Slayer. Just the name alone makes it known that this is serious, real serious… Metal. Slayer’s songs have and always will resonate the pissed off, evil and vendetta seeking side of the human spirit, the lyrics of their songs do not lie about that. The years pass by and Slayer is still the reigning dark side – Thrash Metal champions of the world, (in my Metal opinion). As a matter of Metal fact, I don’t recall a single moment in my Metal appreciating life, when Slayer has not been considered by me to be the baddest mother fu**ers to ever play Metal. Now, onward with the 1991 Slayer Thrash Metal, live slatanic classic… Decade Of Aggression:
Decade Of Aggression is a double CD, (double cassette or vinyl album too, if you want to get picky). The original release date for Decade Of Aggression was October 22, 1991, on Def American Recordings. Back around 1992, I was fortunate enough to discover this double CD in a very thick, black metal slipcase. (No kidding, it is real metal!). This metal slipcase encases both CD’s and the 24 page liner notes booklet. Man, is this metal slipcase heavy stuff… I have not actually weighed it, still, it feels like I am holding at least 5 or 6 pounds of metal! Sometime back in ’92, I saw this unique Slayer Decade Of Aggression package, behind the front counter at a Record Town store… in very expensive Connecticut. My eyes never lost sight of this Slayer prize that day, I made a Metal beeline to the cashier and stated I was buying this Slayer gem. I cannot recall for certain, the actual price I paid for this metal packaged version of Decade Of Aggression… it was in the neighborhood of around $50 U.S. and worth every cent. This limited edition package of Slayer Decade Of Aggression had a run of only 10,000 copies. My copy of Decade Of Aggression came with a certificate of authenticity, gold foil embossed, stating it is numbered: 005815 of 10,000.
* Note: Skeletons Of Society and At Dawn They Sleep are two songs found only on this metal slipcase version of Decade Of Aggression.
In the center front of this metal slipcase, is this classic Slayer logo – metal etched on a center block:
(This Slayer logo looks entirely silver on the front metal casing, due to it being metal etched.)
Here is what this incredible metal slipcase package of Decade Of Aggression, that I own, looks like:
The metal slipcase is unreal great stuff… whoever thought of marketing this back then is a Metal genius. The interior CD slipcases are of a heavy black paper stock. Note that the front cover of the liner notes depicts the original Decade Of Aggression album cover. I have seen the import version, some online merchants have it available for purchase today, it has the original album cover. (I own the original double cassette too, I have kept it in Metal mint condition all of these years. Here is another view of what the original album/cassette/CD cover looks like for Decade Of Aggression:
Now here is what the front album/CD cover of Decade Of Aggression looks like now, if you were to go to a retail record store today and buy it:
Now, as for the live Thrash Metal of Slayer heard within Decade Of Aggression… it’s F’n Slayer man. There is nothing more to break down other than it’s fast, brutal, aggressive and… live Slayer greatness. You’ll be blown away by Dave Lombardo and his double bass drumming assault, guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman dueling with leads and riffs that will sting your face like freezer burn and Tom Araya combining both the bass guitar and vocals into a frenzied slatanic blitz. Slayer is one of the very few bands I cannot get fancy about, when it comes to doing a review… what you should know is that Slayer sounds Thrash prolific on Decade Of Aggression. You will hear a band that executes and succeeds at maintaining the highest level of Thrash Metal energy, throughout this entire double CD of songs. These following two lines are actually printed, on the back cover of the liner notes:
Unlike most other live recordings, this is Slayer completely “live”. No overdubbing exists on this recording.
The Complete Track Listing For Decade Of Aggression:
Disc One
(Recorded live at Lakeland Coliseum, Lakeland, Florida, 7/13/91):
Hell Awaits
The Antichrist
War Ensemble
South Of Heaven
Raining Blood
Altar Of Sacrifice
Jesus Saves
Dead Skin Mask
Seasons In The Abyss
Mandatory Suicide
Angel Of Death
Disc Two
(Recorded Live at Wembley Arena, London, England, 10/14/90):
Hallowed Point
Blood Red
(Recorded live at Orange Pavillion, San Bernadino, California, 3/8/91):
Die By The Sword
Black Magic
Captor Of Sin
Born Of Fire
Skeletons Of Society *(only on this metal slipcase version)
(Recorded live at Wembley Arena, London, England, 10/14/90):
At Dawn They Sleep *(only on this metal slipcase version)
Postmortem
(Recorded live at Orange Pavillion, San Bernadino, California, 3/8/91):
Spirit In Black
Expendable Youth
Chemical Warfare
____________________________________________
LONG LIVE SLAYER.
Stone.
