FISTER DEBUTS FEROCIOUS COVER OF SLAYER’S “MANDATORY SUICIDE”
*NEW ALBUM, ‘DECADE OF DEPRESSION’ OUT SEPT 27TH VIA LISTENABLE RECORDS*
Celebrating 10 years of murderous doom laden riffs, St. Louis sludge annihilators FISTER will release a new album titled Decade of Depression on September 27th from Listenable Records, comprised of crushing, planet splitting, poisonous cover songs. Today, the band has unveiled a filthy version of SLAYER’s classic track, “Mandatory Suicide.”
STREAM FISTER’S TAKE ON “MANDATORY SUICIDE” NOW AT REVOLVERMAG.COM
Fans can pre-order the record now as well HERE
Commenting on the cover, FISTER states, “We could’ve picked any song on South of Heaven and it would’ve been awesome. We talked about either doing this track or “Spill The Blood.” This song just seemed to fit better.”
FISTER will be performing anniversary shows beginning tomorrow:
Aug 2 – Rock Island, IL – Rock Island Brewing Company
Aug 3 – Chicago, IL – Reggies
Aug 4 – Toronto, ON – Bovine Sex Club
Aug 6 – Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo
Aug 8 – Portland, ME – Geno’s Rock Club
Aug 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar
Aug 10 – Boston, MA – O’Brien’s Pub
Aug 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
Aug 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Howler’s
Aug 13 – Washington, DC – Atlas Brew Works
Aug 14 – Richmond, VA – Wonderland RVA
Aug 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Bakery Atlanta
Aug 16 – Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone
See “Decade of Depression” trailer HERE
TRACKLISTING / TRACK BY TRACK COMMENTARY :
1) City of The Living Dead – FABIO FRIZZI
« We are big fans of calling back to some of our favorite movies. Brain Candy and Gates of Hell are two of our biggest favorites to reference. We originally talked about throwing a section of this song into an original we were going to use for our side of the split we did with Chrch but abandoned that idea. Andrew at Fathoming Heavy Podcast encouraged us to do something with it one day and we realized it would be the perfect intro to the record. I hope Fabio Frizzi doesn’t hate it. »
2) For Whom the Bell Tolls – METALLICA
« Who wasn’t a huge Metallica fan growing up ?, Ride The Lightning is one of their finest records and what Fister record is complete without bells on it ?”
3) Mandatory Suicide – SLAYER
“We could’ve picked any song on South of Heaven and it would’ve been awesome. we talked about either doing this track or Spill The Blood. This song just seemed to fit better.”
4) Too Old Too Cold – DARKTHRONE
“It was either this one or Graveyard Slut. Darkthrone fucking rules, and this song definitely encompasses how we feel about a lot of things in general. Getting old and bitter also fucking rules.”
5) How the Gods Kill – DANZIG
“We were talking with John Christ last year about collaborating on a ten year anniversary record before covers even came to mind. The logistics and scheduling didn’t work out and we had to kind of refocus on what we were going to do. We were playing with the intro to this song on our last West Coast tour. Eva from Chrch told us that if we ever wanted to cover this song that she’d love to sing on it. We immediately decided that we needed to do that and it pretty much sealed the deal on this becoming a cover record.”
6) Reaper – HELLHAMMER
« There were a handful of bands and songs we had on a list for this record. We were trying to figure out what would work as a whole, and not just as a cool little cover to toss in. On that list was Hellhammer. Laurent at Listenable Records pretty much refused to release this record unless we covered this song. No complaints there. OUGH! ”
7) And Only Hunger Remains – PUNGENT STENCH
« We originally covered this song live a long time ago as a medley with Misunderstanding by Genesis. We knew we had to cover this one the right way so here it is. ”
8) THE FAILURE – FISTER (re-recorded)
« This is a FISTER cover… We originally recorded this song to be on a split 7” with Dopethrone. For whatever reason a physical copy never came out so we re-recorded it and put it at the end of this record. »
BAND LINE UP :
Kenny Snarzyk
Kirk Gatterer
Marcus Newstead
DISCOGRAPHY :
Bronsonic (full length) 2011
Split 12″ w/ The Lion’s Daughter 2011
Violence (one 25 minute song/EP) 2012
The Infernal Paramount (2 song EP) 2012
Gemini (full length) 2013
Split 7″ with Norska 2014
Split 12″ with Primitive Man 2014
IV (one 44 minute song/full length) 2015
Split 7″ with Everything Went Black 2016
Split 7″ with Teeth 2016
Split 7″ with Dopethrone 2016
Split 12″ with Church
‘No Spirit Within’ (Listenable 2018)
‘Decade of Depression’ (Listenable 2019)
Everyone remembers their first Slayer show, it’s like a right of passage for metal fans. However, now we’ll have to remember our last ever Slayer show. At Viveiro’s Resurrection Fest 2019 they play the final leg of their last ever world tour before retiring.
Let me set the scene. Just before 10PM the heaviest North America has ever produced stepped out into the heaviest rainfall in northern Spain. The crowd is baying for blood by now having been kept warm by metal and cervezas all day. Then it starts. 
Picture this: Lightning splits the night. Rain from the heavens falls as the sky opens up. The crash of thunder rolls over the hills nearby. Is there any better way to start a Slayer concert? Well, actually in this case it got so bad that the concert had to be abandoned! I am not kidding, the crowd had to disburse and the concert stopped before it had even begun! 
Almost an hour later and the crowd comes back to the wait for their metal heroes and Slayer finally hit the stage full force with Repentless and World Painted Blood followed by one of my favourite songs, Postmortem! Three crucifyingly good performances, Kerry King’s solos in particular were sheer perfection.
Tom Araya got the crowd to help with War Ensemble soon after by getting everyone to scream “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…” to open the first track of Seasons in the Abyss. The tempo slows down for songs like Seasons in the Abyss and Hell Awaits. 
Then, Raining Blood echoed out across the Spanish hills as the band played through the storm soaked in rain themselves! What an occasion, a perfect way to end Slayer’s domination of the metal world. 
It’s heartbreaking to see one of your favourite bands call if quits but at the same time you can’t help feel that it’s the right time to do it after Jeff Hanneman’s death in 2013 to be replaced by Gary Holt of Exodus and Dave Lombardo’s departure from the band in 2013 following a pay dispute, only two remained of the original line-up.
The show was closed with Dead Skin Mask and the machine gun speed guitar and blistering drums of Angel of Death. Tom’s voice nails the intro vocals perfectly, an iconic scream, the death throes of a metal giant.
