To Hell And Back is a weekly column in which Noisey metal editor and lifelong hesher Kim Kelly explores the extreme metal underground and recommends her latest faves.Yesterday was June 6, 2018, and as such, was the 12th annual International Day of Slayer, which, like any good metal tradition, is both utterly delightful and jaw-droppingly corny (and the fact that it was initially launched by this guy makes it even funnier). Essentially, the idea of assigning the thoroughly inauspicious date of 6/6/6 to one of thrash metal’s most enduring symbols seems perfectly reasonable—elementary, even—but doesn’t do much to account for the difference that 12 years has made in Slayer’s reputation (and very core).
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Given vocalist Tom Araya’s avowed Catholic faith, any reference to Satanism or apostasy inadvertently falls a bit flat, and one wonders whether we sort of… wasted… that day on a band who are thoroughly iconic and objectively sick, but don’t actually give much of a toss about the Dark Lord.As a press release from the band’s PR organ stated, “The ‘International Day of Slayer’ is the annual heavy-metal holiday that celebrates the uncompromising, loud and defiant music of the iconic thrash/punk/metal band Slayer.” That’s all well and good, but what about all the other bands who have embraced the iconic 666 as well—and, in some cases, done it better? Iron Maiden are the clear frontrunners here (“6-6-6! The number of the beast!”) but Toxic Holocaust’s “666” (“Destroy your church, evil will reign, on this fucking earth, 666!”) and Savage Master’s “Ready to Sin” (“Under the banner of 666, beneath inverted crucifix!”) have both put forth more than respectable entries, and all three have the distinct benefit of having never had any of its members publicly support Donald Trump.I’ve had several very pleasant and illuminating conversations with Tom Araya and the other current members of Slayer over the years, and of course politics came up—but I’m still stung by Araya’s ill-considered “snowflakes” comment (especially after seeing how little regard his bandmates happen to have for the orange fascist).
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On top of all that lies the matter of whether Slayer really even is Slayer anymore. As Noisey contributor Christopher Krovatin laid out in a recent op-ed, following legendary guitarist Jeff Hanneman’s death, the band has continued to tour (after recruiting Exodus’ Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt to fill some damn big shoes) but ultimately seem to have lost their juice. They’re currently on their farewell tour now, which is probably for the best, since, honestly, is anyone really checking for a new Slayer joint in 2018?I’m writing this as a Slayer fan, albeit one that continues to wrestle with the more problematic aspects of the band’s career. My dad gifted me a CD copy of Reign in Blood when I was 12 years old, and I loved it so much that I’d often fall asleep to it playing on repeat. I got to see Slayer in the flesh for the first time in 2004, when my friend Connor’s biker dad consented to bringing a passel of us along with him to Ozzfest and set us loose in Camden, New Jersey. It was electric—the same way it’s been the multiple other times I’ve seen them since then. Sure, a significant chunk of their recorded output has ultimately failed to register with me, but, we’ll always have Reign in Blood, and South of Heaven, and Hell Awaits. Real recognize real—and in spite of their flaws, there’s no one more real than Slayer.Despite that early thrash exposure, my first big metal love was death metal, and it’s nostalgia for those simpler, gorier times that’s really been getting me through this week. Cannibal Corpse, Death, and Obituary were my first faves, and judging from an impromptu Twitter poll I conducted on that hell platform, for most people, they still reign supreme (alongside Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, Carcass, Incantation, Necrophagia, and Intestine Baalism—a name I haven’t heard in years, but wholly appreciate).
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While many of those OGs continue to hoist that bloody torch for good old-fashioned metal of death, a particularly potent crop of young guns have sprouted as of late, and I wanted to take a minute to make note of them—from Tomb Mold to Blood Incantation to Horrendous to Witch Vomit, the kids are alright (and immaculately turned-out in the finest of longsleeves). I’ve unearthed some sweet punk bands this week, too (have you heard this Junta demo??), as well as some class war-centric blackened hardcore, and a new composition from Bleed the Pigs vocalist Kayla’s gnarly noise project, so I’m throwing them on the pile as well. Variety is the spice of life, or whatever.Ontario-based quartet Tomb Mold are the kind of death metal band that really had no business existing in 2018, which is why they're so terribly important. Even outside of the riffs (which are extremely dope) and the melodies (which are choked with just the right amount of mouldering fuzz) or their overarching aesthetic (goopy space insects chilling in a cavern? Mad into it), the band's recently released full-length foray for 20 Buck Spin, Manor of Infinite Forms, pinpoints exactly what's needed in modern death: a willingness to push past the confines that the old guard set down back in the 90s, but a deep and abiding respect for their methodology. Were it not for a certain meticulous spit-shine in the production, this album could've been released in 1998—and I'm all in.
Tomb Mold
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Witch Vomit
Communal Misery
Pulsatile Tinnitus
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Firewalker
Krimewatch
Necros Christos
Bonus: Vulgar Display of Purring, a new compilation from Brooklyn-based non-profit And Justice For Paws… featuring local heavyweights like Tombs, Imperial Triumphant, Car Bomb, Unearthly Trance, Anicon, Artificial Brain, and Pyrolatrous is is now available as a pay-what-you-want download; proceeds will benefit City Critters, a NYC based organization that places stray and abandoned cats with homes and works with members of the community to find humane solutions to problems involving homeless animals. A record release show is slated for June 26 at Saint Vitus, and will feature Dead Empires, Belus, Godmaker, and Wreath of Tongues. My queen Greta approves.Kim Kelly is an editor at Noisey; follow her on Twitter.