Slayer brings Lombardo
back for 2002 tour
By Shiley Carter
Daily Cougar Staff
Every five to 10 years, it seems a new
band comes out that completely redefines a genre of music by surpassing
all apparent boundaries the type of music embraces. In 1983, with the release
of Show No Mercy on Metal Blade
Records, Slayer did just that.
Mauro Alvarez/The Daily
Cougar
Slayer guitarist Kerry King
rocks the Verizon Wireless Theater on Wednesday night.
But it was not until the 1986 release
of Reign in Blood that the world was introduced to the term "speed metal."
With violent riffs encompassing lightning-speed
drums and an overall angry metal sound with a touch of punk,
Slayer quickly made a name for itself
as a new breed of metal in the '80s.
The band's latest release, God Hates Us
All, has a touch of irony that is making the press focus a little more
and
sometimes a little less on the new Slayer
album. God Hates Us All was released on Sept. 11, a strange
coincidence of title and tragedy.
Slayer is making its way through the country
on its God Hates the World Tour. In search of a new drummer
because old drummer Paul Bostaph injured
his elbow, Slayer is presently playing with Dave Lombardo, the
original Slayer drummer from the first
10 years the band was together.
Slayer has been catching a lot of heat
from its fans because, when it made the decision to kick Lombardo out of
the band 10 years ago, King made a comment
saying he would never play with Lombardo again, even if he was
the last drummer on earth.
King's response to the situation? "We are
in the music business and stranger things have happened," he said.
When Slayer took the stage Wednesday night
at Verizon Wireless Theater, the band members took no
introduction time. They went straight
into pounding out the double-bass drumbeats, raging on the two guitars
and
screaming out the vocals for the opening
song and title track of their new album.
The words "God Hates Us All" emanated off
the backdrop in a luminous and eerie way. Singer/bassist Tom
Araya banged his head of long curly brown
hair in perfect sync with King and second guitarist Jeff Hanneman.
Lombardo, meanwhile, had his feet flying
on the pedals for the double bass drums to make the definition of
speed metal heard throughout the venue.
Making sure to play its more popular songs
such as "Raining Blood," "Mandatory Suicide" and "Angel of Death,"
Slayer had the crowd so pumped the energy
radiated everywhere.
During the performance of "Raining Blood,"
the beat got so fast and furious the pit and crowd in the front had to
stop because they didn't know what to
do with such a quick pace. Slayer has been known to set records in metal
music for having more than 250 beats in
one minute.
Though I was a little disappointed that
no mention or thanks was ever given to Lombardo for filling in on the tour
until the search for a new drummer ceases,
the power and vigor employed in this Slayer concert made it an
experience truly in a class of its own.