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the last leg of its farewell world tour;
PRIMUS, MINISTRY, and PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS to support on all dates! Phoenix New Times
Saturday, November 2, 2019, SLAYER – Tom Araya/bass and vocals, Kerry King/guitars, Gary Holt/guitars, and Paul Bostaph/drums – will set off on »The Final Campaign,« the seventh and final leg of its farewell world tour. This last hurrah will start at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, NC, and see the band taking its goodbye bow at the Los Angeles Forum on Saturday, November 30. Accompanying SLAYER for this last ride are PRIMUS, MINISTRY and PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS performing a vulgar display of PANTERA, who will support on all dates. Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 12 at 10AM local; limited VIP packages will be available. Log on to www.slayer.net for all ticketing and package details.
Watch the tour trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKWPi0I5If0
SLAYER‘s »Final World Tour« began on May 10, 2018 with the band’s intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wraps on November 30, the band will have completed seven tour legs plus a series of one- off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.
SLAYER‘s »Final World Tour« has been a wild ride. Three bus drivers, four truck drivers, and a crew of 32 have traveled all over the world to set the stage for this farewell. At most shows, SLAYER‘s pyro expert set off 160 pounds of propane and 10 liters of 99% isopropyl alcohol, prompting the Phoenix New Times reviewer to comment on the “eyebrow-singeing pyrotechnics that could be felt even 10 rows behind the pit.” In Toronto, one diehard fan was ejected from the concert before SLAYER took the stage, so jumped into Lake Ontario (that surrounds the Budweiser Arena) and swam back to the venue. The Tampa Bay Times‘ Jay Cridlin wrote, “Beginning with the throttling opener ‘Repentless,’ SLAYER tore through their set like a flaming cigarette boat across the river Styx, charring up a vicious circle pit by the stage,” and Detroit‘s Gary Graff noted in his Oakland Press review the “10,000 headbangers who skipped the »Game Of Thrones« finale to pay homage to the pioneering quartet.” “The sheer physicality of their show was something to behold and was yet another indication that while the band may be calling it a career, they are going out on top, playing at their absolute best,” wrote Andy Lindquist for the SF Sonic, and Guy D’Astolfo with the Youngtown Vindicator ended his review with this: “After the final note, Tom Araya stood alone, scanning the crowd…forging a mental imprint of the moment. After a minute or two, he went to the microphone and said, ‘I’m going to miss you guys.’ Then he exited and the lights went up.”
Confirmed dates for the final leg of SLAYER’s »Final World Tour«, »The Final Campaign« are as follows:
w/ PRIMUS, MINISTRY, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS
02.11. USA Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena
03.11. USA Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
05.11. USA Salem, VA – Civic Center
06.11. USA Hershey, PA – Giant Center
08.11. USA Springfield, MA – MassMutual Center
09.11. USA New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
11.11. USA Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
12.11. USA Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
14.11. USA Moline, IL – TaxSlayer Center
15.11. USA Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
17.11. USA Fargo, ND – Fargodome
18.11. USA Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
20.11. USA Colorado Springs, CO – Broadmooe World Arena
22.11. USA Billings, MT – Rimrock Auto Arena
24.11. USA Spokane, WA – Arena
26.11. USA Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
27.11. USA Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
30.11. USA Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
More SLAYER dates:
10.07. RO Bucharest – Metalhead Meeting
11.07. BG Sofia – Airport Park (w/ ANTHRAX)
13.07. GR Athens – AthensRocks
26.07. CDN Edmonton, AB – Chaos AB
28.07. CDN Montréal, QC – Heavy Montréal
02.08. D Wacken – Wacken Open Air *SOLD OUT*
03.08. D Stuttgart – Schleyer-Halle (w/ ANTHRAX, ALIEN WEAPONRY)
13. – 15.09. USA Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
27.09. EC Quito – Coliseo General Rumiñahui
29.09. RA Buenos Aires – Luna Park
02.10. BR São Paulo – Espaço das Américas
04.10. BR Rio de Janeiro – Rock in Rio (w/ ANTHRAX a.o.)
06.10. RCH Santiago – Santiago Gets Louder (w/ MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, PENTAGRAM)
11.10. USA Manchester, TN – Exit 111
—–
»Slayer Looks Back On 37 Years«
Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJe1A5M4t3o
Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsliP7optgE Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvcP5pCceek
Episode 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNxkF3iGJas
Order SLAYER‘s latest album »Repentless«, in various formats (6,66″ vinyl box set and more): www.nuclearblast.de/suche/slayer
More on »Repentless«:
‘Repentless’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjb0j9l1sz4
‘Pride In Prejudice’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF5iMLldBzE
‘You Against You’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zhi3FmTUFg
‘When The Stillness Comes’ OFFICIAL TRACK – EARLY VERSION:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP2njx-0mY0
Over SLAYER’s career, the band has made available to its fans some pretty cool swag, from an ugly Christmas sweater to BMX’s “Cradle To Grave” four-bike collection, a SLAYER snow globe where blood-red particles fall, a series of Vans footwear including one with blood-splatters, the SLAYER Pinball Rocks app, the Rockhard limited edition biker helmet, and the one-of-a-kind vehicle inspired by SLAYER and designed by Scion. In episode 7, the band members talk about their favorites.
Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNxkF3iGJas
Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJe1A5M4t3o
Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsliP7optgE
Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvcP5pCceek
On May 2, SLAYER will kick off »Leg Five: North America« for its final world tour, to say goodbye and thank the fans for more than three decades of great times. LAMB OF GOD, AMON AMARTH and CANNIBAL CORPSE will support on all of these 16 dates. Leg six will see SLAYER saying farewell to its fans for the last time across Europe, from early June to early August. Ticket information for all dates is available at slayer.net.
Dates for »Leg Five: North America«, and »Leg Six: Europe«, are as follows:
»Leg Five: North America«
w/ LAMB OF GOD, AMON AMARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE
02.05. USA Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Amphitheatre
03.05. USA Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
05.05. USA El Paso, TX – UTEP/Don Haskins Center
07.05. USA Edinburg, TX – Bert Ogden Arena
08.05. USA Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10.05. USA Tampa, FL – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
11.05. USA West Palm Beach, FL – Coral Sky Amphitheatre
13.05. USA Huntington, WV – Big Sandy Superstore Arena
14.05. USA Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
16.05. USA Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
17.05. USA Bonner Springs, KS – Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
19.05. USA Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
20.05. USA Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
22.05. CDN Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
24.05. USA Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
25.05. USA Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
»Leg Six: Europe«
04.06. PL Gliwice – Arena (w/ BEHEMOTH)
06.06. S Sölvesborg – Sweden Rock
08.06. D Nürburg – Rock am Ring
09.06. D Nuremberg – Rock im Park
11.06. H Budapest – Papp László Sportaréna (w/ ANTHRAX)
13.06. D Leipzig – Arena (w/ ANTHRAX)
14.06. A Nickelsdorf – Nova Rock
16.06. UK Donington – Download Festival
19.06. CH Geneva – Arena (w/ ANTHRAX)
21.06. B Dessel – Graspop Metal Meeting
23.06. F Clisson – Hellfest
25.06. CZ Prague – Tipsport Arena (w/ ANTHRAX)
28.06. N Ekeberg – Tons of Rock
29.06. FIN Helsinki – Tuska Open Air
04.07. E Viveiro – Resurrection Fest
05.07. P Lisbon – VOA Heavy Rock Festival
07.07. I Verona – Rock The Castle
10.07. RO Bucharest – Metalhead Meeting
11.07. BG Sofia – Airport Park (w/ ANTHRAX)
13.07. GR Athens – AthensRocks
01./02.08. D Wacken – Wacken Open Air *SOLD OUT*
03.08. D Stuttgart – Schleyer-Halle (w/ ANTHRAX, ALIEN WEAPONRY)
More SLAYER dates:
