What Makes Slayer So Great Anyways?

What Makes Slayer So Great Anyways?

Photos posted HERE

 Many of you know that this site loses money, right? So I make my rent by other means. Part of my income is from doing tech consulting for small businesses. Lucky for me that is extremely flexible. Very seldom is there a conflict where I can't go to a show because I have to attend a business function. My other job is not as flexible. I scrub toilets for a school district. That job makes twice as much (almost to the penny) and I get really amazing benefits. So when the greatest tour to hit my area in years comes by I will do my very best to attend. For an old school Thrash purist like myself it doesn't get any better than Testament, Megadeth, and Slayer. Sad thing is that the show announced that it would start at 7 pm and I got off work at 6:30. So I thought I was going to be forced to miss this amazing event. So I had the press agent switch the name to my back up guy Dave Conn. Then the day before the event I hear that everyone can come in early. So I go in early enough to be off at 3:00 pm. Well, the mix up caused me to not be on the list anymore. No ticket and no money to buy one since I wasn't expecting to need to do so. We should have just left it as Dave Conn +1 with photo from the start. Would have caused way less confusion. What I don't understand is why Dave wasn't given my ticket? There still should have been 2 tickets.

Now shortly after I get off work (yeah, I'm jumping around here a little) I start hearing that the show will start at 7:00 pm and that doors open at 5. Plus there is a game and several other events in Seattle that same night. This is on top of being the start of the big three day weekend. So traffic is bound to be beyond insane. So I start telling Dave we need to leave a few hours early. Turns out I was right. We missed Testament. Then when I get to the entrance to the photo/security pit I am told that I only have clearance to shoot photos of Testament, the band that just finished. Then the person tells me they are going to see if they can get me cleared for Slayer, but he has no way to get me clearance for Megadeth. No big deal, Roadrunner has always worked very hard at keeping people from giving their bands coverage so I understand that. Well, the guy comes through for me and I get cleared to shoot Slayer. From this point on things begin to get better.

Now I am a fan of Megadeth, but I have to say I was not too impressed with Dave's voice that night. He seemed to have more whine and less snarl. Maybe he was having vocal problems? Maybe from the side of the stage the mix was bad? Either way it sounded weak compared to how he has sounded in recent past. This was the first time i have witnessed Chris Broderick with the band though and I must say he is a massive improvement over Glen Drover. Glen is an amazing player, but he always looked bored as hell on stage. Chris looks like he is having a blast and that makes it more fun for everyone watching. Dave Jr did a great job on bass as well. Although James LoMenzo did a great job in all aspects, Dave Jr will always be the true bassist in this band. This is the strongest Megadeth line up in decades and I hope this will cause their next release to be better than the extremely disappointing "Endgame".

Now before I get into the Slayer set I want to talk about what makes Slayer so damn great in my eyes (ears). Many would say that the band is brutal, but I think that ignores what truly makes the band so amazing. If it's just the brutality why don't any of these so called extreme metal bands pack out 5 thousand seat theaters? The reason is the song writing. A good Slayer song could probably be played acoustically and still be a great song. Tom has this tone that isn't a clean vocal by any means, but doesn't get into that cartoonish growl that has taken over Metal during the past decade. Sure the lyrics are about killing, Satanism, Anti-Religion, Violence, and Warfare, but they do it with more style than say Cannibal Corpse. It's like the difference between a really good dark drama and a gorefest type horror movie where it's gore for the sake of gore. Again I quote Alice Cooper "Where's the song?" With Slayer it is about the song above all else. From the powerfully slow South Of Heaven to the legendary speed of Reign In Blood it is about the song. Even when they play super fast there is still a hook. There is some riff that you can recognize a half of a second into the song. This is what puts Slayer above the rest. This will always be the case.

I noticed something interesting for Slayer. There was more people! I would say a couple thousand more paid $40 just to see Slayer. That is amazing! Before Dave re-joined the band was getting smaller and smaller crowds, but here they are packing in a 5 thousand seat venue. This band is bigger than ever and they can still pack a punch live. Tom may not be able to bang his head like he used to, but his vocals still have that fierce rasp that I have always loved. Kerry moves a little slower now, but that kind of makes him look even more bad ass. Jeff has always been the silent brood of the band. He comes off like that metalhead that sits quietly in the back of the bar sipping his whiskey and talking to no one. Then years latter they find a few corpses in his basement. Or maybe it's just the way he plays? Dave still has that style that makes Slayer what it is. Sure the band has had drummers that were better players technically, but this isn't some damn prog band! Dave has a style all his own and no one can fit that throne better than him. I sat (yeah, I'm old so STFU) in my chair singing along with Tom grinning like a psycho killer just after a good kill. There is nothing like a good Slayer set to cheer me up. 

Photos posted HERE

Comments

[SUAD the Mighty.]

Oh, comparing Slayer to Cannibal Corpse....hmmmm...now I have to say you're delusional. Get over your death metal hatred, sir. *fart* And I beg to differ about your little attack on extreme metal - it's a known fact that extreme metal has a smaller following, derp. Obviously it's not as accessible as Slayer, and American audiences need their accessiblilty, doncha know? Oh, in Europe, extreme metal bands DO pack theaters like Slayer does here.

Ok, /rant.

[MarkCarras]

But that is exactly my point. Slayer has something that those bands do not. Slayer can draw fans of the extreme metal because of the brutality, but also draw people that care less about brutality and care more about the craft of song writing. Why do they draw both? It is the fact that they draw both that they get such massive crowds.

Now this doesn't mean that the extreme metal bands are not as "good" because good is up to the individual listener. But it does mean that they have something that those bands do not.

Also, I have to throw in a few jabs to see if you're paying attention. :D