Slayer

THE AUDIOECLECTICA PODCAST: EPISODE 001


This has been a long time coming and it’s finally here! The All New and Revamped Audioeclectica Podcast. I’m very pleased and proud to be bringing this back. Joining me on this venture are a few people that I’d like to shout out. First being my co-host Justin Sinclair (of sinistermusicreviews.wordpress.com). Justin is a good friend of mine and we share a common interest in a lot of the same music and I’ve taken it upon myself to expand his musical horizons. And it’s definitely paid off! Look at you know! Also a shout to Diggy at Lucky Star Radio for hosting the show and for all your behind the scenes work. And finally my friend Dionne at JASI Entertainment for pushing me to get this thing going again and for the support!

The first episode is all about reunions, bands that have stuck it out, best reunions, cash grab bands/tours, reunions we wish would happen and more. Plus some really great tidbits of information about the bands, tours, shows, and then some. This is the first of many episodes to come. Lots of different topics will be discussed and opinions shared. So come along for this ride and join the fun!

If there is a topic on your mind you’d like us to discuss, leave us a comment and we will add it to the list.

Thank you all for your support throughout the years! Audioeclectica is on its way to bigger and better things and this is just the start! Stay Tuned and remember to always Listen Eclectically!

Best,

Brian

Listen On Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5G5FiGzUixo5sy4QiL1cQA?utm_source=generator&theme=0

Listen On Apple:

https://embed.music.apple.com/us/album/audioeclectica-episode-001/1810149934

Listen On YouTube:

LIVE REVIEW: KERRY KING AT THE FONDA

It’s not everyday that you get to have a second career this far into your career. 5 years ago when Slayer hung it up (or so they said- I even remember telling my friend Justin at the last Slayer show, “Give them 5 years and I would bet they will be back playing festivals at least.”). Well that premonition came true right at the same time Kerry King announced his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise. Technically I could say it’s his second since Slayer’s last album, Repentless, was basically a Kerry solo album but, From Hell I Rise, gave us all another chance to keep riding the Slayer wave.

A few months before this show at the Fonda, I went with a few friends to see Lamb Of God and Mastodon on the Ashes Of Leviathan tour. On that tour they had Kerry opening up for them. While the set was short, it definitely led me to want to see the show when they came through as a headliner as they left a lasting impression on me.

Kerry King’s live band is one hell of a group of guys. First on vocals you have Mark Osegueda from Death Angel. Mark’s one hell of a vocalist and does a superb job here. Even with the moments that sound like Tom Araya, Mark really has come into his own with these songs. On drums you have the ferocious Paul Bostaph. We all know what he’s capable of. Then on bass you have Kyle Sanders. Who if you don’t know if the older brother of Mastodon’s Troy Sanders and was a part of bands like Bloodsimple, Hellyeah, Medication and more. Kyle has one hell of a thunderous low end delivery and the way he plays is outstanding. And on the other lead guitar is one of my favorite guitar players, Phil Demmel. Phil is an absolute beast on the guitar. The leads he added to Kerry’s songs take those ones to all new heights.

The live show for Kerry and company is quite intense as you’d expect. There is no shortage of aggression and heaviness permeating from the stage to audience. The Fonda in Hollywood is one of my favorite spots to see a show as it’s big but not too big and just intimate enough to feel like you are really close. Kerry’s set included all songs from the debut album like my favorites such as “Toxic,” “Shrapnel,” “Tension,” and “Residue” as well as 2 stellar Iron Maiden covers (“Purgatory and “Killers”), and a handful of Slayer songs including of course “Raining Blood.” Though it was cool to hear “At Dawn They Sleep” from Hell Awaits as well as “Disciple” from God Hates Us All. The band throughout the set was on absolute fire from the get go. The way Kerry and Phil play off each other is quite the the sight to see and hear. If you are missing Slayer, get yourself to a Kerry show and it will help with the withdrawls. One other thing before I close this out, I get that this is the Kerry King solo band now but, with a lineup of gents like this, I really hope that when it comes time to write the next album, these guys especially Phil Demmel, are brought in to write cause, if they do, I can definitely see the next album being one that just DESTROYS!