26.07. CDN Edmonton, AB – Chaos AB
28.07. CDN Montréal, QC – Heavy Montréal
04.10. BR Rio de Janeiro – Rock in Rio (w/ ANTHRAX a.o.)
—–
Order SLAYER’s latest album »Repentless«, in various formats (6,66″ vinyl box set and more): www.nuclearblast.de/suche/slayer
More on »Repentless«:
‘Repentless’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjb0j9l1sz4
‘Pride In Prejudice’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF5iMLldBzE
‘You Against You’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zhi3FmTUFg
‘When The Stillness Comes’ OFFICIAL TRACK – EARLY VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP2njx-0mY0
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With Leg Three: Europe of SLAYER’s »Final World Tour« having wrapped up this past Saturday, dates in Australia, Japan, the South Pacific and the final European dates announced in the past weeks, today SLAYER announces Leg Five: North America of its »Final World Tour«.
Maintaining the band’s ethos of “play as many places as possible to make it easier for everyone to see the band one last time,” Leg Five will kick off May 2nd, 2019 at the Ak-Chin Amphitheatre in Phoenix, AZ and see the band performing 16 shows across the Southern states and then up the East coast culminating at the Xfinity Center Amphitheatre in Mansfield, MA on May 25th. LAMB OF GOD, AMON AMARTH and CANNIBAL CORPSE will support SLAYER on all Leg Five dates. Special SLAYER VIP Packages will be available for all dates those details are accessible here: http://bit.ly/slayervip
Also Episode 3 of the »Slayer Looks Back On 37 Years« video interview series is released. Tom Araya and Kerry King talk about getting their first record deal and the release of »Show No Mercy«. Tom Kerry and Paul Bostaph remember Paul’s first meeting with the band and his subsequent audition to be SLAYER’s drummer. Check out the clip HERE.
Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJe1A5M4t3o
Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsliP7optgE
With still more dates coming – it’s a big world and it takes time to transverse it – confirmed 2019 dates for SLAYER’s »Final World Tour« are as follows:
SLAYER live:
07.03. AUS Brisbane – Riverstage (w/ ANTHRAX, BEHEMOTH)
09.03. AUS Sydney – Download Festival
11.03. AUS Melbourne – Download Festival
13.03. AUS Adelaide – Entertainment Centre (w/ ANTHRAX, BEHEMOTH)
15.03. NZ Auckland – Eventfinda Stadium (w/ ANTHRAX)
17.03. NZ Christchurch – Horncastle Arena (w/ ANTHRAX)
21.03. J Chiba – Download Festival
23.03. RP Quezon City – Pulp Summer Slamw/ LAMB OF GOD, AMON AMARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE
02.05. USA Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Amphitheatre
03.05. USA Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
05.05. USA El Paso, TX – UTEP/Don Haskins Center
07.05. USA Edinburg, TX – Bert Ogden Arena
08.05. USA Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10.05. USA Tampa, FL – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
11.05. USA West Palm Beach, FL – Coral Sky Amphitheatre
13.05. USA Huntington, WV – Big Sandy Superstore Arena
14.05. USA Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
16.05. USA Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
17.05. USA Bonner Springs, KS – Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
19.05. USA Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
20.05. USA Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
22.05. CDN Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
24.05. USA Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
25.05. USA Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
04.06. PL Gliwice – Arena
06.06. S Sölvesborg – Sweden Rock
08.06. D Nürburg – Rock am Ring
09.06. D Nuremberg – Rock im Park
11.06. H Budapest – Papp László Sportaréna
13.06. D Leipzig – Arena
14.06. A Nickelsdorf – Nova Rock
15./16.06. UK Donington – Download Festival
19.06. CH Geneva – Arena
21.06. B Dessel – Graspop Metal Meeting
23.06. F Clisson – Hellfest
25.06. CZ Prague – Tipsport Arena
28.06. N Ekeberg – Tons of Rock
29.06. FIN Helsinki – Tuska Open Air
03. – 06.07. E Viveiro – Resurrection Fest
05.07. P Lisbon – VOA Heavy Rock Festival
07.07. I Verona – Rock The Castle
10.07. RO Bucharest – Metalhead Meeting
11.07. BG Sofia – Airport Park
27./28.07. CDN Montréal, QC – Heavy Montréal
03.08. D Balingen – Messegelände
04.10. BR Rio de Janeiro – Rock in Rio (w/ ANTHRAX a.o.)
—–
Order SLAYER’s latest album »Repentless«, in various formats (6,66″ vinyl box set and more): www.nuclearblast.de/suche/slayer
More on »Repentless«:’Repentless’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjb0j9l1sz4
‘Pride In Prejudice’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF5iMLldBzE
‘You Against You’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zhi3FmTUFg
‘When The Stillness Comes’ OFFICIAL TRACK – EARLY VERSION:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP2njx-0mY0
]]>Let me take you back to a time when internet, streaming or anything of the sort was science fiction. CD’s were still relatively new, but the little silver discs with the tiny covers were quickly gaining momentum. We first and foremost had vinyl. We also had cassette tapes, not because they were trendy, but because they were the norm and affordable, and we copied vinyls onto those cassette tapes like mad.
The year is 1988. Yours faithfully is 15 years old and in the middle of a period of time, which would define my musical taste forever. From a life were comic books and badminton were my two main interests, I’d move into a state were music and metal music in particular would be the interest to rule them all.
Ram it down, ram it down, straight through the heart of this town
I recently realised that 2018 marks my 30th anniversary as a full-blown metal fan. It was the year when I finally bought my first albums and KNEW in my 15/16-year-old bones that metal music would be the soundtrack of my life.
It all started two or three years before, when some of my class mates started listening to Iron Maiden, Beastie Boys, Accept, Slayer and Manowar. I didn’t like it much in the beginning, mainly because I would always tend to be a bit oppositional to what the others did and liked. Eventually, I’d admit even to myself that I was completely in love with the energy of this music and exactly that rebellious nature of the whole genre. It was primarily the TV programme ‘Monsters of Rock’ on Sky Channel that taught me more and more about this rebellious genre of music, which had so more power than the rock and pop music I was listening to at the time (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, The Beatles).
