SOUND BITES

Ah, the '80s: a time of excess, the world a neon wonderland where money flowed like champagne and cocaine flowed like money. Oh, and music videos were at the height of their influence, with MTV still playing them and all; as for me, MuchMusic was a raging addiction not unlike those Wall Street power junkies and their powder. By 1986, my consumption of the stuff was up to a solid four hours a day give or take, as I soaked in all that I could. I was an impressionable 10 year old kid with a proxy membership to Columbia House through my older siblings and, between that and regular trips to K-Mart and Zellers County Fair, my cassette collection was growing nicely. 1986 was a year of ups and downs for me; I was excelling at school and living a young and carefree life, but I was also in for the worst injury of my life to date. On December 1st, a snowmobiling mishap (I was riding on back) ended up with both bones of my right ankle snapped. All told, I was bedridden for about a week an...

Can I be honest in my feelings about Slayer for a moment without inviting blind rage from people who regard them as an infallible institution, immune from criticism and tirelessly defended by a legion of fans who would rather shout down the naysayers than admit that what they're defending might not be as worthy of their defense anymore? Probably not, but if we approach this band from a rational standpoint, they've kind of been coasting for the better part of the last 25 years. That might be hard for fans to take, but by the same token I seriously doubt a high percentage of fans who are asked to name their favourite Slayer album will name one that came out after Seasons in the Abyss . That trilogy of Rick Rubin-produced records (starting with 1986's indisputable landmark metal masterpiece Reign in Blood ) was a clear period of domination commercially and artistically, and the six albums that have followed have experienced varying degrees of failure in comparison. With ...