I really get a kick out of Alexi Laiho, his lead vocals and lead guitar play are extreme to the Metal maximum. I know that sounds rather yahoo, only there is no other way to really explain it. I like this guys style, he is hell bent on playing some of the fastest Thrash Metal Music out there. On the new Children Of Bodom album, Skeletons in the Closet, (released on September 22, 2009), there are seventeen cover songs. Of the bands and musicians that are covered here, there is one song that I simply cannot get into or simply stomach. Hey, one lousy song out of seventeen isn’t too shabby. Consider the fact, that I really like the other sixteen songs on Skeletons in the Closet and I declare this album a Metal winner. Let’s cut to the Metal chase here and I’ll just state that the cover of the Britney Spears song, Oops… I Did It Again is equally lame as it is annoying. I have never been intrigued by Britney Spears, nor do I give her even one millionth of an ounce of respect for any music she has done in her life.
Exodus… a Thrash Metal originator. Exodus… Old School Thrash Metal. Exodus… Bonded By Blood, was the first album released by this very important Thrash Metal Band, (back in 1985). Why I feel Exodus is a very important Thrash Metal Band is due to their being one of the first Metal Bands to introduce this genre to the world. Back in 1985, there were not the hundreds of thousands of Thrash Metal Bands there are now… you can thank Exodus for influencing countless musicians and bands alike for embarking on their careers in Metal… Thrash Metal. Just seek out and read some interviews of past and current Thrash Metal musicians, you discover after awhile, that Exodus and especially their initial album Bonded By Blood is ultra revered. Yes, I am an Exodus fan, since 1985 until this very day. Lineup changes within Exodus has not made me wince one Metal bit. Guitarist Gary Holt and drummer Tom Hunting have held the Thrash Metal fort for Exodus over the past three decades, serving Exodus and their fans well… extremely well. (Note: Paul Bostaph has stepped in on drums for Exodus, he is an unreal great Metal drummer at large).
Listening to the late and unreal great – Paul Baloff on lead vocals is as inspiring to me as all damn hell. His vocals were not your stereotypical Thrash Metal type… he resonated with the influence of early Rob Halford of Judas Priest… in my Metal opinion, still exuding his very own style that to this day is untouched. I reached for my CD jewel case of Bonded By Blood, (my copy is the reissue by Combat Records, it also has the alternate cover that is shown at the left and bottom of this post). The original front cover artwork is damn more cool than the alternate version, just look at it at the top of this post for proof. On the back cover of Bonded By Blood, it has a group photo of Exodus… Paul Baloff is shown wearing a Pipers Pit sleeveless t-shirt. Rowdy Roddy Piper… Paul Baloff… man, that is as fitting a shirt as any for him to wear back then. I used to be the f’n biggest Rowdy Roddy Piper fan around, imitating his wrestling moves and voice too… silly and cool memories, all courtesy of one photo of Exodus.
Highly recommended to all Metal fans all over the globe! That is just how unreal good Retribution from Shadows Fall is… that I start off by just bluntly recommending this new album. Seriously, Retribution is one solid chunk of Thrash Metal Music for me. On this new release, (released September 15, 2009), Shadows Fall sounds as if they are not holding back the hard and heavy for no one. I am not taking the easy way out by saying all ten songs are damn incredible. The all encompassing barrage of Metal fury, that highlights each turn and corner on Retribution, is like a Metal power rush to my brain that I do not want to end. In my Metal opinion, it very much seems as if Shadows Fall took a long and hard listen to the once in a millennium, Metal masterpiece from Slipknot called All Hope Is Gone… and decided they too wanted to raise their own Metal bar. The All Hope Is Gone influence I hear on Retribution, is deserving of a raucous Metal applause for Shadows Fall, for if this influence is to be true… Shadows Fall surely knows real Metal when they hear it. The unrelenting surge of Metal power both musically and vocally, (both lead and backing/gang vocals), found within Retribution, are the best ways I can describe my All Hope Is Gone comparison. 
If I had to choose one of my favorite Rock instrumental songs of all time, there is no doubt “Frankenstein” comes to mind. The Edgar Winter Group released “They Only Come Out At Night” in November of 1972, this is the album you will find this original song on. Written by Edgar Winter, how ahead of it’s time was this song? Realistically, this now Classic Rock masterpiece of an instrumental song was as diversified as it was heavy. The multi talented musicianship of Edgar Winter is standout on “Frankenstein”, with the keyboards creating enough spookiness to validate the song’s title. The saxophone, in my Metal opinion, has always had a macabre sounding affect on me, only adding to the overall eerie coolness that “Frankenstein” erupts. I fell Metal head over heels for this song decades ago… I still slap this song on very frequently, especially around Halloween. Seriously, this song just goes perfect when Autumn arrives… once October hits, I have plenty of scary and heavy songs to bust out and revel in their dark side glory, “Frankenstein” leads the pack. No Halloween season can ever get by me, without listening to this song on a consistent basis. The Edgar Winter Group released a mammoth of a Rock album with “They Only Come Out At Night”, “Frankenstein” just made this release immensely complete, with it’s inclusion.
