Although Slayer has gone through a lot in the past year, they went on tour to prove that they still got it. The tour was pitched as being a bit of a throwback tour where classic tracks off of their first few albums would be played. Supporting Slayer were the French prog/death metallers Gorjia and the Australians 4ARM.
4ARM were the newest band on the bill and one that not many attendees knew of. The unsuspecting crowd was fairly blown away by them. They are the kind of band that is nothing, but pure metal. 4ARM crushed all with songs like ‘Submission for Liberty’ and ‘Raise a Fist’. At this point in time, the Tsongas Center was mostly empty but those on the floor were right against the stage and rocking out. Their set only lasted six songs; just enough to give the audience a taste of their potential and to make them interested.
Gojira is a name that has grown bigger over the past few years. Those who are not familiar with the music are at least familiar with the name and reputation 
as a solid metal band. Although different in nature from 4ARM, Gojira much more powerful. They are less thrash and more technical. This showed in the audience’s slow headbanging to songs such as ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ and ‘The Axe’. People continued to trickle in but no one seemed in a rush to hear them which was a bit of a disappointment for such a great and talented band.
By the time Slayer came on stage, everyone was going wild. It was disheartening to see that much of the arena was still empty. The venue had trouble selling tickets but none could seem to pinpoint whether it had to do with the venue’s location, high ticket prices, or the band lineup changes. No matter. Those faithful fans who still believe in Slayer and their music despite all that had happened over the past year found a way to be there that night.
As promised, Slayer reached back into their history and started off their set by playing the title track off of 1985’s Hell Awaits. Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph fit right in with Tom Araya and Kerry King, which comes as no surprise considering both have played with the band in the past. They had no problem playing the material they had not been a part of. Such classic tracks included: ‘Necrophiliac’, ‘The Antichrist’, ‘Die by the Sword’, ‘Seasons in the Abyss’, and of course ‘Raining Blood’. The only cover they played was Exodus’s ‘Strike of the Beast’, a nod to Holt being a member of the band. Their encore consisted of ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Angel of Death’, where a banner commemorating Jeff Hanneman was displayed. The audience showed their love for the old music through the set by going as wildly as they could. There were even multiple instances of wheel chair bound crowd surfers! It just goes to show that true Slayer fans will always find a way to have a great time.
Words: Melissa Campbell
Photos: Hillarie Jason Photography