Customer Reviews

Live: Decade of Aggression

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 2 disc live set is absolutely killer. Any big Slayer fan Needs this set. On disc one, we have most of their classics, Hell awaits, South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Dead Skin Mask, War Ensemble, Seasons in the Abyss, Angel of Death etc. The second Disc is filled with other great songs that are still great, plus it has Chemical Warfare and Black Magic some all time favorites. The only thing that most people fail to mention here is that in the Imports, disc two also contains Skeletons of Society and At Dawn They Sleep; two songs that would fit perfectly here. Some songs shown here sound better then they do on the records, an example would be anything off show no mercy and haunting the chapel, as well as the song Born of Fire (the only song that I feel the urge to skip on the Seasons in the Abyss record). The packaging is great, and there are no complaints. Sure Tom's introduction to War Ensemble may seem a little strange, but the pit must have been getting out of control and the concert may have gotten canceled if anyone was seriously hurt. Wouldn't you warn the audience if you were on stage and if it did happen, you might get sued or worse, or a riot starts or the show might get cancelled by the arena owners or whatever. I'm also just really ticked off at what the reviewer Slyne said about Tom Araya's vocals and so I'm just going to blow off some steam right now.

"The singer - Let's start with the lyrics: a pile of garbage. This guy can't sing, and he's not even convincing. If you want something scary, go listen to Dimmu Borgir, for instance (Same satanic theme, but much more believable)." - Slyne

Now for my response. Are you F***ing Nuts?! Dimmu Borgir? Tom's vocals are so much more believable in comparison it's not even funny. An angry guy yelling is a lot more believable than, a guy making gurgle sounds like a pathetic angry hamster. See the Dimmu Borgir songs Burn in Hell and Devils Path for proof. I'm not saying that listening to Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth is a bad thing, there is far worse. I'm just saying that comparing Dimmu Borgir to Slayer just isn't right. Slayer and Pantera or Morbid Angel or Sepultura, or Vader, or hell, there is so many other bands that make for a better comparison, but because the guy chose Dimmu Borgir it isn't a surprise that he got 2/20 helpful votes.

Well, all in all this 2 disc set is worth every penny. Tom's voice and bass is great here, the guitars are great(if you notice something Kerry controls one speaker and Jeff will control another, they work together flawlessly), Dave's drumming is phenomenal, and the quality is excellent. Hoped this helped.

I've always liked live albums because it shows what a band are really capable of. Stripped of all the studio trickery and aids such as looping and endless overdubbing, a band actually has to play in order to make a performance worth listening to. Listening to a live album is not the same as seeing the band because the visual element can compensate for crap musicianship. This is a very good live album. Slayer play with a furious intensity throughout and many of the songs are better live. For example all the songs from the wretched sounding "Show No Mercy" album sound MUCH better on DOA. They're faster, more agressive and don't have that early '80s reverb on the vocals (whoever thought that was a good idea should be flayed alive) In fact all the songs prior to Reign in Blood sound better on DOA. Overall the playing is topnotch, props to Dave Lombardo who plays with a single minded agressive purpose: take no prisoners. And Kerry and Jeffs' guitar solos have to be heard to be believed. I think guitarists everywhere whether they're metal heads or not would appreciate their musicianship.

The only complaint is that the sound/mix just isn't as good as it could be. The drums are muddy, the bass is far too low and the guitars when soloing are clear, but the rhythm playing lacks definition and volume. So I gotta kick off a star for that. Otherwise DOA is a great live album and worth getting even if you have the studio albums.

Slayer are indisputably one of the best ever live heavy metal bands, and, after dominating the thrash circuit for most of the 1980's and the early part of the Nineties, Slayer released their first live album. Unlike many live discs at the time, "Decade of Aggression," which was recorded on the band's "Seasons in the Abyss" tour, features no overdubs or other studio repairs. But, even still, the difference between these live songs and the studio versions is always very small, and sometimes these live songs are indistinguishable from the originals. Since this album is 100% pure, all live material, it's a great testament to the band's superb and awe-inspiring musicianship. Guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman play as fast as a NASCAR racer and as technical as a heart surgeon. They rip through your speakers and tear through every song with smoldering, fret-board smoking riffs and wild solos, making "DoA" the most energetic and scorching album I've ever heard. Plus screamer Tom Araya's vocals are usually in top form, here, and drummer Dave Lombardo may struggle to keep up with the rest of the band during "War Ensemble" and "Angel of Death," but his playing is usually great and very precise, as well (see "Chemical Warfare"). Slayer just push the pedal to the metal and, save for a couple of mid-tempo numbers (i.e. "South of Heaven"), don't let up for the duration of both discs (which combine a total of almost ninety minutes in length). Every famous Slayer song, from 1991 and before, is covered over the course of these 21 tracks (i.e. "Raining Blood," "Jesus Saves," "Dead Skin Mask," "Angel of Death," "Chemical Warfare," etc). The first disc, which was entirely recorded at the Lakeland Coliseum in Florida, begins with "Hell Awaits." Both guitarists begin playing moderately fast, chugging riffs, before changing gears and launching, full blast, into breakneck guitar riffs. Other highlights (on the first disc) include the careening "War Ensemble" (which begins with Tom lecturing the mosh pit on "helping each other out"), the blistering "Altar of Sacrifice," "Jesus Saves" (which races by so fast, you barely hear any actual notes-just a flash flood of guitar noise), and the five back-to-back guitar solos on "Angel of Death." Standout tracks on the second disc (which was mostly recorded in California) are the heavy, pounding "Hallowed Point," the blindingly fast "Captor of Sin," the chug and churning "Postmortem," and "Spirit In Black," which is brutal and almost out of control. "Decade of Aggression" is a great, viscous album (probably the best live speed metal album ever recorded), and an essential inclusion in your Slayer collection. Plus, since the live versions of the songs on this album are about as good as the studio cuts, and since "Decade of Aggression" has a greatest hits track listing, this is also a great place to start if you're new to Slayer.

