Slayer - "South of Heaven" (Def Jam, 1988) [key tracks: South of Heaven, Ghosts of War]
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"Time melts away in this living inferno, trapped by a cause that I once understood. Blind obedience carries me through it all; do only what is expected of me. March on through the rivers of red... souls drift, they fill the air. Forced to fight behind the crooked cross."
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Okay y'all, its time for a theme. The next week's worth of posts will be under the theme "SHOCK WEEK." That is, the common theme will be shock. It won't be too hard to come up with a weeks worth considering a) I am not posting very often, b) I love metal, and c) people have a hair trigger for offense when it comes to music (they'll put up with a lot more on TV or movies than they will in song). So without further ado...
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Carl's Favorite Songs - #46 - She's Your Baby by Ween
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Slayer quietly escaped the 80's as the last true thrash metal band of the big four (Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax are the other 3). Thrash metal was an answer to glam metal and MTV; kids who had punk attitude and loved metal, but wanted it fast and hard. All of these bands are still recording, but of them all Slayer is the only one who stayed true to the scene. That isn't to say they haven't evolved, but one listen to this, their 5th LP, then their latest LP ("Christ Illusion") and the spirit remains. They straight hate. They hate musical trends, hate social norms, and hate organized religion. Their covers are almost always shocking... with the classic era of Slayer LPs (of which South of Heaven is one) displaying some Hieronymus Bosch-like visions of madness and horror. Always present are pentagrams, crosses askew, and blood. Slayer aims to challenge everything that "playing nice" stands for by jumping in the face of everything held dear. Themes on their songs often include Nazis, terrorism, murder, Satanism, and war. On "South of Heaven," you get the point quickly. This LP was a point of maturity for Slayer, as their previous LP ("Reign in Blood") was as fast and mean as metal can be played. It would have been impossible to top. Their answer; slow down but retain the attitude. It worked. At the time, many fans didn't care for it... but in time it stood as a brutal and enduring monument to heavy fu**ing metal. It isn't for the squeamish, but then again it isn't extravagantly grotesque (like Cannibal Corpse) or self-deceiving (like Mayhem). They also manage to hold tight to the "pentagram" scene (aren't really Satanists by the way... few metallists are) without becoming campy, operatic, or progressive. Slayer is thrash metal, and this is one of their heaviest LPs.
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Shocked? Here's something else shocking. In the record collecting business, metal records are consistently the most over priced. Why? They were under printed, not distributed very widely, poorly taken care of, and well loved still by their fans. Metal fans are the most die hard of all music fans... high pitched screams and 2 hand tapping solos that once sounded fresh in 1983 still sell in 2007. And metal heads never forget the classics. They may buy the new Trivium or Priestess LP, but they are just as likely to shell out $20 for a VG to NM (very good to near mint) condition Slayer LP. I do and I did. And if you find me a copy of "Seasons in the Abyss," I will allow you to name my firstborn. IF you don't find one for me, I will name him or her Moloch. Now go, and bring me Slayer!
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Horns up!