What happens when you take three of the heaviest hitters of metal and throw them together on tour? You get one of the loudest, blackest, neck breaking shows around. That is what was delivered to the Providence Medical Center Amphitheater on August 1st 2017. The legen (wait for it…) dary Slayer along with metal gods Lamb of God and Polish Black Metal monsters Behemoth rolled into town on a to deliver one of the hardest hitting tours of the summer.
Starting off this night of metal madness was the Polish death machine Behemoth. Adorned in face paint and his ever present shroud, Nergal took to his double headed snake mic stand that was very Conan the Barbarianesk and hell was unleashed. The amphitheater crowd was blown away by what Behemoth had to offer them. It’s not just songs about darkness, death and their lord and savior Satan himself, but the technical beauty of the music. It was not just cookie monster rock and nothing but double bass. It was actual music, and the sea of black went ape shit for it.
Stuck in there, like that middle child, Lamb of God was there to serve as that transition between the Black Metal of Behemoth and the Thrash Legends Slayer. Like the typical middle child Lamb of God has that chip on its shoulder, that angst, the fuck you, I am here and if you don’t know me now you will by the time we are done attitude. Lamb of God’s stage presence is one of the most powerful experiences you can have at a concert and it was on display in Kansas City. They demand that if you are there you are giving them back everything they are feeding you. Whether it is the cold dead eyes of Randy Blythe staring out at you or Chris Adler destroying his drum kit, every member of Lamb of God demands your attention and by god you will gladly give it. Energy and power filled the theater and it’s a damn good thing it was outside because Randy Blythe is one of the great jumpers in metal. Honestly on a personal note I would like to see a jump off between Randy and Heidi of the Butcher Babies. I think if Lamb of God had been the closer and it was just Behemoth and LoG the fans would have left just as happy, but no let’s throw in the legendary Slayer.
I keep throwing around that word “legendary,” right like get a thesaurus, learn new words. No, I call it how I see it and everyone knows that Slayer are legends in the game. Sadly the original line up is one we will never see take the stage again with the untimely death of the great Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo parting ways to pursue other musical ventures. Slayer however has not missed a beat with Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph stepping in to carry the banner for the Metal gods. The sun had gone down by the time Slayer were to take the stage and the house lights were shut off leaving everyone in the dark, waiting for what was about to be released upon them. Out of the darkness and projected on the black curtain were revolving pentagrams and inverted crosses that lead to dual Slayer logos meeting in the middle and then bam, the curtain dropped and it was go time ladies and gentleman. Opening with the title track from the 2015 “Repentless” Slayer set the bar high out of the gate and never let up with a nineteen song set list that spans the throngs of time. Kerry King chains in tow, strapped to his side as always slid into that power stance as he has done a thousand times and went to work with his tools of destruction in his hands. Of course as always up front and center accompanies by what has to be the most all around greatest hair in Metal, Tom Araya bellowed out the lyrics that have kept Slayer in the forefront of Metal for all this time. The sounds of fans singing along, the lights, the fire made for a night straight out of hell, but that was not a bad thing, it is why everyone was there, it is what they wanted.
Photos by Amber Miller, RockRevolt photojournalist
Review by Ace Sims, RockRevolt journalist
Behemoth
Lamb of God
Slayer
