This Friday night, heavy metal legends Slayer will play the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, alongside Anthrax and Death Angel. Yes, you read that right. The band responsible for the most metal song of all time — “Raining Blood” — is playing at a casino. Formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, Slayer are one quarter of the thrash-metal assault that took the world of heavy metal by storm in the mid-’80s, alongside Anthrax, Metallica, and Megadeth. You could also include hardcore band Suicidal Tendencies as an honorary member of that “core four,” as the Suicidal fan base exhibits some of the same characteristics as Slayer worshippers.
Slayer
Slayer’s insanely dedicated fan base will tell you that the band has never released a bad album, but it was the trifecta of Reign in Blood (1986), South of Heaven (1988), and Seasons in the Abyss (1990) that solidified Slayer as the world’s best metal band leading into the ’90s. The band has won two Grammy awards and influenced everyone from Slipknot to Pantera, but the California powerhouse has also had their fair share of controversy. In addition to being accused of being Nazi sympathesizers (Slayer’s iconic logo mimics a Nazi relic), the band has been accused of bringing thousands of teens to worship the Dark Lord by moms and dads who just don’t “get it.” Their lyrics deal with themes that are not exactly uplifting in nature, and their albums consistently feature grotesque, violent, and controversial cover art. Pentagrams tend to do that.
Taking all of these things into consideration, Saturday’s concert should make for one of the most historically significant shows the Horseshoe has ever booked, and with Anthrax on the bill, there’s a good chance the gig will sell out.
