Cornell

mmm... How old are you, Mr. Zingarelli?

What the fuck, it's out? And no one told me anything? Bastards........ They've always been a glam/punk/hard rock/whatever clowns, and Axl live is just forgettable in every performance I've seen.. But Appetite remains a really great album, that's for sure..

Well... Do you feel cooler now?

It's like saying: Nirvana didn't invent a damn thing, there's no reason for them to be listed among the historic bands; after all, the music they made was a noisy mishmash supported by a squawking hen screaming as if it were choking. It's hard to understand why they were important in the history of music... Yet from that moment on, history changed. Precisely because their jagged music, combined with a good dose of pop (Nevermind), reached millions of people around the world and set new standards, allowing anyone (whether that's good or bad is debatable) who could play three distorted guitar chords to present themselves to the record industry. Slayer did the same; they slapped and hurled stones at the medallions whose "creed" in violence was Metallica's Kill 'em All and made them think: "Holy shit, there are people who crush, chop, and spit out my beloved Metallica..." and everyone started trying to play "hard" at lightning speed to emulate Araya and the guys. Have you ever had a role model in your life? I have... And for thousands of musicians, the key role model has been Slayer. A band becomes "important" because it sets the style to which others can aspire and draw from; then others may even surpass them, but it was they who laid the groundwork.

Come on, anyone who changes history for better or worse has their rightful importance and is mentioned in books. They were written for that reason. So Garibaldi had two big balls, and if he hadn't been there, the history of Italy wouldn't have been the same. Slayer initiated a movement that still sees them as an example today. The issue, although in diametrically opposed contexts, is the same. They changed the history of music; they were "electrifying." That seems pretty important to me. If it’s not for you because you think the genre is utter garbage and you don't see its usefulness, then the discussion becomes subjective.

Fuck, are we really asking whether Slayer is a good band or not? Simply because before Reign in Blood, there was only the thrash of Kill 'em All, the pseudo-black of Venom and Bathory, and Megadeth, Anthrax, Sepultura, and Pantera were just starting to emerge... It was Reign in Blood that literally laid the groundwork for the standards of "extreme" music. The hellish guitars of Hannemann and King accompanied a drumming that even today many struggle to comprehend... Today, many drummers are still there wondering what tempo Lombardo was playing, and especially how the hell he managed to keep it. Nowadays you might find plenty who can emulate him, but Lombardo was already playing that way almost 30 years ago... He was the precursor of death drumming. And Araya seasoned it all with his chilling demonic screams while simultaneously grinding out granite-like bass riffs... If Slayer had never existed, the history of extreme metal would surely not be the same, I think there’s no doubt about that...

What I appreciate the most in a band is consistency (despite my nickname); if they want to evolve, that's great, but if a group is born and grows as a speed/thrash metal band, it’s reasonable to expect violent albums with a ruthless drive (nobody has mentioned Metallica, and let's keep them where they are; this is about devolution). Slayer have been doing this for 25 years, they know how to do it, and they do it fucking well. They still have a lot to teach many, and their name in the scene is still synonymous with mandatory kneeling. Not a masterpiece, but definitely a good Slayer-esque album as they've accustomed us to over time... The review is well-written.

YOU’VE COPIED THEM ALL WRONG, DAMN IT!

For the time you made me waste.. Here! (I'd send you to .... but I'm a polite person)

For the time you made me waste.. Here! (I'd send you to .... but I'm a polite person)