For nearly 40 years, Slayer has remained one of the most important bands in heavy metal. Their unapologetic views on religion, government, and society have captivated fans of the genre as far back as 1983. Their success is due in part to their ability to stay true to themselves while refusing to make music for the mainstream. As their farewell tour draws to a close and fans come to terms with a world without Slayer, The Repentless Killogy, acts as a swan song for the first of the Big 4 (Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, and Anthrax) to call it a day.
Directed by modern-horror mastermind BJ McDonnell, The Repentless Killogy vaguely follows disgraced neo-Nazi, Wyatt on his bloodthirsty quest for vengeance.
One by one Wyatt takes down the members of his former gang after they kidnapped and murdered his pregnant girlfriend. With each scene more violent than the last, the story eventually wraps at a Slayer show featuring a creative way to feature the band members themselves. The overall narrative of Killogy resembles a fever dream more than a typical action movie but serves as an incredible opening act for the main event: a full 90-minute Slayer concert professionally shot by Wayne Isham.
Unlike Metallica’s 3D theatrical concert film Through The Never, the live performance portion The Repentless Killogy isn’t part of the scripted story. In fact, after the short film closes there are actual credits and a separate title card ahead of the concert. Even in presentation, the pacing of the short film and concert performance makes Killogy feel like an opening act and headliner respectively. One compliments the other and despite being two different mediums, the final product is cohesive and satisfying.
Opening with “Delusions of Saviour” and a screen of slowly inverting crosses, Slayer’s introduction felt more like an end boss.
While not the biggest venue in Los Angeles, The Forum was a personal achievement for the members of Slayer. After allegedly inciting a riot on Sunset Blvd early in their career, Slayer was banned from playing in the county. Finally getting to play there seemed to heighten the energy and became the perfect place to film a theatrical performance. Due to the size of the venue, Isham didn’t have the luxury of outlandish set design. However, with a band as aggressive as Slayer, pyrotechnics and blasphemous banners are more than enough to accentuate the performance.
Speaking of performance, the cinematography is nothing short of amazing. Aside from being slightly frantic during the first few songs, Isham is able to get up close and personal without the nauseating editing of most concert films. There’s also plenty of shots of the sold-out crowd thrashing about and singing along, painting an accurate picture of the Slayer experience.
Admittedly, seeing a Slayer show from a leather recliner in a suburban movie theater doesn’t sound very metal.
However, it was nice to witness this a metal show without getting my head kicked in while on the frontlines. During this year’s Riot Fest, I made the mistake of being in front of the stage during Slayer’s headlining performance. My life flashed before my eyes when I inadvertently ended up in the pit. I lost my beloved Danzig hat, a shoe, and received multiple fists to my jaw as I made my way to the side of the crowd. Feeling like a real-life version of the DOOM cover art, I kissed the ground when I found safety and swore to never do that again.
Growing up in a Christian home, I’m not exactly the key demographic for a band such as Slayer.
As with my introduction to Ministry and love for The Misfits, the appeal of Slayer has more to do with inclusiveness than lyrics. Their confidence to explore what society may deem inappropriate encourages the listener to own their wickedness and oppose the standard conventions of church and government. While blasphemous in theory, it offers the listener the freedom to subscribe to a way of thinking based on their own convictions instead of hierarchy. For the most part, Slayer’s music is a reflection of society. It’s not so much about worshipping anything but documenting the existence of evil. Even from a Christian-based perspective, pretending evil doesn’t exist is a dreadful misconception. I may go as far as saying Slayer’s stance does more to strengthen my beliefs than most Christian music.
This brutal honesty is arguably the most important aspect of Slayer’s four-decade-long career. From the very start, this band has never backed down in the face of adversity. They have shrugged off just about every form of controversy the media has thrown at them. Be it accusations of Nazi-sympathizing, albums recalled and destroyed, even a lawsuit holding them responsible for influencing a murder! Slayer has always been about unabashedly delivering their music the way they see fit regardless of whos offended.
As clearly stated in the lyrics of “Repentless”, “No looking back. No regrets. No apologies. What you get is what you see.”. I’m not sure if it can any more metal than that.
Slayer: The Repentless Killogy is available now at Nuclear Blast Records.