The legendary Mick Wall from Monsters of Rock introduced me to Judas Priest and their cover of ‘Johnny B. Goode’. I was completely in awe. What had they DONE to that classic rock song? I had to own it. Immediately. There’s was no single, so I had to buy the album, Ram It Down, and as much as I thought it was a bit over the top to buy an entire album I didn’t know beforehand, I didn’t regret it. I loved the album, and I do to this day. This was towards the end of May 1988.
Here’s a clip from Monsters of Rock:
Justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is gone
Ram It Down started an avalanche of purchases. From then on, all of my pocket money went into the till of the local record store owner and the ditto second-hand store. I believe Testament’s Live at Eindhoven (1987) was next (I bought that on a trip to Germany), then Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease (1986), a Nazareth maxi (Cinema) (1981) and very soon, one of my mates sold me Master Of Puppets (1986). After that, I bought The Number of the Beast, Live After Death and Powerslave. The foundation of a collection was made!
Suddenly, I also discovered that these bands played live concerts. The first one I went to was Denmark’s own Artillery sometime during the autumn of 1988. The venue was tiny and there were probably 30 of us tops, but, hell, the energy was crazy. Banging your head in front of a real, live band was just something completely different. Then and there, it became an addiction to see more.
To this day, I don’t understand where I found the money. I was both picking up the back catalogue of the bands I discovered and at the same time, I’d get the new releases. And looking back, 1988 was a gargantuan year in terms of metal music.
Yours truly…aged 15, with parts of the growing collection:
At this point, I would like to write something like ‘the one release that outshines them all is this one’ or ‘unequalled among all of these albums was…’, but I hesitate. The number of gargantuan metal releases throughout 1988 was ridiculously huge. Examples? Well, let’s begin with Metallica.
My mum went to London on a business trip for some days in September, and crammed into her suitcase, she brought home with her the double LP …And Justice For All, which had been released the week before. Even though Master had blown my mind, Justice would turn out to be the Metallica album for me and certainly also one of my all-time favourite releases. I didn’t mind the thin sound and the infamous absence of bass, the songs very simply astonished the 16-year-old Thomas Nielsen. It’s still my favourite Metallica album.
That was by the way not all my mum’s generous suitcase contained; she also picked up the new Anthrax album, State of Euphoria, on cassette. I loved it. It was so much better than Spreading, and since I didn’t know Among the Living yet, State was truly the dog’s bollocks. Anthrax did mean a lot to me, and they would eventually also be the first international band I saw live in concert. This happened one year later, when they played in Copenhagen.
Silently screaming as I bang my head ‘gainst the wall
The support band for that same concert was Suicidal Tendencies who also found a big place in my heart. This was due to one of my mates from upper secondary level school. He introduced me to ST, and in 1988, they released the brilliant How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today, which was so different from the other thrash metal I knew. Mike Muir’s lyrics as well as his delivery was something else and the flow of the music was unique.
Thrash or be Trashed
And thrash certainly was gigantic in 1988, although the genre was actually already at this point wearing out. Other thrash grenades to emerge during the year included Death Angel’s Frolic Through the Park, the outstanding No Place For The Disgrace by Flotsam & Jetsam, Atrophy’s Socialized Hate, Realm’s Endless Wars, Forbidden’s power house debut Forbidden Evil, Helstar‘s A Distant Thunder, Australians Hobb’s Angel of Death’s eponymously entitled debut album, Swedish Midas Touch‘s (sadly!) only album, Presage of Disaster, Rigor Mortis‘ self-entitled debut album, Robb Flynn’s pre-Machine Head combo Vio-lence’s Eternal Nightmare, Toxik’s excellent techno-thrash album World Circus, Sanctuary’s Dave Mustaine-produced debut Refuge Denied, where the world of metal for the first time noticed the uncanny voice of the now sadly departed Warrel Dane, the debut offering Suffering Hour by tech-prog-trashers Anacrusis, and in Germany, beer-drinking maniacs Tankard released The Morning After, Sodom unleashed the live album Mortal Way of Live, Vendetta put out the fabulous Brain Damage and Blind Guardian’s debut release, Battalions of Fear also saw the light of day.
The greatest speed/power/thrash album to come out of Germany that year, though, would be Helloween’s Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2, an album which, along with the rest of the pumpkin heads’ early albums, would influence an entire metal genre.
A very serious young man, doing his best to keep his cool during a family vacation to Greece. Very metal.
The root of all evil is the heart of the black soul
More of the greatest bands within the subgenre made an impact: Former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine would release the third Megadeth album, So Far, So Good… So What! The blistering cover of ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’ was phenomenal, as were ‘Set the World on Fire’, ‘Mary Jane’ and ‘In My Darkest Hour’. Well, it was just an amazing album, basically.
The last of the Big Four, Slayer, would also release one of their, in my humble opinion, best albums in 1988. South Of Heaven saw Slayer taking down the tempo a notch or two compared to Reign In Blood, but for me, it was a more nuanced album with lots more atmosphere than its predecessor. It remains one of my favourite albums to this day.
Another thrash band we need to mention are Testament, again one of my all-time favourite bands, who released their second album, The New Order, in 1988. It was less no ferocious than the debut, but no less popular with me. I liked how the Bay Area thrashers had everything under more control with this release, although they hadn’t lost the heaviness.
On the East coast, New Jersey’s finest also released one of the biggest albums of my youth: Overkill put out Under the Influence, which totally overwhelmed me with its mixture of thrash, punk and a thick, dark atmosphere. From the moment I heard that album, I immediately decided to get hold of everything they’d done before – and buy all their future albums. Which I did.
In Overkill’s neighbourhood, the crossover movement had been thriving with S.O.D. and Nuclear Assault, and the latter-mentioned released the scourging Survive album in 1988 – as well as the magnificent Good Times, Bad Times EP, which was running more or less non-stop on my record player. Also the S.O.D., Anthrax and Nuclear Assualt related band M.O.D. with Billy Milano in his prime released the hilarious Surfin’ M.O.D. It was a great laugh! Another New Jersey band took it even further in terms of extremity: Old Lady Drivers (OLD). This was grindcore with a theme, and a weird one to boot. I loved it.
The ceiling in my room towards the end of 1988…I was DESPERATE to find room for all those posters and magazine clippings!
I’ve got two faces
Further up north, in the French-speaking part of Canada, sci-fi-thrash metallers Voivod released Dimension Hatröss, a studio in oddness and inaccessible music…and yet, the song ‘Tribal Convictions’ caught my ears through the video that was aired on the Monsters of Rock show. ‘Tribal Convictions’ remains a song I keep returning to every now and then.
