A long, long time ago, when mullets whiplashedfor the first time : There were 4 thrash bands that sprung from the musical well of motorhead and conquered the disaffected suburban youth: Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax.
But while Megadeth, Anthrax and (especially) Metallica cheesed out for mainstream success in the 1990s - Slayer never deviated from their loud fast rules. Every one of their albums hit like a ton of bricks. You might find one or two slower Slayer jams that caught some MTV play 20 years ago. But a screaming endorsement of madness called "Seasons In The Abyss" is hardly a weepy power ballad like Metallica's"Nothing Else Matters."
But as it's been over 15 years since Anthrax, Metallica and Megadeth cashed in with varying degrees of success, Slayer have found themselves once again sharing the stage with their musically wayard brothers. This year, all of thrash metal's "Big Four" performed together on the Sonisphere festival in Eastern Europe for the first time.
As there's no way all those egos would possibly fit in one US backstage area - the bill has been split up for North American consumption. Slayer and Anthrax will be performing together at Bayfront PArk in miami this Sunday. It's the first time the pair have made it down here since 1991's "Clash Of The Titans" tour at the Miami Arena.
I was at that show. And while it's been 19 years between the two dates I guarantee Slayer will either open or close with "Raining Blood" and "Angel of Death." I can promise you thatthere will be a sizable moshpit. And I have no doubt that some jackass will have "Slayer" freshly scratched into his body with a razor blade. But while some of these predictions may be of dubious entertainment value - if you've ever been mad as hell and didn't want to take it anymore - Slayer is the soundtrack to your (angry) life. They've certainly been mine in many times of need.
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