Where do we, the UK Thrash contingent stand on the band............

Slayer?

Personally for me, they are a band I've grown to hate over the years... and I don't know why. A band that I've only ever seen once and that was last Saturday in Prague at the 'Big 4' show. A show that by any means should of been THE slayer show to witness, yet for me it was just so lackluster in every way. Everyone usually brings up the whole 'Slayer haven't done anything original for over 20 years blah blah' as to why they don't like them but as such we don't need to because it's more or less common knowledge for all.

Seasons was the album/song that got me into Slayer many moons ago and I still enjoy that record a lot.

Very strange to think that i'm part of this big ol' Thrash scene as a fan yet I cannot stand them in the slightest.

Slayer have now been ticked off my list of bands I needed to see before I die/they die etc.

Going back to the Big 4 show, I walked away after 3/4 songs and came back for the other 'songs' to say yes, I've seen them. Dave Lombardo was a powerhouse throughout but 1 man can't hold a band together and make up for the other 75% being so bad live.

Maybe i should of seen Slayer 10 years ago when I was a wee teen but... I didn't. Tried to see them in 2004 at Download and they swapped stages at last minute so I watched Damageplan and saw Dime and Vin tear it up and closing with the anthem that is 'Walk', a highlight of that summer for sure and something I would never change could I go back.

To this day I still feel that the best work Dave Lombardo has ever done was on Testament's 'The Gathering' and would happily say that to him.

I may get flamed for this, and that's...

I've never seen them live and I don't care how bad their shows may be these days, Show No Mercy and Hell Awaits (followed closely by Reign in Blood) are amongst the most essential and influential releases in heavy metal history, which I would personally rate above anything the rest of the Big 4 have done apart from the first two Metallica albums.

I find their output after Reign in Blood swiftly tails off into mediocrity, but the atmosphere, extremity and pure heaviness of their early era DEMANDS respect.

I only really like the first three albums...i saw them in 2004 and they played most of Reign In Blood so that was alright but they were just boring at Hellfest. I think they have forgotten they even wrote Show No Mercy as each time I have seen them they hardly play anything off it. Their best song for me is Crionics....

I have documented my views of them live in recent years on here a few times, that being poor, but i did see them in a club gig back in '87 and to this day, that is one of the best gigs of my life!! They were good other times ive seen them in the 90s etc, but never like that first time.

As for their output, i have ALWAYS stated that hell awaits was their best album, and had it had the power of the RIB production, very few people would disagree. They started going downhill after RIB but still wrote some fucking great tunes such as dead skin mask, spirit in black, ghosts of war etc etc etc, but a few albums later i had totally lost faith in them................however, the last album was really good, and i really like it, a one of renaissance or a return to winning ways????? We shall have to see........

they are shit, when it comes to live gigs.

First 3 albums and the EP are mandatory, the rest is either ok or shite in my opinion. Last few albums have offended me with their badness.

I can agree with Tom, but they're mediocre at best the majority of the time.

Everything up to Divine Intervention I love, give or take a few bits of Reign in Blood which is horribly overrated.

Diabolus in Musica is decent in places but there's too much nu metal in there, God Hates Us All was better but again had too muh modern inluence. I actually really liked ChristIllusion, and WPB was fucking garbage. I've only seen them live once in 2006 and they were... passable. They've cornered themselves too much I thin - whereas Megadeth, Ganthrax (HA!) and Metallica had room to expand, you can't really see Slayer doing that. At least not without getting a fierce backlash.

Fuck Slayer, there are better bands out there now. Time for the newer (and younnger) acts to take their place

Anything up to Seasons I love, anything after that is a pile of crap. Saw them twice on the Unholy Alliance III thing, they were pretty crap live but I was too busy being thrown around by the big skinheads to notice, or care. It was a fuck of a lot of fun, but I wouldn't pay to see them again.

Should give up now its getting pretty embrassing like Exodus.


Also I have saw Slayer atleast twice a year for the last 10 years at festivals, gets boring fest. I understand they are a big draw but to me its pretty boring now.

I saw them in 2004 and they played the whole of reign In Blood. It was fun... But I was 13 so what do I know!?

They're shit now anyway. I have made a point of not going to see them live ever again because I had such a great time in 2004 and I know I wouldn't if I saw them again.

Povey wrote:Should give up now its getting pretty embrassing like Exodus.


Also I have saw Slayer atleast twice a year for the last 10 years at festivals, gets boring fest. I understand they are a big draw but to me its pretty boring now.

Exodus wise were solid in there last album 'Atrocity' and live were also boss.

Would pick Slayer over Exodus x10000

Come on Exodus are just as big a joke these days, i mean Dukes is just terrible, Holt seems to want to have the pissiest guitar tone in metal.

They're all shat, give up the goat.

Rob Dukes is a fucking nazi bastard, I'd take Slayer over that cunt any day.

Ok tbh, we Need Dukes and Jeff and Kerry to have a tubbies fight...