Review By: Brian Lacy (sorry no photos- was too into watching the show)

Set List:

01) Where I Reign
02) Rage
03) Trophies Of The Tyrant
04) Residue
05) Two Fists
06) Idle Hands
07) Repentless (Slayer Cover)
08) Toxic
09) Tension
10) Everything I Hate About You
11) Disciple (Slayer Cover)
12) Purgatory (Iron Maiden Cover)
13) Killers (Iron Maiden Cover)
14) Crucifixation
15) At Dawn They Sleep (Slayer Cover)
16) Shrapnel
17) Raining Blood (Slayer Cover)
18) Black Magic (Slayer Cover)
19) From Hell I Rise

Instrumental Albums: Dave Lombardo- Rites Of Percussion

Drums and Dave Lombardo are like kindred spirits that are just meant to be. It’s one of those things in the world that makes absolute and total sense. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Dave play on a Slayer album when I was kid as well as the first time I ever got to see Dave play which was surprisingly at a Fantomas show before I saw him in Slayer. Dave’s been a busy guy for years from his time playing in Grip Inc, Fantomas, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, and more recently Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle and The Misfits. Now though, Dave really gets to expand upon all the years of great rhythms with his solo album, Rites Of Percussion. Interestingly, it was Mike Patton in the late 90’s that originally suggested Dave do a solo drum album.

Rites Of Percussion is not your average solo or instrumental album. Instead what you get is an album that is a real start to finish journey. The shifts, twists, turns and intense rhythms found throughout this record are heavy while atmospheric and experimental. The way these songs are crafted are extremely compelling and will have you listening that much closer to pick up on all the nuances and extra bits. Being a diverse drummer, Dave has mixed all sorts of styles of jazz, funk, tribal, rock, world music and different techniques into Rites Of Percussion. One of the things that I love most about this album is the experimentation. Adding different textures and sounds to the righteous rhythms gives these “songs” a hypnotic edge that you might find on a John Carpenter score.

Dave Lombardo is one of the most innovative drummers of the last few decades. He has solidified his place amongst the great rock and metal drummers ever. And all the other bands and projects he’s been a part of have helped to guide him to this place. Rites Of Percussion is one of those albums that is not only creative it’s full to the brim with different cryptic energies that make for some vivid imagery within. Do yourself a favor and take this album for a ride and let it lead you to wherever it takes you.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Dave Lombardo- Rites Of Percussion:

Title Tracks: Slayer- Seasons In The Abyss
HIGHER CRITICISM: SLAYER (PART 7) - "SEASONS IN THE ABYSS" - NO CLEAN SINGING

Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss is my favorite album of theirs. As much as I love Reign In Blood, there is just something more intriguing about Seasons. There’s a complexity to this album and also a different vibe than their other albums. From the moment “War Ensemble” starts all the way through to the closing title track “Seasons In The Abyss” there’s no denying that this album is beyond impactful. The title track is quite a departure. It’s a slowed down song with Tom Araya almost singing. The lyrics too are a bit different as well since Tom Araya wrote them and not Jeff Hanneman or Kerry King. This album is a classic through and through. Even though Reign gets all the rah rah acclaim, I still think Seasons is better.

Slayer- Seasons In The Abyss:

Live Review: Slayer, Primus, Ministry, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals at The Forum

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This past weekend were the “Final” Slayer shows. It was very appropriate that they close it out in Los Angeles, seeing as though they are from the great LA area. What was originally going to be one show, turned to two after the first night sold out immediately. Then they announced the lineup of the show. Slayer would be joined by one of the most diverse lineups they’ve played in years. Primus was direct support along with Ministry and Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals performing nothing but Pantera songs.