Some bands had begun to take things into an even more extreme direction than Slayer and the other thrash bands. Chuck Schuldiner and Death had already given name to a new brand of metal, namely death metal, and with Leprosy, they were perfecting the formula and in so doing amazed my mates and myself. In the Netherlands, Pestilence would soon give Death competition to the finish line. Their Malleus Maleficarum was also a masterpiece of extremity, although their expression and sound was different.
To consume all things material
In the UK, there were also extreme things going on. I was introduced to goregrinders Carcass sometime in 1989 and was utterly blown away by the brutally of Symphonies of Sickness from that year, and did the retrospective search in my local record store on the band’s debut from 1988, Reek of Putrefaction. Reek… was no less brutal, but perhaps less structured and therefore not quite as easy to digest as Symphonies. The cover, mind you, was over the top controversial and therefore hard not to love.
Bill Steer’s former playground of extremity, Napalm Death from Birmingham, England, released the scorching From Enslavement To Obliteration with later Cathedral front man Lee Dorrian as spoke person against injustice. Dorrian came from Coventry just like the death metal juggernaut Bolt Thrower, who also released their debut album in 1988. Not their best work, admittedly, but as we all know, they went on to produce some of the most crushing death metal there is.
Also in the UK, a band that would have a massive impact on me a year or so later, namely Sabbat, released their debut on Noise Records. History of a Time to Come was a raw and rather shrill offering, partly due to the production, partly due to Martin Walkyier’s vocal, but there were good songs on there, there was no doubt about that. However, in 1989, they blew all my proverbial speakers with their Dreamweaver, based on Brian Bates’ novel The Way of Wyrd about a young Christian munk who is sent into the pagan lands of Britain. It’s a sublime concept album, no less.
Twist of Cain inside my bleeding heart, yeah
The US scene was not only about the being faster and more extreme in 1988. Manowar released the mighty Kings of Metal album, which spoke to the quest for adventure and the heroic in all of us boys. Guns N’Roses were riding on the success of Appetite for Destruction (1987) and put out GN’R Lies, which was a sort of whilst-we’re-waiting-for-a-proper-album release, but it showed a different side of the band with the fine acoustic tunes.
Glenn Danzig, the former Misfits and Samhain singer, took many by surprise by making a curve between metal and blues. Danzig was and is to this day a fantastic album, and in particular the song ‘Mother’ became an anthem for the tormented souls who followed Evil Elvis. My mom loved it!
On the melodic power metal front, Armored Saint gave the world Saints Will Conquer, a fine live documentary, which was my first encounter with the Saint, this wonderful and talented band fronted by John Bush. I saw Armored Saint in Berlin a couple of years later, at the oddly billed Rock Hard Festival (Obituary, Morgoth, Sepultura, Blind Guardian and the Saint). The atmosphere during the Saint concert wasn’t great, to be honest, which I found weird. The band never made it big commercially, but have been appropriately praised in later years after their return to the metal scene. Riot released Thundersteel, a great melodic power metal album that enjoyed many spins on my records player when I finally picked it up a year or so after its release.
By 1988, Ozzy had long since expatriated himself (or maybe Sharon decided that) to the States, and the band around the Ozzman certainly were Americans. Most notably his new, young guitarist, Zak Wylde, holds the blame for the No Rest for the Wicked being the most impressive of Ozzy’s solo albums. I am well aware that other fans might disagree wildly, but the artificial harmonies and sound of that album simply went straight to my head.
Kill Mary?
On the proggier side of life, Seattle’s Queensrÿche made their magnus opus in 1988: Operation: Mindcrime set new standards for concept albums and the quality of compositions in metal. This was the perfect album. The story, the vocals, the sound, everything. Queensrÿche never managed to top this album, although they made solid attempts throughout the years.
Not too far from the style of earlier Queensrÿche efforts were Crimson Glory. Their Transcendence album also offered fans of prog induced metal a more than decent alternative to the increasingly extreme direction the business was moving into.
Other less hard-hitting, but still superb offerings came from Impelliteri with Stand In Line, a vinyl that is still one of treasures of my collection. Also Sweden’s megalomaniac number one, Yngwie J. Malmsteen graced the ears of metal fans with his classical inspired music in 1988. Although it had nothing to do with thrash or death metal, the sheer strength of Malmsteen’s playing convinced greatly, and Odyssey continued the red line drawn up by Rising Force, Marching Out and Trilogy.
A snapshot of my 1988 memorabilia – most of the vinyls have been traded away for CD’s, but there are still a few left…
For All Those Who Died
Another Swedish artist offered a very different and definitely harder take on the metal genre the same year. In fact, this artist defined a sub-genre in its own right. With Blood Fire Death, Quorthon and Bathory began the transformation from being a prototype black metal meets Motörhead act to setting sails towards Viking shores. It was raw and brutal, yet, curiously epic in nature. As we all know, Quorthon would move on to explore this with great success on the next two albums, Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, in my view two milestones of metal music.
Another Swedish band set new standards in 1988: Candlemass released an epic lesson in doom metal when Ancient Dreams hit the shelves. With eight monstrously heavy tunes and Messiah Marcolin’s characteristic vocal, I was convinced from the second I laid ears to this. Black Sabbath was a clear influence, but Metallica was also a part of the brew. Amazing album.
Now that we’re touching northern shores, Danish Kim Bendix Pedersen, better known by the name King Diamond, the former Mercyful Fate singer, released his third solo album, “Them”, during the summer of 1988. “Them” was the first part of the tale of young King, his grandmother and the house, Amon, which was to be concluded with Conspiracy in 1989. These two albums were huge in my world. Fine storytelling, lots of melody, lots of heavy riffs from the hands of Andy LaRocque and King himself.
Moving the pointer further south again, more traditional heavy metal was still massive in Germany. Running Wild were riding the waves of success for kraut metal and put out no less than two releases during 1988, and these Germans saturated one’s hunger for pirate adventures. Ready For Boarding came out in February, and Port Royal, the band’s fourth effort and their last album for Noise Records, came out during the Autumn.
In Switzerland, Celtic Frost, many thought, had lost it completely. Tom G. Warrior took the Frost into a completely new and unexpected direction with Cold Lake. The album was an attempt at glam rock and heavy metal, and had thus very little to do with the avant-garde mix of death, black and goth, which had formed the first albums. This was definitely not the high-point of Celtic Frost’s career.
On the periphery of metal, the 1988 releases that would eventually catch my attention were AC/DC’s Blow Up Your Video (although I never really got into AC/DC in any big way), King’s X‘s eminent debut Out of the Silent Planet and the funky heaviness of Living Colour on Vivid.
Seven deadly sins, seven ways to win…
So, as you can see, 1988 was in all respects a year to be reckoned with. The list of majestic releases seems to go on and on. But, hang on, one is missing! That’s right, the heavy metal band that stands above them all also released one of their master pieces in 1988; Iron Maiden gave birth to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. If I were to point to one album that defines metal music, well, music in general, for me, this would be it. This was the album that had the right sound at the right time for me. It had the story, the tale that encompassed hope, fear, love, darkness, madness, everything. It was nothing like the other two great concept albums of that year, Operation:Mindcrime and “Them”. To me, the Brits quite simply killed the competition.
