Written by Guy Rittger (ganesha@one-tusk.com) - thanks dude! Review of Slayer at the Trocadero Club, San Francisco, Aug. 24 1996. SLAYER SLAYER SLAYER SLAYER SLAYER SLAYER SLAYER SLAYER We arrived at the Trocadero Club around 7:15 p.m. and were among the first 50 people in line. By 8:30, the line stretched all the way down the street for several hundred meters. While we were waiting, James Murphy, guitarist from Disincarnate, Obituary and Testament, arrived and started handing out leaflets for his new solo album. I asked him if he thought Testament might re-form but he said that the decision to break up was made by Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson, without consulting either him or Greg Christian, and he didn't know what those two were going to do next. Apparently, after Chuck and Eric broke up the band, their record company informed them that they still needed to do one more album! So, we might see at least one more Testament project in the near future. The doors finally opened at 9:00 and we went in and stood in front of the sound board, about 25 meters from the stage. My wife really loves metal but doesn't like getting swept into the pit, so that's why we stayed near the back. The Trocadero is a _REALLY_ small place and they packed it up completely so that it was almost impossible to walk anywhere without fighting through the crowd. At 9:30, the first band came on. It was D.F.L. (Dead Fucking Last), a four-piece punk band who played pretty fast old-style thrash. At first, the crowd kept shouting "Slayer! Slayer!" But the singer had a good sense of humor and lots of charisma and after awhile the crowd started getting into their music. A small pit got started and people were applauding their set. My wife spoke with the guitarist afterwards and asked why the band wanted to open for Slayer, since their style is so different. He said they thought it would be fun! I thought they were pretty good, though very traditional punk. Drumming and bass playing were very fast and hard, and the vocals were impossible to understand. But they had good stage presence and the crowd liked them. Next up, Unsane, a band that I had never heard before. They started by playing a tape with dialogue from the movie "Taxi Driver" then came out onto the stage and took up their positions. Unsane is a three-piece band (guitar-bass-drums) but made a _BIG_ sound. I wasn't sure what to expect, since I read a review of a show they played in New Jersey that was unfavorable. But they were excellent. They reminded me of Prong, Helmet, Machine Head, and Biohazard: huge guitar sound with very heavy bass and drums. Crowd really liked them and the pit started churning very aggressively. Between songs, the guitarist was shouting "Slayer! Slayer!" into the microphone and this made the crowd happy. I will definitely buy their CD, since my wife and I were impressed with their sound. Now, the main event! After Unsane finished, the roadies started pulling the sheets off Slayer's equipment and revealed a massive drum kit, more like what you would expect for a stadium show, not a small club. So then, everyone knew it was going to be a really loud set! We had to wait more than 30 minutes, and the crowd was chanting "Slayer! Slayer!" and getting ready to explode. It was almost impossible to move and the temperature was so warm we were sweating, even though we hadn't gone into the pit during the first two sets. Finally, the lights went down and Slayer came onto the stage and when they hit the first notes the crowd surged forward and the pit went crazy! The first thing that hit me was how incredible Paul Bostaph's (?) drumming sounded. Every time he hit the bass drums it felt like getting hit with a hammer in the head and stomach. Many times we have seen shows at this club where the sound was muddy, but Slayer sounded very clear AND very loud. I wish we could remember the order of the songs that they played but everything was so intense that I just can't recall right this minute. For me, the highlights were "War Ensemble", "Seasons in the Abyss" (absolutely fantastic song!), "Mandatory Suicide", "Killing Fields" and the TSOL cover from "Undisputed Attitude." But, really, every single song was great. After about three songs, my wife had to retreat back towards the bar, in the rear of the club, because the pit was churning so hard and it was so hot. So, then, I went straight into the pit and just went crazy. At one point, I was right in front of Tom and Kerry and people were going over my head and security guards were throwing them back. I was absolutely soaked with water, beer and sweat. It was impossible to stand in one place very long because the pit would just suck you right back in and suddenly you were on the other side of the stage or on the ground, then invisible hands would drag you up again, and over and over. Just when I thought that maybe the crowd would relax, Slayer would crank it up and raise the energy to an even higher level. Musically, besides the drumming, which was some of the best speed metal drumming I've ever heard, I thought that Kerry's soloing has improved dramatically. Even though I like all the screaming, feedbacked tremolo bar stuff he does on "Decade of Aggression", his playing last night was very, very clean and fluid. He seemed in total control of his instrument. Actually, I'd say the same for Jeff as well. The band just seemed really tight, and disciplined, which is not really how they sound on the "Decade" live recordings (which I like very much anyway). Slayer closed with "Mandatory Suicide" and "Angel of Death" and, when it was all over, the crowd (and I) was totally exhausted. Slayer basically extracted every ounce of energy from the fans and left them weary, but content. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If YOU want to publish this review on YOUR home page, ask for permission from Guy (ganesha@one-tusk.com) first! *DO NOT* just rip it without asking. /Janek, maintainer of "the Abyss".