Thrash metal’s main men Slayer slam out an adrenaline-charged goodbye

Photos by Daniel DeSlover

For the past 18 months, thrash metal pioneers Slayer have kept right on waving a roaring farewell, including a local stop that found fans swarming Riot Fest.

The latest leg, dubbed “The Final Campaign,” swept through Moline at the TaxSlayer Center with all-star support from funk metal masters Primus, industrial rockers Ministry and Pantera front man Phil Anselmo.

With a dozen studio albums in their catalog dating back to 1983, Slayer managed to finagle music from ten of those efforts during the nearly two-hour campaign.

As expected, the onslaught contained enough smoke and fire, accompanied by messages of death, occult and war, to satisfy diehards in attendance.

Despite the grim undertones, vocalist and bass player Tom Araya couldn’t refrain from yielding more than a few wide grins as he looked out upon the swaying mass of bodies pumping their fists and screaming along.

The significance of Slayer’s body of work was in plain view and Araya’s pride was as obvious as the thundering rhythm reverberating throughout the arena.

Over the years, the group lost influential guitarist and co-founder Jeff Hanneman to a catastrophic spider bite and original drummer Dave Lombardo sadly parted ways due to a contract dispute.

Fortunately, Araya and guitarist Kerry King persevered with Exodus’ Gary Holt admirably filling the void left by Hanneman, alongside Paul Bostaph as the primary timekeeper behind the kit since 2002.

Together, they offered adrenaline-charged editions of “Mandatory Suicide,” “War Ensemble” and “Seasons Of The Abyss,” before really cutting loose with a crushing stretch filled with “Hell Awaits,” “South Of Heaven,” “Show No Mercy,” “Raining Blood” and “Dead Skin Mask.”

A handful of shows remain before Slayer bids a final goodbye where it all began in Southern California, with a pair of shows at The Forum on November 29 and 30.

Click here for more photos of Slayer at the TaxSlayer Center.

For additional information on Slayer, visit Slayer.net.

For a list of upcoming concerts at the TaxSlayer Center, visit TaxSlayerCenter.com.