 |
|
Band Name: Slayer
Album Name: Still Reigning
Rating: 4 / 5 User Rating: 4.2 / 5
Label: Universal Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
Rate Album: Rate
|
Tracklist
01. Angel Of Death
02. Piece By Piece
03. Necrophobic
04. Altar Of Sacrifice
05. Jesus Saves
06. Criminally Insane
07. Reborn
08. Epidemic
09. Postmortem
10. Raining Blood
11. War Ensemble
12. Hallowed Point
13. Necrophiliac
14. Mandatory Suicide
15. Spill The Blood
16. South Of Heaven
Backstage Footage
"Slayer: In Their Own Words"
|
Ah yes, finally Slayer fans get exactly what they have been wanting, 'Reign In Blood,' live, right in their living rooms. The Slayer live experience is one that must truly be seen in concert but here's the next best thing. Some say that a bit of the fire has left Slayer, but fans seem to disagree. The band's long-awaited reunion record with Dave Lombardo is still in the planning stages simply because the fans demanded to see the reunited thrash gods live and this video is a direct result of that demand.
So for those who didn't have the pleasure of catching this historical set in concert, this is a must-have. 'Reign In Blood', considered by a vast majority of metalheads to be the definitive thrash metal album, is performed here in it's entirety. From the instantly familiar opener 'Angel Of Death', the most well-known thrash metal track of all time, to the stunning closer, 'Raining Blood', Slayer rip through each of the record's ten tracks with deadly precision. In terms of musicianship, all four members of the band are deadly accurate in their performance. It's more than evident that the return of Dave Lombardo to the lineup has reinvigorated the band and they attack songs like the rapid-fire 'Reborn' and the wickedly evil 'Alter Of Sacrifice' with just as much as zest they portrayed on the original performances. One major complaint arises, and that is that Tom Araya can't hit those high screams like he could in the band's younger days. This is most noticeable on 'Postmortem', where the vocalist just can't get that air raid wail going as he used to. That point aside, the entire performance of the 'Reign In Blood' record is a spectacle to behold. The cinematography is superior, with alternating angles and variations between color and black and white shots and the lighting captures the quintessential ambience that surrounds the band's dark performance. Ultimately, the show-stopper is the final cut 'Raining Blood.' Although the band admits that the sequence is not as perfect as they hoped it to be, it is a remarkably stunning visual nonetheless. Araya in particular gets completely soaked, as he emits the war-cry screams that close out the track, and the concert. Watching the band exit from the stage and enter the backstage area, one is left with the impression that the experience was just as intense for the band as it was for the crowd. Metal fans must own this DVD if for no other reason than to eyeball this outstanding visual effect.
With six tracks of bonus material, including the oft-overlooked 'Hallowed Point' and the captivating 'Spill The Blood', fans will find more than enough crucial Slayer music to keep them headbangingly entertained. It's great to see the four together as a unit again and these performances indicate that fans are in for a hell of a sonic bludgeoning once the group return with a much-awaited new album. If all of this music is not enough, the band have included an interview segment entitled 'Slayer In Their Own Words', that serves to give the viewer a great deal of insight as to what has transpired within the group and the focus of the band's future effort. Each band member has their say, with the discourse being much more enlightening than on the 'Ubernoise' interview sampler. In-depth and certainly revealing, this interview footage is quite enjoyable as well as being informative.
Something of a crowning return for one of metal's most legendary ensembles, 'Still Reigning' does much to further the idea that Slayer continue to wear the crown in the southernmost kingdom of extreme heavy metal.
Review by: EF
Read Member Reviews
|
