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.
The case for Slayer to call it quits I’m sure has many different facets for them personally. As a fan of the band though, they really haven’t put out a quality album in over 20 years. Sure they have a few songs here and there that are good and decent, but in terms of albums, that just isn’t the case. Second, the band has become the Kerry King show. I’m not knocking Kerry but, without Jeff Hanneman (may he rest in peace) writing riffs and songs, the band just isn’t the same. Since they brought in Gary Holt of Exodus into the line up you would think that Kerry would let Gary write for Slayer and bring about some new energy to the band but, of course that wasn’t the case. Not having Dave Lombardo behind the kit is another thing that makes this farewell ok as well. Not to take anything away from what a great drummer Paul Bostaph is but, Dave Lombardo is the original sound of the band along with Jeff. So without Dave there to bring about that “original sound” it just doesn’t sound right. Since Tom Araya had neck surgery, he hasn’t been the same on stage. He really hasn’t been able to properly “sing” the songs in years since his voice is pretty much blown out. It’s just time for them to go out with a bang and leave it all on stage and move on.
Slayer has been around for over 30 years and made a huge impact both in metal as a force to be reckoned with and an influential band. They seem to know that they’ve done all that they can do. I haven’t seen Slayer live in a few years but from what I’m told they still put on a good show, granted the set list is pretty much the same it has been for a long while now. So here’s to hoping that this final tour will bring out some deep cuts and they change it up a bit. You will be missed Slayer but, we will always have Reign In Blood, South of Heaven and Seasons In The Abyss.
Their final tour will be announced this week. It’s long been rumored that the tour will be Slayer, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Testament and Behemoth. So that should and will be one hell of a tour!
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