The band: Slayer

The album: World Painted Blood (American)

The spin: You can argue which bands had the greatest influence on others, or which bands defined a genre. Slayer didn’t just come along and become part of something that existed. They created a movement.

Death metal had its birth in the early ‘80s, stemming from the likes of Black Sabbath, and punk/hardcore influences such as Minor Threat and The Stooges, but when Slayer’s Reign in Blood was released in 1986, the beast was let loose. The first scream from “Angel of Death,” the opening track on RIB, signifies what’s to come; a brutal, non-stop attack on the senses complete with severed heads, rotting corpses, and tortured souls. It’s Dante’s Inferno taken up a notch. Since that time Slayer has fed on come-lately bands that could only wish to be as influential and as talented.

Their latest release continues true to form. They’ve been prolific in their 25 years, but they’ve always managed to inject new virility in their music that keeps fans on their toes and coming back for more. The topics are familiar; disease, war, anarchy, hypocrisy, evil, and all those adjectives that conjure up a troubled world. The difference between Slayer and the “other” bands is the imagery through which the band manages to tell their story. Songs like “Hate Worldwide” and “Americon” are intelligently thought-out and thought-provoking songs. No doubt that they remain in your face, but their use of chord progressions keeps you thrashing and engaged.

“Snuff” and “Public Display of Dismemberment” show Slayer at their best; mixing up tempos while juxtapositioning an incredible rhythm section where speed kills, and screaming, almost tortured guitar leads. The band has never gotten the credit they deserve as musicians, but in particular Dave Lombardo who remains one of the greatest rock drummers ever; not simply metal drummers.

A live Slayer show will leave you breathless and wondering how you got out of the arena with all of your teeth. Like notes that only a dog can hear, Slayer manages to trip something in the brain that makes you not only drive off a cliff, but WANT to drive off that cliff. There is a hypnotic quality to their music that has endured all these years. They continue to define and re-define the way music is played, recorded, and taken to the stage.

The grade: B+

Related articles by Zemanta

• Q&A: Slayer’s Kerry King (spin.com)
• Tom Araya of Sssssslllllaaaaaayyyyyyeeerrrrrrr!!!: the Metalsucks Interview (metalsucks.net)