When Slayer announced they would embark on their farewell world tour in January of 2018, the collective cry of thousands of Metalheads could be heard screaming, “Nooooooo!”. Fortunately, Slayer has had several legs on this tour giving their fans plenty of opportunity to say goodbye to one of Metal’s most legendary and enduring bands.
In November, Slayer began their “Final Campaign” portion of the tour with what promises to be their last EVER tour dates, Joining them on this leg are Phil Anselmno and the Illegals (performing a special Pantera set), Ministry and Primus.
I was able to make it out to their recent show in Louisville, Kentucky. To say there was excitement in the air would be an understatement as excited screams of, “SLAYYYYEERR!” began to fill the KFC Yum Center in anticipation for what may be the last chance for many to see the Thrash Titans. Finally the lights dimmed and the familiar pentagram logo began to float in front of the large black curtains. Flames and fury were heavy from the get go as the band exploded into “Repentless”, “Mandatory Suicide” and “War Enesemble.” At some points the pyro used for the show was so heavy, I thought the band may have actually opened a portal to Hell. There were enough flames to make the California wildfires blush. This was fucking metal. This was fucking SLAYER! Slayer performed many songs from their over 30 year catalog.”Seasons in the Abyss”, “South of Heaven” and “Chemical Warfare” were huge highlights for me. For fans who may have been lucky to see them before on their farewell tour, they added a few new classics to this set: “Jesus Saves,” and a rare performance of “Show No Mercy,” from their 1983 debut album.
Slayer hasn’t been much for chatting up the crowd in past shows and nothing has changed for this final run of concerts. Tom Araya prefers to let the brutality of the music do all of the talking. Kerry King with his imposing tattooed look nailed every classic solo with ease. Paul Bostaph was on par with original drummer Dave Lombardo, proving that he is worthy of the Slayer Legacy. Gary Holt with his “No Lives Matter” shirt looked and sounded like he has been with the band from the beginning. This is truly a group that is going out on top. And the fans could not have enjoyed it any more as furious pits broke out across the entire floor of the arena. The rest of the fans who had seats to witness this show stood, headbanged and screamed aloud as they could to bid a fond farewell to band that many have listened to their entire lives. People came out in droves to pack the house from the older fans who have been there since day one and the younger fans who may have just discovered the Slaytanic Army.
Closing with perhaps their greatest contribution to Thrash Metal, “Angel of Death”, the evening came to an end. The usually quiet Tom Araya took a moment to thank the crowd for their years of support and how important they have been to his life.
Can this really be the end of Slayer? Will they play any one off dates? Maybe another Big Four Show? We will have to wait and see. One thing is for certain there will never be another Slayer.
