Death Metal / Black Metal
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Just two years after contracting a rare skin-tissue disease, Slayer guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman died on Thursday from liver failure at a hospital near his home in Southern California.
Slayer made the news public on Thursday afternoon, announcing that the band "is devastated" and calling Hanneman, who was 49, their bandmate and brother. Twitter quickly filled with messages from fans and fellow musicians, many of whom were in Los Angeles for the 5th Annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards show at Club Nokia. Disturbed/Device frontman David Draiman was among the very first, posting "RIP TO A TITAN OF METAL," while drummer Mike Portnoy wrote, "WOW...I'm in shock...RIP Jeff Hanneman."
Hanneman has been off the road since early 2011, when he contracted necrotizing fasciitis -- most likely from a spider bite -- a quick-progressing disease that literally eats away at the flesh from deep layers of skin and tissue. Exodus' Gary Holt stood in for Hanneman starting in February of 2011, while Pat O'Brien joined the band when Holt returned to Exodus during 2011.
It's not known what role the disease played in Hanneman's liver failure.
Throughout the ordeal, Hanneman's bandmates expressed optimism that he would one day return to the group full-time. Bassist-singer Tom Araya told Billboard during last year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour that Hanneman was "free of the disease" and was "working on his playing ability...He's working on strengthening his arm and his ability to play." He predicted that Slayer would "probably get together and start writing together and start making a new album," the group's first since 2009's "World Painted Blood," with Hanneman contributing material.
But in February guitarist Kerry King told Australian press that "we don't know when Jeff's gonna be able to play guitar. Jeff's kind of like a wait-and-see thing."
Born in Oakland, Calif., and a devoted Raiders fan, Hanneman was raised primarily in Long Beach and became fascinated with wars and military campaigns -- themes he'd bring to Slayer's music -- via his father, a World War II veteran, and brothers who served in Vietnam. He met King in 1981 and decided to form their own band, mixing heavy metal and punk influences and signing with Metal Blade Records for Slayer's first two albums, "Show No Mercy" in 1983 and "Hell Awaits" in 1985. The group made an eyebrow-raising move to the hip-hop label Def Jam in 1986 for the covers album "Undisputed Attitude and the classic "Reign in Blood."
Slayer has released seven more studio albums and two live albums, as well as a pair of EPs. They've sold 4.9 million albums in the SoundScan era (1991-present), with the classics "Reign in Blood" (1986), "South of Heaven" (1988) and "Seasons of the Abyss" (1990) accounting for over 2 million of that tally. Ten of their albums have charted on the Billboard 200, with 2006's "Christ Illusion" being the highest debut at No. 5.
Hanneman, an ardent collector of World War II memorabilia, was at the center of the controversy over Slayer's supposed Nazi sympathies, stemming from the resemblance of the group's eagle logo to a Third Reich image and the shape of the S in the group's typography, and from songs such as "Reign in Blood's" "Angel of Death," about German doctor Josef Mengele and his horrific "experiments" at the Auschwitz death camp. But Hanneman frequently explained that the song was in no way intended to glorify Mengele. "I know why people misrepresent it," he told one radio interviewer. "It's because they get a knee-jerk reaction to it. There's nothing I put in the lyrics that says necessarily he was a bad man because to me -- well, isn't it obvious? I shouldn't have to tell you that."
Hanneman's songs have been recorded by groups such as Hatebreed, Children of Bodom, Hellsongs, Cradle of Filth and others, and sampled by rapper Styles-P. He's survived by Kathy, his wife of 16 years, sister Kathy and two brothers, Michael and Larry. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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Opeth will return to North America in support of their most recent studio album, Heritage, in April. The band's 30+ city tour will kick off on April 18 in Buffalo, NY and will take the band throughout North America. Katatonia has been confirmed as direct support for the tour.
