Impending doom hovers
ominously over our heads
like a dark, foreboding cloud
as Slayer slithers from city to
city, riding a wave of mass hyste-
ria. Slayer is capable of causing
civic disruption by merely walking
on stage and now they're stalking vic-
tims with Decade of Aggression, a live
release to attack the uninitiated where
they live. Jon Stain interviewed singer/
guitarist/mouthpiece Tom Araya to get the
scoop on Slayer's metallic mayhem.
What's up with Slayer videos?
The video for the song "Seasons in the
Abyss" was filmed in Cairo. We had always
wanted to film in the ruins of the pyramids
and the Sphinx in Egypt. We had to bribe
the guards with liquor and girlie magazines.
You're not allowed to film inside the tombs
of the pyramids, but they let us after we
paid them off. We filmed this video in a
third-world country at the same time the
war in the Gulf was in progress. I actually
climbed the pyramid and that is strictly for-
bidden, but the guards let me do it. Our fan
club told us that jet pilots who were flying
bomb raids over Iraq were playing our tunes
to get themselves psyched for each mission.
While in Egypt, some U.S. soldiers told us
the same thing. They were like, "What are
you guys doing here?" and we said, "Con-
tributing our share of the war effort!" They
freaked. They said, 'Only Slayer would
film over here now."
What about people who say you are
devil worshippers?
We don't worship Satan. We got tagged as
such, and it drew from our image, and as we
grew we tried to down-play it. Some bands
try to be evil or satanic, hoping to sell more
records. Not us. If I wanted to sell records I
don't think I'd be singing about the devil.
I'd dress up like a girl and sing about
fucking girls.
Who are your influences?
I don't have any metal influences because
I really don't listen to metal. At the moment
my favorite is Roy Orbison's Mystery Girl,
because all the songs are well-written songs
by different people. Usually I pick up on a
certain vibe. If I hear so many people say.
Wow, get this album,' then I go pick it up.
listen to all types of music because I am
open-minded and can appreciate music for
what it is.
Describe the inspiration for "Dead
Skin Mask."
That song was about the killer Ed Gein,
the guy The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is
based on. This book called Deviant gave
NIC YOU
me the idea. It was
about this nut who put
on dead skin masks of
people's flesh he had
pulled off their faces, hair
and all, and wear them. An-1
other book, called Deranged
was about this character who
NIRVANA
kidnapped little kids and ate them.
If you've ever seen pictures of Ed
Gein, you can tell he's psychotic. Ei-
ther that or he just came from a Slayer
concert.
Did you think Slayer would ever
get this big?
No, but we'll definitely be going farther.
When I quit my job as a respiratory thera-
pist because they wouldn't give me time off
for gigs, I knew it was my chance to make it
or break it.
Where did the name Slayer originate?
We formed about the same time the movie
Dragon Slayer was released so we called
ourselves Dragon Slayer. We thought that
was too long and corny, so we just called
ourselves Slayer.
Did you ever skate?
I used to ride a banana board with asphalt
wheels when I was in high school. I later
discovered urethane wheels and got some of
them. Then at metal shop in high school. I
made myself a chrome deck and rode it for
three years till my brother ran over it with
his car and tweaked my trucks. The deck
wasn't even scratched, it was more durable
by Jennifer Boddy
Those stinking negative creeps with
their steamy musical droppings have
spread their territorial pissings onto larger
terrains of melody, song structure and
teen spirit. The pop rocks Nirvana lays
down burn with a slow sizzle or an imme
diate bite. Not only have they revolution-
ized underground music to the point
where a band might actually be able to
play good music and make a living at it,
but they are messing with minds ever
since Nevermind catapulted them over
the rainbow and to the moon.
With songs about "rape, confusion and
sparklers," according to singer/guitarist
Kurt Cobain, the band poo-poos attitude,
pooling their energies on humdingers of
songs. On Nevermind, they took a luxuri-
ous three weeks to record, unlike the six
days it took to record their debut Lp.
Bleach, (for only $600, to boot).
"Bleach was recorded on a boom box
in our garage," Novoselic says. "An
industrial-size boom box, at an industrial
site by the airport," adds Nirvana's fifth
and final drummer, Dave Grohl, formerly
of the D.C. band Scream.
Wherever they roam, a trail of total
destruction, or at least the remains of a
food fight, are left behind. Cobain ap-
peared on MTV's Headbanger's Ball in a
yellow Elizabethan gown ("It is a ball,
isn't it?"). And on their recent European
tour, Novoselic says, "Fire extinguishers
got squirted all over, TVs thrown out the
window, red snapper flicked, a car driven
in the pool..."
So maybe Nirvana's mental attitudes
remain somewhere in the realms of third
grade problem children, but the music
has never sounded better. Sure, they're
on a new road, not because they
switched to a major label, but
because their van exploded. "After
thousands of miles and ten tours,
than the wood
it cashed in its chips," Novoselic
says. "It was just like Starsky
& Hutch we were running
toward it and suddenly,
boom, and we all landed
on our stomachs as the
pieces fell. Then we
were like the Blues
Brothers, kind of
nodding at it,
taking our
hats off for all
decks of today.
That thing was like
a tank. Lately, I've
been jumping off the
end of my driveway and
doing tricks just for fun. I
was never a great skater,
but I skate.
SLAYER
62 T MAGAZIN
the years of
service." I
Original DR. MARTENS
8-Hole
DOC
$79
www
SINCE 1985
KICK ASS!
The
Berlin Wall
"Escape to a new fashion"
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
Send $2.00 for Catalog and Sticker to Dept A1
319 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista, California 91910 U.S.A.
(619) 425-5007 1-800-777-0269 FAX: (619) 426-3495
Make a
thing,
make a
living!
Forget the correspondence courses and teach yourself manuals.
Do it now...hands on!
Learn how to create theatrical crafts...gain the skills needed
to work in film, theatre or TV. You'll also prepare for careers in
Industrial, Product and Environmental Design. Learn it all. Win
the awards. Call toll-free 1-800-525-1000
INDUSTRIAL The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
DESIGN The Art Institute of Seattle
TECHNOLOGY The Colorado Institute of Art
Ai
•Financial Aid Housing Employment Assistance
THE ART INSTITUTES
International
526 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 USA
SC14
STRONG REACTION
the 1st full-length
album from Chicago's
PEGBOY
on
tour
now
PEGBOY
STRONG
REACTION
STRONG REACTION
LP/CASSETTE/CD
CD INCLUDES THE THREE-CHORD MONTE EP
PEGBOY
CONCRETE MIX
PEGBOY
CONCRETE MIX
"CONCRETE MIX"
t-shirt
R
THREE CHORD
MONTE
THREE-CHORD MONTE
EP/CASSETTE
CORDS
MAIL ORDER DEPT.
P. O.
OX 2 5 3 4 2
CHICAGO. I L. 606 2 5
B
LP/CASS. $7, CD $12, T-SHIRT $10