One of the best live albums ever. Slayer takes the show on the road here and offers up what we've come to expect from them. Hard hitting, never less than challenging, the music is an electrified, pulse pounding frenzy and from the time you hit play with "Hell Awaits" there is no turning back from the entire experience. Weightiness and fun all combine in this show of shows and Slayer never disappoints.

The men show themselves to be the stuff of legend. Nothing can be improved here - nothing that could have been tweaked in a studio could have any more relevance than what sheer talent, drive and energy can provide onstage. The audience ate them up. So will you.

Slayer is a great,veteran band. They are also one of the best bands live. This is the best live disc released in the 90's,that's for sure! Excellent all around.The production and the way it was mixed is superb. Starting off with "Hell Awaits" ripping right into "The Antichrist" leaves chills up and down your spine,it's so awsome. "Raining Blood" is incredible. "Chemical Warfare" is my fave on this,straight in your face thrash metal LIVE! This whole 2 disc set is great,the songs I listed are just MY standout picks. They don't make live albums like this anymore. Decade of Aggression is a masterpiece in live recording.

First off, I am a huge Slayer fan and Dave Lombardo is one of my drumming heroes.

This album is great, but not very tight. Two songs are actually pretty horrific to listen to: War Ensemble and Angel of Death on disc 1. On WE, Lombardo is a little off with his ride cymbal until he hits the section with the fast double bass - then he is way off. In AoD, the section from the dueling solos to the end of the song sounds kind of like a trainwreck. However, these tunes were recorded near the end of Lombardo's first run with Slayer and at that time he and the rest of the band weren't getting along very well and his drum tech was not setting up his drums properly. (That's also why the double bass break in AoD sounds uneven.) As bad as Lombardo played on those two tunes, they are actually neat little pieces of Slayer's history.

With that said, the rest of the album rocks. It's nothing they haven't done live before but what more can you want in a Slayer show!

\m/ Slayer! \m/

This album captures Slayer at the pinnacle of their career, just after recording Seasons in the Abyss (not that they have let up since -- their following albums are still good, and their live shows still destroy). The sound quality is excellent, and all the best Slayer tunes are represented here. The playing is fast and furious -- it is insane how tight Slayer plays these warp speed songs. "Decade" contains the two best speed metal songs ever, Angel of Death and Chemical Warfare -- 'nuff said! Long live the mighty Slayer!!

This was actually the first Slayer album I bought. Up until that point I was mainly into slower stuff - things with a heavy groove, stuff with breakdowns, really tight rhythm sections, etc.

Slayer was and is a whole different ball game than that. Since that time I've gotten into heavier and heavier music [while at the same time stretching further into the world of jazz (I'm a sax player by trade, as well as a bass player). However, every time I crank this album up, I get this feeling like "Man, what have I been listening to the past couple weeks?! Emperor?! Killswitch Engage?!"

Emperor and KsE are two excellent bands [especially Emperor's final album; it was an absolute masterpiece], but you can hear Slayer in both bands [and every other modern metal band on the planet].

It's always amusing for me to note one thing. I've heard bands try to cover Slayer tunes live (usually Raining Blood or Angel Of Death, etc), and they just sound terrible. Not necessarily for lack of technical ability on the part of the bands, but for the vocals. I've heard vocalists try to do a hardcore or death metal interpretation of Tom's vox, and it just doesn't fit. There's a certain thing about his yell (you can't usually call it a scream, exactly...); it makes him more ominous-sounding, more believable half the time, than most metal vocalists to come after him.

If you've never heard much Slayer, I would tell you to get this album, along with Seasons In The Abyss and the new cd, Christ Illusions.

I'd give this about 4.5 stars, really. I enjoy the studio cuts from Slayer slightly more overall, but it's pretty amazing to hear this stuff performed live.

The music is as fast and aggressive as humanly possible but somehow manages to avoid turning into slop. I credit the incredible Dave Lombardo (drums) for this. His performance on this album should rate as one of the top ten "drum albums" of any genre or period. It's really incredible. Good show by the rest of the band as well.

I wouldn't pick this up before Reign in Blood, South of Heaven or Seasons in the Abyss, but if you have those, it's a good listen for sure.

One of the best REAL live performances to be ever captured on tape. Anyone who cannot recognize the talent has no ear whatsoever. Brilliant live band.