Image: Slayer – Official Press Photo
On September 22, it finally happened: Slayer made their long-awaited return to the stage after a four-year break, performing at the Riot Fest in the USA. Here’s everything you need to know about the setlist and some highlights from the concert!
SLAYER announced in advance that their new studio album “Repentless” would be “the ultimately hardest result” of their 34-year carrier. And no way to argue: this piece is full of emotions. The background story couldn’t be more dramatic and both pre-released tracks ‘Implode’ and ‘When the Stillness Comes’ leave a damn cold murderous feeling.
The tragic loss of Jeff Hanneman, who died much too early of liver failure on May 2, 2013, brought the most dramatic change: in the same year, the Californians parted once again with drummer Dave Lombardo, also with longtime label American Recordings, including master producer Rick Rubin. The EXODUS member and longtime Hanneman’s friend Garry Holt became then the new guitarist. Paul Bostaph celebrated his third return to the combo and the band joined for the first time with music producer Terry Date, who worked on classics like Pantera “Vulgar Display Of Power”, Overkill“The Years Of Decay “or Dream Theater” When Dream and Day Unite”. “I liked his productions and heard many good things about him,” explains guitarist Kerry King satisfied. SLAYER spent over four months with him int the Henson Studios, Hollywood, missing the sharpening and punchy side of »Repentless«. “At some point, Terry knew our new songs better than Tom and I – he gave then us important impulses! For us, it has been the right move forward, he has made a great job.”
Gary Holt recently called King a “crazy guy” – in a good way: “Gary is an outstanding guitarist and when it comes to thrash metal, one of the best. I’d compare him to Glenn Tipton, he’s a diamond in the rough was our first choice. We have been friends for over 30 years and have the same environment. ” Not less insane and also a thrash icon, drummer Paul Bostaph began his career with FORBIDDEN, played with TESTAMENT and EXODUS and contributed among others to the SLAYER classic »Divine Intervention« und »God Hates Us All«. “He has an absolut natural talent”, simply summerizes Kerry. “I am always amazed by his strength and his skills. His playing is totally natural and his contribution completes our work.”
»Repentless« gather excellent songs and can be considered as the heaviest album from SLAYER since »Seasons In The Abyss«. “We try to never look back, to never repeat ourselves, but to look forward. In the end, we took six years to complete this album and my goal was to write songs that fans could call hymns. If we play these tracks live and Tom sings them, our fans will shout along, because i’m convinced that they could identify themselves as a whole part of them. All my friends who already heard the new material had just a simple “fuck” on their lips, which showed me that it’s good.”
Among the twelve tracks appears the Hanneman’s composition ‘Piano Wire’, the last song played by the deceased guitarist alongside SLAYER in studio. But as Kerry King reveals, “not the last one we’ll publish. His legacy will be also heard on future SLAYER albums!”
Slayer delivered an unforgettable show on September 22 in Chicago. Despite being off stage for several years, the band played as if they had never left. The setlist was a perfect mix of the biggest classics, like “Raining Blood” along with rare gems that hadn’t been played live in years. For example, “Reborn”, played as the second song, hadn’t been performed live since 2014. The song “213” made an even bigger comeback, reappearing on stage after 26 years, with its last live performance in 1998. It remains to be seen whether this setlist will carry over to future shows.
Slayer’s Complete Riot Fest 2024 Setlist
Here are the twenty songs Slayer played during their Chicago performance. Keep in mind that the setlist may change at upcoming shows:
South Of Heaven
Reborn
Blood Red
Postmortem
Repentless
Payback
Temptation
Jihad
Seasons In The Abyss
Born Of Fire
War Ensemble
Hate Worldwide
Disciple
Dead Skin Mask
Hell Awaits
213
Mandatory Suicide
Raining Blood
Black Magic
Angel Of Death