[Opeth North American tour 2013] Opeth North American tour 2013
There will be several dates of note during Opeth’s North American run. On April 20, Opeth will be making a stop to headline alongside Anthrax, Hatebreed and Suicidal Tendencies at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival. The April 28 show in Clifton Park, NY will see Mikael Åkerfeldt’s Storm Corrosion collaborator and friend, Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, join Opeth for a special evening that is not to be missed. There will also be two rare and intimate evenings with Opeth planned for Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 29 and The Roxy in Los Angeles on May 24. These shows will allow fans the unique opportunity to experience Opeth like never before.
Opeth will also be offering VIP packages throughout the tour that will allow fans the following:
1 ticket to the show
Access to a meet & greet with the band
Early entry to venue after meet & greet
Opeth fan pack which includes:
Exclusive VIP T-shirt
Exclusive VIP double 12" clear vinyl of Heritage
Opeth tour photo book
Commemorative VIP laminate & lanyard
Fan club pre-sales begin on January 10, followed by public on-sales on January 11 and 12.
Dates are as follows:
April 18 - The Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
April 19 - Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
April 20 - Palladium, Worcester, MA (part of New England Metal & Hardcore Fest)
April 21 - Capitole, Quebec City, Canada
April 23 - Halifax Forum Multi Purpose Centre, Halifax, Canada
April 24 - Casino New Brunswick, Moncton, Canada
April 26 - Guelph Concert Theatre, Guelph, Canada
April 27 - Crocodile Rock, Allentown, PA
April 28 - Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park, NY (with Steven Wilson)
April 29 - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
April 30 - Norva Theater, Norfolk, VA
May 2 - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
May 3 - State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL
May 4 - Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
May 5 - Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC
May 6 - The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
May 8 - Buster's Billiards & Backroom, Lexington, KY
May 9 - The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
May 10 - The Machine Shop, Flint, MI
May 11 - Mojoes, Joliet, IL
May 12 - House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
May 14 - The Venue, Fargo, ND
May 15 - Wooly's, Des Moines, IA
May 16 - Pop's, Sauget, IL
May 17 - Bourbon Theatre, Lincoln, NE
May 18 - Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
May 20 - Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
May 21 - Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
May 23 - Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ
May 24 - The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA
May 25 - The Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, CA
May 26 - The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA |
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Heritage is the title of the new album from Opeth, it will be released on Sept 20. The first single is "The devil´s orchard". |
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Slayer has just released a clip featuring comedian and UBER Metal Head Brian Posehn opening up his copy of the new Vinyl Conflict box set. In the clip Posehn proceeds to go through all the records, citing his favorites of the bunch. The clip can be seen here
The band have also just released a clip featuring guitarist Kerry King dishing on all 10 albums featured in the Vinyl Conflict. From Reign in Blood to World Painted Blood Kerry recollects the bands release history. The clip can be viewed here
For the first time in the band’s storied history, The Vinyl Conflict collects all 10 original Slayer albums from American Recordings and puts them together in this limited edition box set. Each album has been re-mastered from the original flat master tapes and is pressed on the highest quality 180-gram audiophile vinyl. Also included are reproductions of the original LP artwork, including inner sleeve art, all in heavyweight, litho-wrapped chip jackets. From 1986's Reign In Blood to 1994's Divine Intervention to 2009's World Painted Blood, it's all here, it's all on vinyl and it's all original Slayer.
Vinyl Conflict is available everywhere NOW. |
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Slayer have once more scrapped their UK tour. Again, it's because of Tom Araya's ongoing health problems.
Araya has been battling to overcome difficulties with his back, but has now accepted that the only course of action open to him is an operation.
So the band have cancelled all shows planned for Britain, Europe and America over the next couple of months.
Slayer manager Rick Sales said: "As unfortunate as this is for so many people, Tom's health is the No.1 priority." |
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Did you know that?
Rocker Tom Petty once took a picture of Jim Morrison’s ghost while visiting his grave in Paris. The photo was proved to be 100% real by the FBI photolab.
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