On January 22, 2018, emotional devastation was sent across the international metal nation as Slayer announced they would be stepping down. Instead of raining blood, it was disbelief that came raining down from the Slayer Wehrmacht faithful.
The band that once seemed physically indestructible announced they were now ready to hang up their spikes, sticks, studded straps and guitars for retirement, capping off nearly a four-decade career.
The path to the band’s retirement would start with a final Slayer world tour of tours fittingly titled The Final Campaign. Six legs in all with various opening acts. The tour would support their 2015 Repentless release and concludes on Saturday, November 30, 2019 at the LA Forum with an already sold-out show.
Repentless, the band’s 12th full-length studio album birthed three videos, the title track “Repentless,” “You against You,” and “Pride in Prejudice.” These three videos set the stage for the film short titled The Repentless Killogy, as well as a live album, CD, digital, and Blu Ray released under the same name in association with the band’s Final Campaign tour.
The 40-minute film short directed by BJ McDonnell is a revenge tale of murder, bloodshed stemming from an individual named Wyatt (Jason Trost). The eye patch sporting Wyatt at one time ran with the wrong crowd but then walked away from it all.
Wyatt’s former associates didn’t approve of his departure thus terminating his wife/mother to be as well as his unborn child.
The gruesome violence, viciousness, and blood spilling is questionable as to its necessity. The level of slaughtering presented in the film far exceeds what one would anticipate even by Slayer fan standards. Stabbings, throat slicing, gunshots, decapitation by an off-road cable wench, and a skull separation followed by the crushing of the brain hemispheres by virtue of a well-placed rugged bootheel. These shocking scenes of gore eventually get old.
It’s only when the presence of Slayer on stage performing a portion of “Angel of Death” and wondering how the band fits into the storyline is when the plot becomes interesting.
Slayer is sought out by a hitman in the backstage corridors as the show winds down only to have to band’s fate reversed onto him by an unknown female who casually walks away to the parking lot notifying Wyatt via text the job was done.
The film cuts to earlier in the day following the ending credits as Slayer takes the stage at the Forum in Inglewood. This is where the Repentless Killogy live album / DVD begins with “Delusions of Saviours,” the lead track on Repentless followed by the title track.
In all, Slayer devastates Inglewood with 21-tracks from their lengthy career. The band is firing on all cylinders with no interruptions. It’s Slayer doing what Slayer does best. Executing their set with surgical precision and loads of fire and visual imagery of inverted crosses and backgrounds.
The band reaches deep into their catalogue annihilating the crowd with “The Antichrist,” “Postmortem,” “War Ensemble,” “Mandatory Suicide,” “Hallowed Point,” “Dead Skin Mask,” “Seasons in the Abyss” and others.
A high majority and ideal balance of the Slayer discography is represented on The Repentless Killogy.
Slayer could not write a better ending to the set as with side four of the vinyl release. The band launches into “Hell Awaits” followed by “South of Heaven,” “Raining Blood,” “Chemical Warfare” and finally, “Angel of Death”. All prime real estate on classic Slayer vinyl which each being equally lethal.
Several incredible live releases have hit the metal world during 2019 and Slayer’s The Repentless Killogy just added itself to the incredible list.
It’s a disappointment that Slayer, the brute of the Big 4 is now within sight of the final days of the Final Campaign tour. The end of the Slayer’s road to retirement is just days away but with the release of The Repentless Killogy, fans can take solace with the fact that the almighty Slayer has exited while on top.