 

The night began with a ferocious set by Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals. Their short but sweet set was the highlight of the night (other than Slayer of course). For 30 minutes, they really delivered the goods as they ran through their Pantera set. Starting with “Mouth For War” was a great idea as it really got the crowd pumped. “Becoming,” “I’m Broken,” and “Strength Beyond Strength” were absolutely killer as well. During “Fucking Hostile” Anthrax’s Charlie Benante joined the band on the drums and that one just about crushed the pit. “This Love” was a great choice to play as well, with actor Jason Momoa running out on stage with his kids to sing along. Closing out their set was “A New Level” and they really knocked it out of the park with this one. Phil was absolutely on and sounded terrific. The guys in The Illegals really did a stellar job with these songs. Having Phil and The Illegals open up this show was the perfect choice.

 

Ministry was up next and they were pretty solid. Though they played the same exact set as the did the night before. It had been a minute since I last saw Ministry live and with an entirely different lineup. One of the best parts of seeing Ministry this go round was that on bass they have Paul D’Amor, who you might recognize as the original bassist for Tool. Watching him onstage going all out was pretty great. The band’s set was all classic songs like “Stigmata,” “Just One Fix,” “Thieves,” The Missing” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” so that made this pretty cool. It was just lacking something that I can’t quite put the right words to.

Primus was right before Slayer. It was definitely an interesting choice. Throughout their set, you could sense that something was a bit off. The crowd was losing interest and the energy was sort of being sucked out of the room the longer they played. I even fell asleep for a good 10-15 minutes during their set. Primus are a good band and great musicians. I can also see why they were asked to be a part of this tour due to the long history they have with the guys in Slayer but, they really really zapped the room almost out of the show.

Thankfully it wasn’t long until Slayer took the stage and the place went ape shit. A short video preceded the band coming on stage. The video featured fans thanking the band for all the years of music and blah blah blah… FUCKING SLAYER!!! Then, the lights came down and the visuals started and bang, right into “South Of Heaven.” For the next almost 2 hours, Slayer ripped through songs like “Repentless,” Postmortem,” “War Ensemble,” “Stain of Mind” Disciple,” “Seasons In The Abyss,” “Hell Awaits,” “Dead Skin Mask” and “Chemical Warfare.” Gary Holt was absolutely ripping it up on his leads and seemed to be having one hell of a great time playing. Tom Araya seemed to be very contemplative as his sang and played. Throughout the set, he couldn’t help but smile as he took it all in. Paul Bostaph was straight up killing it on the drums. And Kerry King was very locked into his playing but, even he seemed to be enjoying the moment a bit too. Ending their set with the trifecta of “Raining Blood,” “Mandatory Suicide” and “Angel Of Death” was pretty awesome

 

It was a very somber yet exciting night. If this is truly Slayer’s last show, they went out with quite a bang. For a band that’s been at it this hard for over 30 plus years, it’s never easy but, when you have a fan base as dedicated and die hard as Slayer fans are, it makes it all worth while. Sure I would have liked to hear a few other songs other than some of what they picked to play but, that’s ok, I got the favorites I wanted. I’ve seen Slayer many times over the years and this was one hell of a show. The Forum was a great place to see them close it out. Thank you Slayer for all the years of heavy tunes and inspiration! You will be missed

 

Slayer Set List:

01) South Of Heaven
02) Repentless
03) Postmortem
04) World Painted Blood
05) Hate Worldwide
06) War Ensemble
07) Stain Of Mind
08) Disciple
09) When The Stillness Comes
10) Born Of Fire
11) Payback
12) Seasons In The Abyss
13) Jesus Saves
14) Chemical Warfare
15) Hell Awaits
16) Dead Skin Mask
17) Show No Mercy
18) Raining Blood
19) Mandatory Suicide
20 ) Angel Of Death

Primus Set List:
01) Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers
02) Too Many Puppies
03) Sgt. Baker
04) The Seven
05) Cygnus X-1
06) Southbound Pachyderm
07) Mr. Krinkle
08) Welcome To This World
09) Professor Nutbutter’s House Of Treats
10) My Name Is Mud
11) Jerry Was A Race Car Driver

 

Ministry Set List:

01) The Missing
02) Deity
03) Stigmata
04) Supernaut (Black Sabbath Cover)
05) Just One Fix
06) N.W.O.
07) Thieves
08) Jesus Built My Hotrod

Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals Set List:
01) Mouth For War
02) Becoming
03) I’m Broken
04) Goddamn Electric
05) Strength Beyond Strength
06) Fucking Hostile (with Charlie Benante)
07) This Love
08) A New Level

Ultimate Set List: Slayer

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So, Slayer has annouced their absolute FINAL tour. They will be going out with quite the diverse line up featuring, Primus, Ministry and Phil Anselmo & The Illegals with the latter playing a set of Pantera songs. With this in mind, I thought now would be a good time to put together my ultimate Slayer set list.

 

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

 

Lineup: Tom Araya, Kerry King, Dave Lombardo, Gary Holt, and in a perfect world Jeff Hanneman
Venue: Forum, Los Angeles

Set List:

01) South Of Heaven
02) Angel Of Death
03) Piece By Piece
04) Mandatory Suicide
05) Altar Of Sacrifice
06) Dead Skin Mask
07) Ghosts Of War
08) War Ensemble
09) Hallowed Point
10) Spirit In Black
11) Divine Intervention
12) Eyes Of The Insane
13) Psychopathy Red
14) Blood Red
15) Criminally Insane
16) Reborn
17) Spill The Blood
18) Disciple
19) Seasons In The Abyss
Encore:
20) Hell Awaits
21) Raining Blood

Classic Soundtracks: Judgement Night

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Back in 1993 there was a movie that came out that was pretty mediocre but the soundtrack was an absolute beast. I’m talking about Judgement Night. The movie had Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr, Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff and the great Denis Leary. The movie is less than memorable, though Denis Leary plays one hell of a bad guy. The soundtrack though became a cult classic and really was instrumental in bringing hip-hop and rock/metal together. Collaborations like Helmet and House of Pain, Biohazard and Onyx, Living Colour and Run DMC, Slayer and Ice-T really stood out as the go to tracks. Then there were others that were quite interesting like Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill, Dinosaur Jr and Del The Funky Homosapien. All in all this soundtrack was badass. There was even a collaboration between Tool and Rage Against The Machine but, neither band was happy with the end result so it didn’t make the album.

 

Judgement Night Soundtrack:

 

 

Tool and Rage Against The Machine- Can’t Kill The Revolution:

Op Ed: Why Slayer Calling It Quits Is A Good Thing

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I was recently making a list for a new topic about bands that should call it quits. There has to come a time when a band says enough is enough. This just isn’t worth it anymore. A lot of bands stick around and become full on nostalgia acts and in some instances that’s ok. And then there are those bands that have just overstayed their welcome. With the news of Slayer saying that this upcoming world tour would be their last, I actually thought to myself, that’s probably a good thing. It’s better to leave with your dignity intact and feel like you’ve done all you can do rather than stick it out just for the sake of making money.

(more…)

Top Ten Bands A-Z: S

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The A to Z  list continues to find the top ten bands/artists in the alphabet. S is upon us and needs help to complete the list. S is going to be one of the most difficult due to there being so many bands that begin with the letter S.

As usual your suggestions are wanted in completing this list.

These are in no particular order as well.

 

01) Sex Pistols
02) Stone Temple Pilots
03) Bruce Springsteen
04) Soundgarden
05) Smashing Pumpkins
06) The Smiths
07) Slayer
08) Paul Simon/Simon and Garfunkel
09)
10)

 

 

Cover Songs: Body Count does Suicidal Tendencies and Slayer

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Ice T and Body Count are a very interesting band. I’ll never forget hearing them with Slayer on the Judgement Night Soundtrack. Oh the 90’s you were so damn good! Lately I’ve been slowly checking out the new stuff Body Count has put out and it’s pretty good. Their last couple albums have featured covers of Suicidal Tendencies “Institutionalized” and Slayer’s “Raining Blood” Both of which are interesting and decent. Ice T took some liberties with the lyrics to the Suicidal song but, they are pretty funny.

 

Body Count- Institutionalized:

 

Body Count- Raining Blood/Postmortem: