Episode 37: Triple Shot... The Big Four, The Big Year, and American Carnage, featuring Metallica, Anthrax, and Megadeth.

Yiz get three topics / three chapters this week: A lengthy compare-contrast of the Big Four thrash metal bands. We talk about the Big Four and what the word "big" means. Then we see them all in action together, in the first Big Four concerts. (Spoiler: More will follow.) Then Slayer and Megadeth and Anthrax and Testament reunite for some North American Carnage.

Two weeks ago, Slayer formally reunited with Dave Lombardo, recorded the Christ Illusion album, and won another Grammy.

Last week, Patreon supporters heard about the World Painted Blood record and Dave Lombardo's divorce, which will affect Slayer in various ways.

Next week is a long one: Slaytreon supporters get an episode called Nectrotizing Fascitis, which is about the beginning of the end of Jeff Hanneman’s time in slayer – and his very life itself.

DEEZ NOTES:

Slayer, live in Germany, Rock am Ring fest, 2010: THIS IS WICKED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2BHfmk-aKI

Slayer's set from the home video The Big Four Live from Sofia, Bulgaria:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6cgarKRSas

Members of all the Big Four bands— or, in Slayer's case, A member — all jam "Am I Evil" live at an early Big Four concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__j5Z_WcVgE

Video: Behind the Scenes at the Big Four:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IseQTefp_LI

American Carnage tour announcement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-NdSH6Lkvk

Shaky fan footage of Slayer taking the stage to "World Painted Blood" on the American Carnage tour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlsY28Qc7w

THIS SHOW IS...

After some introductory episodes, Talkin' Slayer tells the story of the Los Angeles heavy metal institution, in chronological order: how the band happened, when things fell apart, how they put them back together, and what it all meant — no, MEANS.

After Episode Nine, Patreon supporters receive every weekly episode. Free listeners get every other episode, every other week. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/SlayerBook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The Talkin' Slayer podcast program show is written, deeply researched, lightly edited, and mostly rehearsed, with some production value. This is an all-killer-no-filler podcast: The episode proper begins after roughly 60 seconds of introduction, tops. No need to skip the first 15 minutes. The music changes every week.

Ferris is an award-winning writer. He has worked for Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, The AV Club, and Decibel magazine. He is a fan. He has opinions. He is the author of something like nine books, depending how you count them. Two are about Slayer. The first one is an entire book about the classic thrash album Reign in Blood, which is part of the fairly prestigious 33 1/3 book series.

His bigger Slayer book, though, is the 2023 update of the full-on band biography "Slayer 66 & 2/3: A Metal Band Biography, POSTMORTEM Edition." (This is the third edition; it was previously known as "Slayer 66 & 2/3: The Jeff and Dave Years....").

And that book is mostly what he'll be talking about when we're talkin' Slayer. Most episodes are audio adaptations of chapters from that book. Some have original and/or bonus material.

Ferris' Slayer books at Amazon: