Hanneman
was a chief songwriter in Slayer, a band whose style of speedy metal influenced
several bands that came after. Hanneman himself was influenced by punk, and
would fuse it with metal to craft some of Slayer’s best known songs, such as “Angel
of Death” and “Raining Blood”. Seriously, listen to these songs. The guitar
riffs are faster and more aggressive than anything that came before them. These
guys pushed the tempos of everything, and Hanneman was the chief architect of
their crowning material. The music is very dark and the imagery is violent, but
that is no reason to shy away from them. Hanneman chose to document the unpleasant
side of reality in his music, and the quality of those songs stand even as they
approach their 30th anniversary.
He formed
Slayer with co-guitarist Kerry King in 1981, when the two were auditioning for
other bands. Discovering how much they had in common, Hanneman asked King “Why
don’t we form our own band?” Along with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer
extraordinaire Dave Lombardo, the band was born. They were signed to Metal
Blade Records shortly after label head Brian Slagel saw them perform Iron
Maiden’s “Phantom of the Opera”. They released three albums on Slagel’s label
before being signed to Def Jam Records, which had been primarily a hip hop
label. “Reign in Blood”, their first major label album and fourth overall, was
a success, as it peaked at number 92 on the Billboard top 200 and was certified
gold (for 500,000 copies sold) in 1992. Subsequent releases and tours saw their
popularity increase and hold steady; they would win Grammy Awards for “Eyes of
the Insane” and “Final Six” from 2006’s “Christ Illusion”. Hanneman co-wrote
both songs.
Slayer frontman Tom Araya accepting the Grammy on the band's behalf.
Slayer
essentially has one gear: fast. While they have eased on the throttle at times,
such as the clean tone sections of the title track to 1994’s “Divine
Intervention”, they are the ultimate example of “speed metal”. If you’re about
to listen to Slayer, you pretty much know what you’re going to get, and while
other bands would lose the interest of their fans for sticking to one style,
each member of Slayer has such a distinctive style that result in the foursome
creating one unique voice. Not that least of these were Hanneman’s writing
style, as he was responsible for crafting their most popular tunes. What also
can’t be overlooked are the exotic/chaotic scales and note choices he and King
would use for their solo passages. He excelled at making his guitar wail and
scream, furthering lending to the atmosphere of music that delve into the
subjects of Satanism, murder, and dementia. It is more important to be unique
than talented; Hanneman was both.
Jeff on stage during the Indio show. It would be his final performance. RIP.
Hanneman
was bitten by a spider in 2011, and had to undergo emergency surgery. He would
later say that at the time he was “an hour away from death”. He would be unable
to tour afterwards, but he was able to join Slayer on stage for two songs
during their “Big Four” (a tour featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and
Anthrax) set in Indio, California. After the show he said “I’m the
happiest man in the world”. There is a small consolation in knowing that his
final performance left him not jaded or tired, as many professional musicians
become, but as blissfully content.
He was a major fan of sports team in the Los Angeles area. He often wore an Oakland Raiders jersey on stage, and he loved hockey. I'll end this with the Twitter pic that the Los Angeles Kings franchise posted, following his death. RIP, Jeff Hanneman.
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