Jul. 05, 2006 - Issue #559: Bestest of Edmonton 2006

Practice your devil horns

Slayer stirs up controversy even when they aren't trying

Call it controversy by way of coincidence—even though iconic thrash-metal band Slayer have been contesting social, moral and religious norms in their songs for the past 20 years, they can't really be held directly responsible for some of the more strange and disturbing things that their music has been connected to.

Back in the ’90s, they were (unsuccessfully) sued by the parents of a homicide victim who claimed that the three male teenagers responsible for murdering their daughter were compelled to do so after listening to Slayer songs, and their last album (which sported the unfortunate title God Hates Us All) came out by sheer coincidence on Sep 11, 2001.

More recently, though, it was an anonymous group of fans in the US responsible for the latest hubbub. A group of hardcore Slayer fans (called “Hessians,” for some reason) mounted a National Day of Slayer on June 6, 2006 (or 06/06/06), and urged their peers to spend the day listening to Slayer at full blast while at home, in the car or in public. One of the band's guitarists, Kerry King, even got into the spirit to mark the occasion.

“I went to New York City and got a tattoo,” guitarist Kerry King says over the phone while on a tour stop in Cleveland. “Me, my wife, my friend, and his girlfriend ... we all got 666 tattooed on us.” Unfortunately, some nogoodniks took it too far and spray painted “Reign of Blood” (the title of a 1986 Slayer album) and other creepy imagery all over a seminary in New York, and while King probably doesn't condone such acts, he still doesn't shy away from talking openly about his disdain for religion.

“To me, I think that organized religion is just a giant farce,” he says, kind of casually. “I think it's a crutch for people who don't have a strong will of their own.”

But with such a huge and dedicated (if not out-and-out obsessed) cult following, isn’t Slayer kind of its own religion?

“I've heard that people think Slayer is their religion; on our War at the Warfield DVD, someone asked this guy if he was going to church or something and the guy said, ‘I just came from church. I saw Slayer!’” King chuckles. “I never thought of it that way, but I guess it kind of is for some people. That's pretty cool.”

Those fans will still have to wait another month for latest piece of gospel according to Slayer, though. Set for release this August, the new record, Christ Illusion, is the band's first in five years, and King is especially excited for the album—and whatever else might just happen—when it hits the shelves.

“I thought the last album was pretty awesome, and I was wondering how we could make this next one just as good if not better,” he says. “I know that sounds like generic rockstar gibberish, but the new album's awesome, man.” V

Tue, Jun 11 (5:30 pm)
Slayer
With Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, Mastodon, Thine Eyes Bleed
Shaw Conference Centre, $49.50 (all ages)

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