Before you see the light you must die.

june gloom on 3/5/2013 at 03:02

(http://www.metalsucks.net/2013/05/02/slayers-jeff-hanneman-is-dead/) Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dead at 49. Apparently liver failure is the cause, and he was suffering from necrotizing fasciitis last year as well.

I was never a big fan of Slayer -- I liked some of their songs alright, but of the "Big Four" of thrash metal I always preferred Metallica and Megadeth. That being said, Hanneman was an unqualified genius who made Slayer more than a flash in the pan. People can tout Kerry King all they want, it was Hanneman's advancements that put Slayer in the Big Four in the first place.

I'm really getting tired of guys in the metal scene dying young. Peter Steele was 48. Chuck Schuldiner was 34. Darrell Abbott was 38. Miika Tenkula was 34. Hell, even the Deftones lost their bassist Chi Cheng (42) just last month. And it's always the stand-up guys, the nice guys. Why Darrell Abbott, for example? Why not that asshole Phil Anselmo? Why Chuck Schuldiner, who was quite possibly the nicest guy in death metal? I don't get it.

It's been a long time since I've been a self-proclaimed "metalhead" but I do still pay attention to the scene, and this whole thing is just sad. Nobody was expecting this. :(

fett on 3/5/2013 at 03:30

Yeah, I was utterly shocked, had no idea he was sick.

I had an interesting relationship with Slayer. When I was a young Christian into the "white" metal scene, they were like the Anti-Christ. Until Deicide came along, they were the ultimate enemy, Satan's own puppets, and cited as the darkest and most dangerous of metal bands. As I eventually stopped defining things in such black and white terms and got into Metallica and Anthrax, Slayer was still the big hurdle for me. Ironically, the very first time I auditioned to sing in a full-on metal band, I had to learn two of their songs. I ended up buying their entire cataloge, mostly for Dave Lombardo, but also because I'm a completionist. Certainly not my favorite band, but my grudging admission that they were pretty good grew into admiration for their consistency, longevity, and sheer insistence on just being Slayer. I was especially impressed with Hanneman when I started to realize how many other metal bands bore some of his signature techniques and methodology. Just a huge loss for the metal community. He was definitely one of the guys I would have wanted to stick around for 50 more years because when the history of metal is finally written, his perspective would have been one of the most relevant.

SubJeff on 3/5/2013 at 06:10

It's odd isn't it? That such talented guys should choose to make such dark and disturbing music. I'm also a Lombardo fan and I don't really like King's fret wanking. Overall I always thought the whole band must pretty much be jerks (heavier and more extreme bands we always just nutters to be discounted IMHO) but they have amazing ability. I dislike most of what I've heard, for purely artistic reasons (and I think I stopped paying serious attention after Sex, Murder, Art or Serenity in Murder made me :rolleyes: one time too many but I think Lombardo had left then anyway) but I can't deny that the pre-Divine Intervention albums have some amazing stuff on them.

Seasons in the Abyss (the track) should have a place in some metal hall of fame. Every part of it is awesome and although I love it most of all for the fabulous drumming the guitar work is just great.

RIP Jeff.

Haplo on 3/5/2013 at 06:52

RIP Jeff, how many fun hours I spent learning your amazing riffs...

Ostriig on 3/5/2013 at 08:59

Man, bummer. Hm, I remember Slayer being the first thing to get me into metal back in my teens.

Mr.Duck on 3/5/2013 at 10:05

\m/ :( \m/

Throwing the horns in salute.

R.I.P.

henke on 3/5/2013 at 12:06

Aww man. Can't say I've ever been a huge fan, only listened to two of their albums all the way through, but I was nonetheless looking forward to seeing them at the Pukkelpop festival this summer, as I suspect they'd put on an ace live show.

faetal on 3/5/2013 at 12:16

Just read about this. I'm not a Slayer fan, but it's tragic that this seems to have arisen from a fucking spider bite!

Nature's a bitch. :(

HelloHello on 3/5/2013 at 19:31

You ain't nobody until someone has slayed you.

In this case, God. RIP.

Pyrian on 3/5/2013 at 22:18

Quote Posted by dethtoll

Apparently liver failure is the cause, and he was suffering from necrotizing fasciitis last year as well. ... I'm really getting tired of guys in the metal scene dying young.

Hmm. I'm guessing not a coincidence. :erg: