The news today that co-founding Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman has died due to liver damage came as a shock. As a guitarist, he had a huge energy and an incredibly fast and innovative technique that attested the influence of hardcore punk on his style. With Kerry King, he formed one of the most ferocious twin-guitar attacks in thrash metal. As a songwriter, he wrote "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood", two formidable songs that began and closed an absolutely classic album. I saw Slayer on a double-bill in Auckland with Megadeth in 2009, and while Megadeth had their moments, once Slayer came on it was clear who was the bigger band. Everything about them was bigger, the twin walls of Marshall stacks flanking Dave Lombardo's enormous drum kit, on a riser a good foot higher than the Megadeth drummer's kit. The earsplitting scythes of guitar noise that emitted from each side of the amp wall when the roadies were soundchecking. Then the lights dimmed, and to a deafening roar of the crowd chanting "Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!", the band strode on stage, and, well, they utterly slayed! The setlist drew mainly on their classic trio of albums, Reign In Blood, South Of Heaven and Seasons In The Abyss, though a couple of older numbers and a few new ones were scattered through out the show. Although I have been to plenty of metal shows, big and small, over the years, I feel that Slayer was the most intense metal concert I've been to. The sheer power of the band - the rapid-fire of Lombardo's double-kicks, Tom Araya's barked vocals and the explosive salvos of riffs and squealing leads from King and Hanneman - when combined with the responsive energy from the crowd, made for a totally awe-inspiring experience. It's sad to say that no one will be able to see Slayer at the peak of their power again. At 49, Hanneman died too early. His memory will continue to live on through those incredible songs that he wrote, the albums he played on, and the inspiration he will give to new generations of young shredders. It is a sad day for metal. Needless to say, I'll be blasting my Slayer albums loudly tonight.
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