10 FACTS ABOUT SLAYER

10 FACTS ABOUT SLAYER

Thrash-metal masters Slayers haven’t said much about their farewell tour, preferring to let their performances do the talking. With that in mind, here are two handfuls of facts about the landmark band that you might not have known:

v Getting started: The band formed in Huntington Park, Calif., in 1981 when bassist-vocalist Tom Araya was 20 years old and guitarist Kerry King was 17.

v Controversy: The band’s controversial song “Angel of Death” – which is about Josef Mengele – riled critics because it did not point out that the Nazi doctor was a bad man. To explain the omission, then-guitarist Jeff Hanneman said, “I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

v Comics: Dark Horse Comics published a three-issue comic book series in 2015 based on the story concept of Slayer music videos.

v High honors: Slayer was declared Best Band and Best Live Band Ever in a 2004 reader’s poll by Revolver magazine.

v Grammy:The band earned Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance for “Eyes of the Inside” (2006) and “Final Six” (2007)

v Soundtracks: Slayer has appeared on numerous film soundtracks, including “Bride of Chucky” (1998), “Jackass: The Movie” (2002) and “Saw III” (2006).

v Tributes: The band and its music has been honored by a half-dozen tribute albums, including “The String Quartet Tribute to Slayer” (2003).

v Wine: The band launched its own brand of wine in 2012, a Cabernet Sauvignon from California called Reign in Blood Red.

v Sneakers: Slayer also launched its own brand of footwear in 2012.

v Play it loud: The first International Day of Slayer was celebrated on June 6, 2006 (6/6/06). To observe it, fans were urged to listen to Slayer on full blast in a public place.