S L A Y E R !

THE BLOODY REIGN OF SLAYER by Joel McIver (2010 Omnibus Press / 306 pp / tp)
I don't read a lot of books about bands or musicians, but once in a while a title will grab my attention.  While there's been dozens of books about metal bands such as METALLICA and BLACK SABBATH, this is the first time I saw one dedicated to L.A. thrashers SLAYER, a band I  was fascinated with in my teen years.  NO ONE played as fast or as heavy as they did, and all these years later they're STILL doing it (IMO) better than anyone.
McIver gives a detailed look at all of their albums, from 1983's SHOW NO MERCY right up to 2010's WORLD PAINTED BLOOD.  While I didn't always agree with him (he seems to hate any song that's not played ultra-fast), McIver has a good grasp on Slayer's sound and what makes it work.  SLAYER's several ep's and live albums (as well as 4 DVDs) are also looked at, but what made the book such a fun (and interesting) read are the stories of the band members themselves.  Guitarist Kerry King's opinions on other bands often made me crack up laughing, and I didn't realize drummer Dave Lombardo had played so many different styles of music during his 12-year split to persue side projects.  I was also surprised to learn singer/bassist Tom Araya is a practicing Catholic (!) who likes to spend his off-time listening to country music with his wife (he's also a big family man).  I never knew guitarist Jeff Hanneman grew up in the punk scene, but can now understand where much of the band's aggression 9and speed) come from.
My only gripe with the book was the frequent repitition: much of the dialogue is taken from interviews the author has done over the years, and in certain chapters he'll explain what a member of the band had just told us in the previous section.  A better edit wouldn't have hurt.
Most interesting to me was the information on SLAYER during the 1990s, a decade where I had lost touch with them.  While they only released 2 original albums during this time (the band doesn't consider their 1990 release, SEASONS IN THE ABYSS one of them as they recorded it in 1989), they contained some of the band's fiercest, most brutal tracks...and I've been enjoying going back and listening to all the mayhem I've missed.  There's much info on SLAYER's second drummer, Paul Bostaph, who apparently did a fine job until Lombardo's return, and as a former drummer myself, I was pleased with how much of the book dealt with drumming in general (which is only fitting considering SLAYER's insanely fast double-bass drum tracks).
While not perfect, it's great to FINALLY have a testimony of SLAYER from their early years as a high school cover band--through their couple of drummer changes--back to the original line up who are still touring the world as one of the most beloved (and feared) acts in metal history.  There's also three nice picture sections, the first featuring early gig fliers and shots of the band that'll have fans in stitches.