If you were there, you’ll probably know what kind of a monster 1988 was. If you weren’t, I suggest you check out some of the albums I’ve mentioned above. They’re worth it. For me, they still define the nature of metal music.
Below is a bunch of videos so you can check out some tunes from what is probably my best stab at a top ten of 1988 albums. You can also listen to our 1988 Spotify playlist right here.
Number 1
Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Song: The Clairvoyant
Number 2:
Metallica
…And Justice For All
Song: …And Justice For All
Number 3
Slayer
South of Heaven
Song: Silent Scream
Number 4
Queensrÿche
Operation: Mindcrime
Song: Operation: Mindcrime
Number 5
Judas Priest
Ram It Down
Song: Johnny B. Goode
Number 6
Anthrax
State of Euphoria
Song: Who Cares Wins
Number 7
Flotsam and Jetsam
No Place For Disgrace
Song: No Place For Disgrace
Number 8
Overkill
Under the Influence
Song: Hello from the Gutter
Number 9
Death
Leprosy
Song: Pull the Plug
Number 10
Danzig
Danzig
Song: Mother
]]>
“We always knew this tour would take us into 2019,” said SLAYER‘s Kerry King, “and we‘ve been blown away by the response we‘ve been getting here in North America. We‘ve heard about fans who have driven five, six hours, or flown in from other cities or countries to see us, so we want to assure our fans that we‘ll be on the road through 2019 and will get to as many places around the world as possible to make it easier for everyone to come and see us one last time.”
To date, SLAYER‘s Final World Tour has consisted of Leg One and the just-wrapped Leg Two in North America, with Leg Three taking the band to the UK and Europe from November 1 through to December 8, 2018. The band‘s announced itinerary also has them headlining Mexico‘s ForceFest on October 7, 2018, and Hellfest Open Air in France on June 23, 2019.
Plans are already underway for SLAYER to take its Final World Tour to South America, Australia and Japan in 2019. But there will be more, plenty more. 2019 is twelve months long, and the world is a big place. Additional tour Legs will be announced soon.
“I just want to take the time out to say thank you to all our fans who have made this first part of this tour phenomenal,” said Tom Araya. “You really are loyal and dedicated fans and we appreciate that so much from you. We still have quite a few places to play, so next year, keep your eyes and ears open so you can catch us live one last and final time. Again, thank you!”
SLAYER
06./07.10. MEX Teotihuacán – Force Fest
w/ LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, OBITUARY
Tickets for the German shows are available here: https://www.nuclearblast.de/de/produkte/tickets/indoor/ticket/slayer-final-world-tour-2018.html
01.11. IRL Dublin – 3Arena
03.11. UK London – Wembley Arena
05.11. UK Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena
07.11. UK Birmingham – BCA
09.11. UK Manchester – Arena
10.11. UK Newcastle – Metro Radio Arena
12.11. UK Glasgow – The Hydro SSE
14.11. D Dortmund – Westfalenhalle
15.11. NL Zwolle – Ijsselhallen *SOLD OUT*
17.11. E Madrid – Palacio Vistalegre
18.11. E Barcelona – Palau Sant Jordi
20.11. I Milan – Mediolanum Forum
21.11. CH Zurich – Halle 622
23.11. A Vienna – Stadthalle
24.11. D Freiburg – SICK-ARENA
26.11. D Hamburg – Barclaycard Arena
27.11. PL Lodz – Atlas Arena
29.11. D Munich – Olympiahalle
30.11. D Erfurt – Messehalle
02.12. D Berlin – Mercedes-Benz Arena
03.12. DK Copenhagen – Royal Arena
05.12. S Stockholm – Hovet
06.12. N Oslo – Spektrum
08.12. FIN Helsinki – Helsingin Jäähalli *SOLD OUT*
2019
21. – 23.06. F Clisson – Hellfest
In addition, SLAYER‘s highly-anticipated »Repentless« 6,66″ vinyl box set has recently been released through Nuclear Blast. Get it here: http://nuclearblast.com/slayer-repentless-boxset
Watch »Slayer Looks Back On 37 Years«!
Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJe1A5M4t3o
Part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsliP7optgE
—
More info:
www.slayer.net
www.facebook.com/slayer
www.nuclearblast.de/slayer
RIAA-certified, Billboard chart-topping, five-time Grammy nominated Richmond, VA band LAMB OF GOD will release their highly-anticipated full-length covers album as BURN THE PRIEST, »Legion: XX«, next Friday, May 18 via Nuclear Blast [Epic Records in the US] in celebration of BURN THE PRIEST‘s upcoming 20th anniversary. »Legion: XX« is a collection of songs reflecting the greatness of the classic punk, hardcore, crossover and noise artists that influenced them in their formative years, executed with the band‘s signature modern sound.
BURN THE PRIEST rocked the music world with the release of their brash, in-your-face »Legion: XX« covers of THE ACCUSED’s ‘Inherit The Earth’ and BIG BLACK’s ‘Kerosene’, and today fans can witness another blazing cover – this time of BAD BRAINS’ ‘I Against I’. Listen now via http://burn-the-priest.com.
“It’s been a super-big honor to recently sing with one of my favorite bands of all time,” says vocalist Randy Blythe. “Playing with the BAD BRAINS was an unearthly experience – trying to replace the fastest-singing human ever on songs like ‘Banned in DC’ and ‘Pay to Cum.’ When it came time to choose our cover of ‘I Against I’, I was trying not to sound like H.R., as he’s so unique, but yet also throwing in enough of his style to show respect to his unique voice, through my interpretation. To cover the BAD BRAINS can’t be a straight-forward cover, we had to nail it, and we did.”
In addition to these tracks, »Legion: XX« features other songs originally performed by CRO-MAGS, AGNOSTIC FRONT, QUICKSAND, MINISTRY, MELVINS, S.O.D., and Richmond punk band SLIANG LAOS. Produced with Josh Wilbur at the helm, »Legion: XX« exhibits BURN THE PRIEST in their true element.
Pre-orders and merch bundles are available now via: http://nblast.de/BTPLegionXX
Pre-order »Legion: XX« digitally to receive ‘Kerosene’, ‘Inherit The Earth’ and ‘I Against I’ instantly!
Listen to ‘Kerosene’ here:
Stream or purchase the single here: http://nblast.de/BurnThePriestKerosene
Watch ‘Inherit The Earth’ now: https://www.vevo.com/artist/burn-the-priest
LAMB OF GOD may be one of the biggest bands in modern metal, but they will never forget where they came from. Mark Morton (guitar), John Campbell (bass), and Chris Adler (drums) formed the first incarnation of the band, BURN THE PRIEST, in the winter of 1994 after meeting four years earlier as students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Less than a year later, in the summer of 1995, they met vocalist Randy Blythe before adding Chris Adler’s brother, Willie Adler (guitar), prior to transitioning to LAMB OF GOD – and the rest is global metal history.
