SLAYERwith GOJIRA and 4ARM at Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay East), tonight (Thursday, November 21), doors 7 pm, all ages. $49.50-$69.50. RT, SS, TM.
For an icon of thrash metal, a genre considered one of metal’s head-bangier, party-friendlier and beer-spillier, Kerry King’s almost comically concerned with the details.
Slayer’s co-founding guitarist seems about as aware of the band’s legacy as he is conscious of what makes Slayer work. Things are “right” onstage. Everything is “going correctly” on tour. It’s like Slayer’s one big heavy metal machine, and King’s the guy greasing the cogs.
The band is in town for an old-school Slayer night, playing material from 1983’s debut, Show No Mercy through 1990’s Seasons In The Abyss.
The band got the idea in L.A., when they wanted to change up the second show of a recent two-night stint. “Canada wanted it because they saw it in the press,” says King over the phone. “So we pretty much shifted the whole tour to be an old-school tour.”
While plenty of Slayer fans would happily settle for deep cuts from classic records like Hell Awaits, Reign In Blood and South Of Heaven, the focus on older tunes seems like a bit of an insult given the recent passing of the band’s co-founder and other guitarist, Jeff Hanneman.
King’s quick to reject the idea that Slayer’s not really Slayer without Hanneman. “It’s the same people who would say Iron Maiden isn’t Iron Maiden without Paul Di’Anno,” he says, referencing the British metallers’ short-lived first vocalist.
Slayer are also working on a new record. Though King mentions that he’s looked at some of the recordings the late guitarist left behind, there’s no guarantee they’ll make the final cut. “The only difference [between this record and the others] is that there won’t be any input from Jeff,” he says.
For a lot of fans, that’s a crucial difference. King makes Hanneman sound as disposable as a Spinal Tap drummer.
johns@nowtoronto.com | @johnsemley3000
