Slayer is one of those bands that mark the pace for everything else to follow. Part of the Big Four, the four – man ensemble created a style that has been influencing bands dedicated to the gruesome and death, which opened the door to seed the idea of death metal in the 1980’s. Most metalheads, especially from this first wave of thrash metal from the United States of America, have played Slayer’s tunes and cited them as their influential roots.
It can be said that Slayer is quintessentially American due to the blend of guitars given by Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman and the “Latin” flavour carried by Dave Lombardo on drums and Tom Araya’s howling at the time. It was the integration and their interest in the macabre and perverted that ignited the spark of what was about to come beginning with ‘Show no Mercy’ all the way to the band’s most emblematic album, ‘Reign in Blood.’ It is this album that proved to many musicians out there that metal could go faster than ever before.
As in anywhere in the world, Colombian metalheads also embraced the sounds of Slayer all too well. In fact, when the band announced their first performance ever in Colombia back in 2006, tickets were sold out within two weeks. For many, it was the dream come true to headbang at the beats of ‘Angel of Death,’ ‘Reign in Blood,’ and ‘South of Heaven.’ People came from all over Colombia and neighbouring countries to enjoy the concert to the fullest, so much so that they made a lasting impression on the band.
In 2011, Slayer got back on the stage in Colombia as part of their worldwide World Painted Blood Tour. With another sold out concert, Colombians enjoyed one of the last performances from Jeff Hanneman in Latin America. In fact, the whole tour was in jeopardy due to the illness of the guitarist who died in 2013.
Now, in 2017, Slayer is coming back to Latin America with their latest studio album ‘Repentless.’ This is the first album in which Jeff Hanneman was not involved in the recording process. A tough step to see if the new lineup of Slayer is capable of keeping on going without one of their main creative sources. They seem to have shown their worth so far, however, the real test comes when on stage, to see if what they have come up with is as powerful and aggressive as it has been in the previous years of the band. ‘Repentless’ also marks the return of Paul Bostaph on drums and the full integration of Gary Holt (Exodus) as guitarist in the band.
This third time visiting Colombia, Slayer promises to bring all the brutality they have gotten us used to. For some of you, this tour will be the surefire test of this new era of Slayer. If you want to check it for yourself, the date is May 3rd, 2017 at the Gran Carpa Americas – Corferias, located in the heart of Bogotá. Tickets are already selling with three locations: South of Heaven ($ 29.00 EUR); Hell Awaits (1st stage: $ 49.00 EUR; 2nd stage: $ 64.00 EUR); Season in the Abyss (1stt stage: $ 80.00 EUR; 2nd stage: $ 98.00 EUR). All the information regarding tickets can be found at Tuboleta.com. Do not miss this great opportunity to get headbanging with these metal legends.