The tracks on »Legion: XX« are performed with the unmistakable precision that has kept LAMB OF GOD vital for two decades, but ultimately harks back to the raw, punk-driven sound first explored by four unsuspecting college students and a line cook-turned-vocalist in their beginnings as heavy music giants.
»Legion: XX« – track listing:
01. Inherit The Earth (originally performed by THE ACCUSED)
02. Honey Bucket (originally performed by MELVINS)
03. Kerosene (originally performed by BIG BLACK)
04. Kill Yourself (originally performed by S.O.D.)
05. I Against I (originally performed by BAD BRAINS)
06. Axis Rot (originally performed by SLIANG LAOS)
07. Jesus Built My Hotrod (originally performed by MINISTRY)
08. One Voice (originally performed by AGNOSTIC FRONT)
09. Dine Alone (originally performed by QUICKSAND)
10. We Gotta Know (originally performed by CRO-MAGS)
Bonus Track (LP only!):
11. In The Meantime (originally performed by HELMET)
—
Yesterday, LAMB OF GOD hit the road in direct support of SLAYER‘s final world tour, which features two North American legs. LAMB OF GOD will perform select one-off festival dates during this run, as well as headline shows featuring support from BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH. In addition, the band has announced TODAY to being also support of SLAYER on their upcoming Europe tour in November/December! Tickets and VIP packages are on sale now at www.lamb-of-god.com. See below for all currently confirmed upcoming tour dates:
w/ SLAYER, ANTHRAX, BEHEMOTH, TESTAMENT
11.05. USA Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre *SOLD OUT*
12.05. USA Pomona, CA – Fox Theater*
13.05. USA Sacramento, CA – Papa Murphy’s Park *SOLD OUT*
16.05. CDN Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum *SOLD OUT*
17.05. CDN Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre
19.05. CDN Calgary, AB – Big Four *SOLD OUT*
20.05. CDN Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Centre *SOLD OUT*
22.05. CDN Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
23.05. USA Sioux Falls, SD – The District*
24.05. USA Minneapolis, MN – Armory *SOLD OUT*
25.05. USA Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
27.05. USA Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill *SOLD OUT*
29.05. CDN Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage *SOLD OUT*
30.05. CDN Laval, QC – Place Bell *SOLD OUT*
01.06. USA Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun *SOLD OUT*
02.06. USA Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
03.06. USA Wallingford, CT – Oakdale Theatre*
04.06. USA Reading, PA – Santander Arena *SOLD OUT*
06.06. USA Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
07.06. USA Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
09.06. USA Pittsburgh, PA – KeyBank Pavilion
10.06. USA Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
11.06. USA Raleigh, NC – The Ritz*
12.06. USA Virginia Beach, VA – VUHL Amphitheater
14.06. USA Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
15.06. USA Orlando, FL – Amphitheater
16.06. CDN Montebello, QC – Rockfest**
17.06. USA Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre *SOLD OUT*
19.06. USA Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory *SOLD OUT*
20.06. USA Austin, TX – Austin360 Amphitheater
*LOG & BEHEMOTH only
**LOG only
w/ SLAYER, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, NAPALM DEATH
26.07. USA Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
27.07. USA Bangor, ME – Impact Music Festival
29.07. USA Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
31.07. USA Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
01.08. USA Albany, NY – Times Union Center
03.08. USA Darien Lake, NY – Performing Arts Center
04.08. USA Syracuse, NY – Lakeview Amphitheater
06.08. CDN London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
07.08. USA Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
09.08. USA St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
10.08. USA Atlanta, GA – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
12.08. USA Nashville, TN – Municipal Auditorium
13.08. USA Rogers, AR – Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
15.08. USA San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
16.08. USA Oklahoma City, OK – The Zoo Amphitheatre
17.08. USA Omaha, NE – Sokol Auditorium*
18.08. USA Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
19.08. USA Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
21.08. USA Boise, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
22.08. USA Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory*
23.08. USA Portland, OR – Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
24.08. USA Auburn, WA – Pain in the Grass
26.08. USA San Jose, CA – SAP Center
*LOG & NAPALM DEATH only
**************** NEW ****************
w/ SLAYER, ANTHRAX, OBITUARY
01.11 IRL Dublin – 3Arena
03.11. UK London – Wembley Arena
05.11. UK Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena
07.11. UK Birmingham – BCA
09.11. UK Manchester – Arena
10.11. UK Newcastle – Metro Radio Arena
12.11. UK Glasgow – The Hydro SSE
14.11. D Dortmund – Westfalenhalle
15.11. NL Zwolle – IJsselhallen
17.11. E Madrid – Palacio Vistalegre
18.11. E Barcelona – Palau Sant Jordi
20.11. I Milan – Mediolanum Forum
21.11. CH Zurich – Halle 622
23.11. A Vienna – Stadthalle
24.11. D Freiburg – SICK-ARENA
26.11. D Hamburg – Barclaycard Arena
27.11. PL Lodz – Atlas Arena
29.11. D Munich – Olympiahalle
30.11. D Erfurt – Messehalle
02.12. D Berlin – Mercedes-Benz Arena
03.12. DK Copenhagen – Royal Arena
05.12. S Stockholm – Hovet
06.12. N Oslo – Spektrum
08.12. FIN Helsinki – Helsingin Jäähalli
**************** NEW ****************
—
More info:
www.lamb-of-god.com
www.facebook.de/lambofgod
www.nuclearblast.de/lambofgod
On January 23, 2018, SLAYER announced that it would wrap up its 37 years together with one last tour around the globe. Before the band begins that final sojourn on May 10, Tom Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph sat down and talked about all things SLAYER. Here is Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJe1A5M4t3oLeg one, North America of SLAYER‘s final world tour will feature LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, BEHEMOTH and TESTAMENT and starts May 10.
The confirmed dates are below.
