Artist: Slayer
Venue: Roseland Ballroom NYC
Opener: Killswitch Engage & Mastodon
Date: 11/11/04
Label: American Recordings
Genre: Thrash Metal
The Jaegermeister Music Tour has definitely become one of the most anticipated events in Heavy Metal music these days and primarily because it features the mighty Slayer as the headlining band (or at least it has for a couple of years now). It is an example of metal at its most primal intensity and can become brutal beyond description. This year it would be no different for Slayer would return as the Headliner with Killswitch Engage and Mastodon would kick of the mayhem for the evening. I cannot think of a better venue for this sort of concert than Roseland Ballroom. The entire front stage area becomes a pit when Slayer comes on and if you are not into that sort of thing you really need to run for the hills as it can get crazy.
I arrived too late to see Mastodon and felt this sucked as some people I started conversations with had said how good this band was in concert. Killswitch Engage came on next and really was getting the crowd into it. The great thing about Killswitch is the fact that they mix clean vocals amidst the growling and also have some great melodies underneath their brand of metal. I think I need to look more into this band in the future. They are perhaps one of the best groups on the Roadrunner Records label. They have a lot of old school Pantera to their sound and it was very well-delivered.
When Slayer came on, the audience had become a frenzy. The scattered pits of mosh dancing once again unified as I had noted at another Slayer concert review. It is intense to see the place working as one giant pit and as I also said very overwhelming if you are too close to the fray. Slayer would fill the set with a cornucopia of their best numbers. I do not have a set list for the event, but it was not that different from the last time they played or did Ozzfest. Just a little bit longer. Dave Lombardo once again destroying the drums as he usually does and this time as a fulltime member of the band again. He had returned a couple of years earlier as a fill in, and I think it just worked for him once again. This is a plus to all Slayer fans, for he plays the material the best. Araya dominated the audience as he usually does, and kept his banter to a minimum as in the past. Slayer is more about the delivery than the minor chit chat. The twin guitar work of Hanneman and King a steady battering of the senses.
The band was supporting a recent DVD Release entitled “Still Reigning”, where at the climax of shows blood would cover the band. I was not able to work the photos of this for the night. From my vantage point in the audience I was unable to see this happen but since I already owned the DVD the surprise was not all that ruined. Seeing Slayer live in concert is always a great thing and it’s amazing to see this material still being accepted by the younger generation of Metal supporters. Perhaps one day the music industry will start to lend more support over to the Metal side once again and leave a lot of this over produced pop stuff to the side.
Set List:
1. Darkness Of Christ
2. Disciple
3. Necrophiliac
4. Hell Awaits
5. Fight Till Death
6. War Ensemble
7. Mandatory Suicide
8. South Of Heaven
9. Seasons In The Abyss
10. Angel Of Death
11. Postmortem
12. Raining Blood
Official Website: www.Slayer.net
Editor’s Note: This article was written for another medium prior to the 2005 launch of PiercingMetal.com and has been added to our content for your enjoyment.