Slayer: War at the Warfield

When Slayer started playing the Los Angeles-San Francisco club circuit in the 1980s, it quickly garnered the support of fans and the press for its over-the-top themes and manic live show. Slayer’s latest DVD is a live recording of its December 2001 set at San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre. From the opening “Disciple” to the closing “Angel of Death” comes a sampling of Slayer’s catalog that runs from “Hell Awaits” to the more obscure “Chemical Warfare.” Although vocalist and bassist Tom Araya struggles with some high notes, you can never go wrong with the dual lead-guitar work of Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Never before had so many single notes been crammed into 16 bars of music. Amen to the guitar gods. Slayer. Dude.