →
3 states, 3 planes, 3 trains, 2 shuttles, 2 cars, 1 cab, 2 friends, 1 relative, 4 legendary thrash bands.
The Big Four Festival
Today’s agenda: 1. Drive across the desert with @essl and @VictoriaMia. 2. yfrog.com/h0bjeifj
Indio’s Motel 6 is currently dirtbag central. We are home.
I'm at The Big 4 Festival in Indio, CA gowal.la/c/459Fh
A N T H R A X
S L A Y E R
For some reason, Twitter didn’t want you to know about M E G A D E T H and M E T A L L I C A .… See more →
En. Ter. To. The. Realm. Of. Sa. Tan. (@ Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) w/ 280 others) 4sq.com/flnoBB
Album Cover Contest Dénouement
My album cover contest has come to a close and the scores have been tallied. Contestants received a half point for each artist correctly identified and a half point for each album, making the highest possible score 55 points.
And the winner is... Raul Gutierrez!
Combining his own considerable musical knowledge with that of several friends, as well as incorporating some clever cyber-sleuthing techniques, Raul was able to at least partially identify a whopping forty-four… See more →
Imagining how much better the new Metallica record might have been if Rick Rubin had given them what he gave Slayer in 1986: succinctness.
"spillliinngg bllooooodd of the manatee!"
recalling how fun it is to substitute "the manatee" for "humanity" in Slayer lyrics.
