One of 2018’s most anticipated tours made a stop at The Bomb Factory, last week. While the impressive bill included some of metal’s hottest acts it’s the headliner that's been bringing out fans in droves. Admittedly, this show was held at a much smaller venue than most of the stops on the tour. Still, it sold out in 3 minutes. Any way you slice it, that's impressive! This is because speed metal titans Slayer are calling it quits at the conclusion of their worldwide farewell tour. While the chance to catch the band one last time is incentive enough, the Southern Cali juggernauts are bringing along the likes of Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth and Testament. As you can see there is a lot to be excited about.
Being a big fan of all five bands I was really looking forward to this show. Of course, it’s bittersweet to know this will be my last opportunity to see a band whose music has been a part of my life for nearly 28 years. I remember back in college, when a friend of mine threw on then then newly released Seasons in the Abyss album, I was immediately hooked. I was fortunate enough to see the band shortly thereafter on the Clash of the Titans Tour in 1991, alongside Megadeth and Antrhax, as well as seeing them several more times over the years. This farewell tour was one last chance to witness the classics that I’ve been rattling speakers with for almost 3 decades.
All four openers threw down hard and got the crowd moving and mosh pits rolling. There was plenty of thrash from Testament and Anthrax, mixed with a little black metal from Behemoth and some pure American metal from Lamb of God. As I looked around the venue during each set, I saw pits grow progressively larger and crowd-surfing become ever more prevalent, but on this night it was Slayer who whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy.