Slayer haven’t been the same since Jeff Hanneman was bitten by a spider in 2011, contracted necrotizing fasciitis and later died of liver failure. They’ve toured but not recorded since then and it was inevitable that they’d be the first of the big four Californian metal acts to announce farewell tour.
This was my third time seeing them and once more I had a blast. It was a new venue for me. We chose the Metropoint as Wembley sold out in no time at all and Cardiff is handy to Iain’s place (allegedly). Metropoint is half the size of Wembley, so wins on intimacy what it loses on bar queues. It was also slightly disjointing to hear snatches of conversation drifting between English and Welsh, especially after a few pints of beer to encourage confusion.
First up was Obituary. Neither of us had seen them before and they were a bit dull and shouty. I’m also puzzled as to why you’d waste time on a drum solo when you are bottom of the bill, but the crowd seemed to like them.
Then Anthrax – who always tour with Slayer and always deliver a great set. Second song was their version of Joe Jackson’s ‘Got The Time’, so I entered the mosh. All was good until a guy behind me went down and I lost my balance turning to help him, falling over the top of him but managing not to hit him. We ended up in a heavy metal Twister pose before both being picked up. One thing that cracked me up about Anthrax was singer Joey Belladonna’s shoelaces. They came undone and mid-thrash he paused put his foot up on a monitor and re-tied the laces, all without missing a word. They played ‘I Am The Law’ and ‘Indians’ and ‘Antisocial’ and it was all good.
Lamb of God were next, and having seen them before we went outside the hall to the baa.
And so to Slayer. We found a spot about 15 rows from the front, on the stage side of the speakers and stood in wait. The mosh started as the band arrived and seemed to stretch the entire width of the stage and half way to the back of the hall. It was incredible, and after my earlier performance I decided to stay clear. I can cheerfully say I only recognised two of the songs in the entire night and still had a wonderful time. The music is dense, fast and percussive with growled vocals and staccato guitar solos.
They staging was ridiculous, with sheets of flame on both sides of the stage and a fiery pentagram (inverted, of course) in the middle, that had swords of flame which could wave around. And Slayer logos with flames and flame jets behind the guitarists and then some flames to top it all off.
I don’t remember ever seeing a bassist break a string, but Tom Araya managed it towards the end. He spent half a song trying to get a roadie’s attention, and thus a new bass, so I think it was a surprise to him too.
They finished as ever, with Hanneman’s song ‘Angel of Death’ and after it Araya took several minutes to leave the stage – walking backwards and forwards, looking into the crowd with a mix of emotions crossing his face. This band has been his life for over thirty-five years and it must hurt like hell to be playing city after city for the last time.
Videos
Slayer - World Painted Blood
Slayer - Seasons in The Abyss
Anthrax - Got The Time
Obituary - Brave