SLAYER
w/ LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, BEHEMOTH, TESTAMENT
10.05. USA San Diego, CA – Valley View Casino Center
11.05. USA Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre *SOLD OUT*
13.05. USA Sacramento, CA – Papa Murphy’s Park
16.05. CDN Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
17.05. CDN Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre
19.05. CDN Calgary, AB – Big Four *SOLD OUT*
20.05. CDN Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Centre *SOLD OUT*
22.05. CDN Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
24.05. USA Minneapolis, MN – Armory *SOLD OUT*
25.05. USA Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
27.05. USA Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill *SOLD OUT*
29.05. CDN Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage *SOLD OUT*
30.05. CDN Laval, QC – Place Bell *SOLD OUT*
01.06. USA Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun *SOLD OUT*
02.06. USA Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
04.06. USA Reading, PA – Santander Arena *SOLD OUT*
06.06. USA Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
07.06. USA Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
09.06. USA Pittsburgh, PA – KeyBank Pavilion
10.06. USA Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
12.06. USA Virginia Beach, VA – VUHL Amphitheater
14.06. USA Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
15.06. USA Orlando, FL – Amphitheater
17.06. USA Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre *SOLD OUT*
19.06. USA Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory *SOLD OUT*
20.06. USA Austin, TX – Austin360 Amphitheater
21. – 24.06. IS Reykjavík – Secret Solstice Festival
]]>Catch Slayer on their Final World Tour and Trap Pioneer Gucci Mane at the World’s Most Unique Festival
[YouTube] Secret Solstice 2018: Phase 2 Announcement Video – Watch Here!
Following on from their recent phase 1 announcement, Iceland’s Secret Solstice is pleased to announce its second wave of artists with iconic metal band Slayer who are on their Final World Tour, rapper Gucci Mane, and electro-pop group Clean Bandit who are all playing in Iceland for the first time. Now in its fifth year, Secret Solstice will once again take place during 96 hours of continuous sunlight over the summer solstice June 21-24 showcasing the best in local and international rock, hip hop and electronic music in the world’s most unique festival setting.
Two-time GRAMMY winners Slayer are long-reigning titans of punk-thrash who alongside bands like Metallica helped define the thrash-metal genre throughout their 34 year career. Touching down in Iceland as part of their Final World Tour fresh off their North American dates, this is a rare last opportunity to catch the legendary band. American rapper, label owner, and Billboard chart-topper Gucci Mane who’s lucrative career is soon to be the subject of a Paramount biopic, is credited as pioneering the hip hop sub-genre known as trap music. The god of trap will no doubt bring his colorful beats to the Secret Solstice main stage. British genre crossover group Clean Bandit best known for their hit single “Rather Be”, seamlessly blend classical music with pop bringing together strings, piano, percussion, vocals and electronic beats. Their refreshing take on modern pop music and reputation for incredible live shows will be sure to captivate Secret Solstice festival goers this June.
These three artists add to the diverse list of headline artists previously announced including Stormzy, Bonnie Tyler, Death From Above, Steve Aoki, Jet Black Joe, GRAMMY nominees 6lack and Goldink, J Hus, Charlotte de Witte, Skream, A-Trak, Masego, IAMDBB, Högni and Gentleman’s Dub Club.
Also announced are 13 local artists including a number of Icelandic hip hop and rap acts such as bubblegum trap queen Alvia, Cell7, Elli Grill, Geisha Cartel, Landaboi$, Ragga Hólm, Sprite Zero Klan, Vala CruNk, and Yung Nigo Drippin alongside pop talent Birgir and GDRN, rock group HAM, and semi-acoustic band Vio.
For those looking to splurge, Secret Solstice is pleased to welcome back two limited availability luxury tickets: Oðinn and the Package of the Gods. With the Oðinn pass, fans will receive special treatment and amenities from arrival like priority festival access, entry to the new Oðinn pop-up lounge, complimentary food and drinks at the festival, backstage access, side event discounts and more. With only three super exclusive Package of the Gods tickets available, the extravagant festival pass is perfect for fans wanting to enjoy their favorite artists in serious style. Encompassing everything offered to Oðinn members, the luxurious pass also includes helicopter transfers to glaciers and lava tunnels, complimentary access to all side party events, luxury accommodation for two, a private Icelandic dining experience and more amazing perks still to be announced.
Set against the backdrop of the stunning natural surrounds of Iceland’s breathtaking scenery, there are many reasons to tick Iceland off your bucket list this summer. Tourist attractions abound including volcanic beaches, epic midnight sunsets where daylight reins 24/7, Game of Thrones filming locations, jaw-dropping waterfalls and the infamous Blue Lagoon. With once-in-a-lifetime add-on side events taking place inside unique and otherworldly places like glaciers and lava tunnels soundtracked by exceptional music talent, Secret Solstice caters to destination festival goers with a passion for the natural beauty of the great outdoors.
This is the second of three waves of artists to be announced for Secret Solstice Festival 2018.
Early-Bird tickets for Secret Solstice Festival 2018 start at $187 USD. Camping, VIP Early-bird tickets, limited availability Oðinn ($1,880 USD) and Package of the Gods ($14,923 USD) are also on sale through the Secret Solstice website.
Tickets to Into The Glacier on June 23, 2018 are on sale now for $318 USD via http://secretsolstice.is/side-events/
Tickets to The Lava Tunnel on June 23 and June 24, 2018 are on sale now for $236 USD via http://secretsolstice.is/side-events/
Full tour packages including flights, tickets and accommodation with Iceland’s top services including hotels, rentals, and airport transfers are available for the 2018 edition. More details available through the Secret Solstice website.
Slayer
Secret Solstice’s 2018 Lineup
(* indicates Phase 2 Artists)
*Slayer [US]
Stormzy [UK]
*Gucci Mane [US]
Steve Aoki [US]
Bonnie Tyler [UK]
Death From Above [US]
Jet Black Joe [IS]
6lack [US]
Goldlink [US]
J Hus [UK]
Charlotte de Witte [BE]
Skream [UK]
A-Trak [US]
Masego [US]
IAMDDB [UK]
Högni [IS]
Gentleman’s Dub Club [UK]
Agent Fresco [IS]
*Alvia [IS]
Artwork [UK]
Ása [IS]
Bensol [IS]
Between Mountains [IS]
*Birgir [IS]
Casio Fatso [IS]
*Cell 7 [IS]
Dillalude [IS]
Dream Wife [UK/IS]
Droog [US]
Earthgang [US]
Egyptian Lover [US]
*Elli Grill [IS]
Fox Train Safari [IS]
*GDRN [IS]
*Geisha Cartel [IS]
GKR [IS]
Grúska Babúska [IS]
*HAM [IS]
Hildur [IS]
Holmar [IS]
J.I.D [US]
JFDR [IS]
John Acquaviva [CA]
Johnny And The Rest [IS]
JóiPé og Króli [IS]
Klose One [UK]
KrBear [IS]
*Landaboi$ [IS]
Maher Daniel [CA]
Matt Tolfrey [UK]
Nitin [CA]
Petre Inspirescu [RO]
Pink Street Boys [IS]
*Ragga Hólm [IS]
Raresh [RO]
Rhadoo [RO]
Retro Mutants [IS]
Ryan Crosson [US]
Rythmatik [IS]
Shaun Reeves [US]
*Sprite Zero Klan [IS]
Sylvia [IS]
Úlfur Úlfur [IS]
Une Misère [IS]
*Vala CruNk [IS]
*Vio [IS]
VÖK [IS]
wAFF [UK]
We Made God [IS]
*Yung Nigo Drippin [IS]
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