Lamb of god, now here is the meat and potatoes that I need in my Metal diet. Oh, the usual Metal adjectives can be thrown at this band… fast, furious, heavy, insanely heavy, blistering, scorching and Metal blinding. Now that all those notoriously used descriptions of lamb of god are out of the way, (I will never argue with using the preceding adjectives), my lone word to describe lamb of god and “Wrath” is infreakincredible. If you are hungry for a Metal album that is totally filled to the brim, with non stop, forcefully driven Thrash, “Wrath” will set you Extreme and/or Thrash Metal straight. The only warning here is that you very well may become corrupted and/or addicted to “Wrath”, which will in turn have your Metal senses on the verge of a Thrash overdose. Favorite song on “Wrath” you ask? Forget about it… this is one of those rare albums where the Metal is all inclusive to the moniker unimaginably great. Yup, I am blast beating the lamb of god drum here, darn proud of it too.
I am blown away by this new Thrash Metal band that call themselves – Lazarus A.D. – really blown away. This is not cookie cutter Thrash, nor is this band a bunch of Thrash wannabes either. Lazarus A.D. is for real. These dudes can play Thrash… with no cutting corners, just plain great – in your face – Thrash Metal. I read all of the articles and reviews I could get my Metal hands on regarding this band. Now, I have my hands on their debut release “The Onslaught”, (released March 3, 2009), the contents of this CD is ten tracks of unrelenting, intense and fired up Thrash. I am extremely Metal happy that a young Thrash band like Lazarus A.D. sounds and plays this good. I always say… we veteran Metalheads can never have enough younger bands to carry on the Metal tradition – the more new Heavy and/or Extreme bands, the better! I liken this band to being a throwback, to the days when Thrash Metal was felt, not just heard.
I really enjoy the entire Anthrax catalog of albums, yet “Among The Living” is definitely my most favorite release from this veteran Thrash Metal band. Released in 1987, this album is loaded with all the power and explosiveness of pure Thrash, the Anthrax way. “Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)” is one heavy tune that is rebellious and fun, to actually here the lyrics for yourself would explain what I mean. “Among The Living” earns it’s ferocity courtesy of the talented musicians of Anthrax. Scott Ian on guitar is, in my opinion, one of the best in Thrash Metal history. Joey Belladonna on vocals can carry a note extremely well, he is as valid to “Among The Living” as the music itself. I find Belladonna to be a Thrash Metal vocalist who is quite punctual, without compromising the heaviness whatsoever. I have the upmost respect for the vocals of Belladonna on this album. “Indians” is a great song for me, a Thrash Metal jewel of a tune with inspired lyrics. Every song here adds to the credibility of “Among The Living”. Fast music, fast vocals, fast background vocals, everything on this album is fast. That’s what makes Thrash Metal so profoundly heavy, the speed and it is all here waiting for you courtesy of Anthrax! I do not hesitate for a second, to recommend “Among The Living” to all Metal fans worldwide!
“If it is old school Thrash Metal you are looking for, you have definitely found it! Over Kill does not disappoint, each song is as heavy as the next, TRUE Thrash Metal. This is as great a start as you can get if you are beginning an Over Kill music collection. Over Kill throughout the years have been steadfast and loyal to the Thrash Metal sound and genre, comparing “The Years Of Decay” to their other albums is non sensical, for I admire the entire catalog of albums from this band. “The Years Of Decay” in my opinion, stands out from the vast Thrash Metal album crowd, since it’s release in 1989. For an album that is now twenty plus years old, this brand of Thrash Metal from Over Kill is still Earth shattering, in my Metal opinion. Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth on vocals and D.D. Verni on bass deserve all the accolades. Bobby Gustafson on guitar and “Sid” Falck on drums are both tremendous players on this album as well. I really recommend “The Years Of Decay” to all Metal and Thrash Metal fans alike. New Over Kill fans cannot pass over this heavy hitter.
Rumpelstiltskin Grinder. It was just a matter of time before I picked up the newest release from these Thrash Metal dudes. “Living For Death, Destroying The Rest” is their brand new album, (on Relapse Records), it is fast, furious, super heavy, a tad diabolical, well, I made my point. These attributes are exactly what I look for from any Thrash Metal album, so it is safe to say that Rumpelstiltskin Grinder delivered the super Metal goods here, in my Metal opinion. I cannot say enough about the frenzied pace of the Thrash Metal with this album, while driving and listening to these guys, I have to say it is quite exhilarating. 
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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