Remembering Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman

The weight of the passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman may be unfelt to those without the passion for thrashin'. But for those with the passion, it is collectively understood that a metal legend is gone.

Slayer was one of the road-paving pioneers of American thrash metal of the late ‘80s. Along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, Slayer brought a sub-genre of metal to the forefront of rock music that may have otherwise never seen the light of day. Not that they mind the darkness.

Slayer revels in gloomy themes of death and torture driven by brooding sludge tones before unleashing an all-out assault on listeners’ eardrums, with Hanneman’s and Kerry King's machine gun tremolos battling for dominance against Dave Lombardo's wall of double bass kicks. Their music paints apocalyptic landscapes with a level of detail that only the most talented of artists can touch. Listening to Slayer, one could actually visualize Dante's journey through hell...

Yea. They kick that much ass.

Aside from the worship amongst Metal fans, Slayer has also received much critical praise - winning 2 Grammy Awards on 5 nominations.  As well as Hanneman and Kerry King ranking #10 in Guitar World's "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time" in 2004.

And while Hanneman had been out of the touring lineup since 2011 after contracting a skin disease, and the band may continue to perform and record, one can't help feeling that this is the end of an era for the thrash veterans. The four horseman of the apocalypse had a band, and they called themselves Slayer.

That empty saddle is a tough one to fill. 

You can experience the full force of the original lineup in Slayer - Live at the Hammersmith Apollo, 2008. 

For other thrash peers and predecessors, check out our many titles from the Wacken Festival in Germany. 

Related Titles:
Destricution - Live at Wacken, 2007
Municipal Waste - Live at Wacken, 2007
Overkill - Live at Wacken, 2007
Kreator - Live at Wacken, 2008
Pentagram - Live at Wacken, 2009

Enjoy "South of Heaven" from Slayer's 2008 concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

*Our content library is updated on a regular basis and some of those concerts might not be available at the moment.