Photo by: Khadija Bhuiyan
Mike Gallo (Agnostic Front – bassist)
“Slayer represents metal like Agnostic Front represents hardcore. True Pioneers that influence so many bands on the New York scene. They always stayed true to the game! Pretty much one of the best metal bands ever!”
Craig Setari (Sick of it All – bassist)
“When I first heard Slayer, I dug them right away, I then went to see their first New York show out on Long Island, and they kept it nice and simple. It reminded me of hardcore in the way that it wasn’t contrived; it was just hard-hitting and straight to the point. They’ve always put out no-nonsense records and have a strong live show. Bottom line, hard-hitting metal minus the fluff. Slayer brings it.”
Hoya Roc (Madball, Hazen Street – bassist)
“SLAYER…are the King’s of Thrash”
Harley Flanagan (Cro Mags – Vocalist, bassist)
“I hate to admit I wasn’t an early Slayer fan. I really hate to admit it, but they took a while to grow on me. I grew up on punk and hardcore, not metal and I just didn’t get all the devil shit and fantasy lyrics. But they definitely took the hardcore to the metal, and by ‘South of Heaven,’ I can honestly say they were and have been one of my top metal bands of any and all metal categories and types since. They influenced a lot of NY bands, including myself. Personally, I have to say they were and have always been great guys to play and hang with. I am lucky to have played with them as many times as I have. Slayer fan for life!!!! Jeff – we miss you, brother. Thank you for everything, RIP.”
Eddie Reyes (Fate’s Got A Driver / Taking Back Sunday)
“I had the pleasure of becoming friends with Tom Araya of Slayer. He supported TBS and was such a great person to meet. He was a big-hearted all-around good dude. Growing up a hardcore punk metalhead from Long Island, Slayer had such an influence on me and my writings. I always said Slayer, Quicksand, and Hum were my biggest influences in music and writing. The break downs the fast riffs and Tom’s hardcore ass fuck vocals made me who I am today. And now I see my 12-yr-old kid blasting Slayer from his room. It is amazing and a blessing. I did a good job. He still doesn’t believe me when I say I Know Tom, haha. Slayer will always be legends to me.”
Brian Audley (Incendiary – guitarist)
“I wish I had a cooler entry point, but the first time I heard Slayer was through a primitive computer program for guitar tabs when I was about 14. The program would playback midi files with the tabs so you could follow along and learn. I downloaded a song called “Altar of Sacrifice” and could not believe a guitar could be played that fast. I thought something must have been wrong with the file. It set a new standard for speed. I spent the next few months conditioning my hands and learning to play the song at full speed. By that time, I was already into bigger metal bands like Pantera and Metallica. But I had not been exposed to anything as occult and dark as Slayer. The lyrics and imagery were evil, and I felt like I was going to get in trouble just for listening to it. I was chasing more and more extreme sounding bands, and the search stopped when I found Slayer. Within the next year, I was covering “Raining Blood” at my high school battle of the bands and rushing out of my US History final to tailgate at Noon for the Extreme Steel Tour at Nassau Coliseum. In hindsight, Slayer was responsible for shaping my tastes toward the hardcore bands I connected with most. Sonically, the aggression drove me to bands like Vision of Disorder. Thematically, they abrasively questioned religion in a way that bands like Indecision would later refine. “
Gavin Van Vlack (BURN, Absolution – guitarist)
“The line between chaos and structure. They were like an indestructible war machine spouting fire and flame rolling through a minefield. They did it the old-fashioned way of staying on the road, ruthlessly. In the summer of 86-87, they played in NY. It seemed like they were a local band.”
Mike Kennedy (Vision of Disorder/ Blood Simple – guitarist)
“Slayer was crucial during Vision of Disorder’s formative years. Back then, there wasn’t as much cross-pollination between genres. Bands tended to fall on one end of the metal or hardcore spectrum. As VOD became more and more centered in and around the NY hardcore scene, it was always our collective love of Slayer that kept our sound dark and thrashy. For the guitars, It influenced a lot of semitones and breakdowns in our riffing and really helped us evolve into the hardcore/metal hybrid that became somewhat signature.
No one has, in my opinion, ever fully encapsulated the genre the way they have for so many years. We used the play the breakdown part of ‘Reign in Blood’ during our early shows, and all the hardcore kids would go nuts in the pit. It was like this unspoken moment that said: “It doesn’t matter who you are, a hardcore kid, punk rocker or a metalhead…F*CKING SLAYER!”
Danny Diablo aka Lord Ezec (Crown of Thornz/Skarhead)
“I have always loved SLAYER. I listened to metal before I got into hardcore. SLAYER has never sold out. Their records have gotten harder. All I know is when ‘REIGN IN BLOOD’ dropped it blew my mind. Me, HOYA ROC & MQUE would play that record from start to finish every day, especially at HOYA’s house in CORONA, QUEENS. It was a ritual right before we went out. We would play SLAYER then jump on the train to the city to wreak havoc & chaos. It was our battle music!!!”
Drew Stone (Antidote – vocalist / NYHC Chronicles, Who the F**ck Is That Guy + more – Film Director)
“God, I fucking hated Slayer when I first heard them in 1983. It was a while before I warmed up to them, Metallica or any of the other so-called “Thrash” bands of that era. I was a dyed in the wool hardcore kid from New York City who just thought that Satan shit was corny and silly. It just wasn’t something that I could relate to as a teenager growing up in New York City living in a dangerous urban sprawl hardcore and punk is what spoke to me. Ten years later, I saw them play many times when I was working with the band Biohazard, and it was only then that I began to appreciate what they do. I loved the Minor Threat songs they did on their ‘Undisputed Attitude’ album, and in retrospect, It’s certainly ironic that they were influenced by the very same music that I was. I just saw their final New York City show at Madison Square Garden and was thrilled to see them go out in a big way in “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” After many years of hard work and dedication, they have become part of the great American music lexicon, and I must say they absolutely deserve it. Respect.”
Mike Dijan (Outburst / Breakdown / Crown of Thornz / Kings Bounty / Sai Nam – guitarist)
“As a Queens kid in an explosive time of all things musical, I was exposed to Slayer and Hardcore simultaneously. The legend of the band was already present in the NYHC subculture in the mid-80s. We’d hear “Chemical Warfare” or “Hell Awaits” cranking on the PA before a hardcore headliner at the Ritz, Limelight, or Irving Plaza to amp everyone up. Metalheads to skins to homeboys would be headbanging. As NYHC bands ventured outside of writing basic chords to more dissident and complex riffing, the influence was clear of who we tapped from as Slayer set the bar. They took it to the next level by crushing my favorite Minor Threat and DRI songs on their cover album, which blew my mind that they related to the music and us a scene. Slayer’s no-compromise approach, straight up heaviness, and longevity have profoundly inspired/influenced me throughout my musical journey. Fucking Slayer forever!!!!”
