The skies turned red Wednesday evening when world-famous thrash metal band Slayer performed for the first time for the Manila leg of their Repentless Tour 2017.
Repentless is the first album of the band that features its new member lineup following the death of guitarist Jeff Hanneman and the exit of original drummer Dave Lombardo.
Hundreds of fans clad in black trooped to Kia Theater in Quezon City, excited for the band’s first performance in the Philippines, already getting noticeably wild even during sound check.
The show, which started around 8:15, heralded a cacophonous roar followed by the unveiling of the Repentless album cover as the concert’s stage backdrop. The cover features a ferocious display of blood-themed design made by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco. During the show, the album art, in which Jesus Christ’s eyes can be seen full of bloody tears, was made more harrowing by the psychedelic lights that periodically changed the tones and hues of the original design. There were also amazing graphic patterns being flashed across the concert hall, matching every emotion conveyed by the each song.
Slayer kicked things off with the “Repentless” instrumental track followed by “Repentless,” “Antichrist” from the 1993 record “Show No Mercy”, then “Disciple” from the “God Hates Us All” album.
Watch some of the concert highlights here (via INQUIRER.net videographer Ryan Leagogo):
The band mixed new stuff with older stuff with Tom Araya keeping the banter to a minimum. But the fans did not mind as they were swept in a feverish frenzy with one thrash metal after another such as “Postmortem,” “Hate Worldwide,” “You Against You,” “Raining blood,” “Hell Awaits,” and “Delusions of Saviour.”
PULP Live Word, the promoter of the show, has prohibited crowdsurfing and moshing, among other things.
But when the band started hitting the riffs for their most popular songs, the crowd started forming a huge circle of pit where everyone was welcome to join the moshing.
Slayer ended the night with some of their very best songs, including “Black Magic,” “South of Heaven,” “Raining Blood” and of course, “Angel of Death.”
The show lasted for almost two hours but this is definitely the show we could’ve asked for and more. Tom Araya’s base and vocals, the brutal riffs of Kerry King and Gary Holt and the thunder of Paul Bostaph’s drums provided an amazing chemistry that provided a wonder but brutal outcome where every fans will be looking forward to another show.
Written exclusively by INQUIRER.net reporter Tetch Torres-Tupas for InqPOP!