Slayer/Chiba,Japan 2019

28 years and 4 months have passed since the legendary first visit to Japan in 1990. Finally, Emperor SLAYER’s last performance in Japan has been completed. The best original recording that records the whole story is now available. SLAYER has always embodied the ideals of thrash metal and has continued to be a beacon for all Eustream music. The stage of the last performance in Japan was “March 21, 2019: Makuhari Messe” performance. It was a semi-final appearance at DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, which was the first time they had landed in Japan. Since this is our last opportunity, let’s unravel the history of their glorious visit to Japan. ・December 1990: TOURING THE ABYSS (6 performances) ・April 1995: DIVINE INTOURVENTION TOUR (4 performances) ・July 1998: DIABOLUS ON TOUR (1 performance) ・October 1998: DIABOLUS ON TOUR (5 performances) Performance)・August 2001: GOD HATES US ALL TOUR (1 performance)・January 2002: GOD HATES THE WORLD TOUR (1 performance) ・October 2006: CHRIST ILLUSION TOUR (3 performances) ・October 2009: WORLD PAINTED BLOOD TOUR (3 performances) ・October 2012: LOUD PARK EXTRA JAPAN TOUR (3 performances) October 2015: REPENTLESS TOUR (3 performances)・October 2017: REPENTLESS TOUR (2 performances) ・March 2019: SLAYER FAREWELL TOUR (1 performance) A total of 33 performances. Since 2001, they have performed at many large festivals, and all of them were memorable tours. This work is an audience recording that records the last one with the best sound. This is an original recording given to us by the recording artist himself, but the overwhelming thing is the harsh clarity and direct feeling. Makuhari Messe is a huge space with poor acoustics. Therefore, blurry and bouncy audience recordings are not uncommon, but this work is different. Anyway, each note has a sharp outline, and even the first cutting that cuts the riff has a sharp edge. Moreover, there is no loud roar that is common in thrash metal recordings. In fact, although Tom Araya’s vocals and the sound of the snare sound like an audience, it’s just a matter of tone. Even if I listened carefully with headphones, I couldn’t feel the venue’s acoustics, and the bass was heavy. Each successive hit of the bass drum that shakes the five organs and kicks up the six intestines is powerful, and the onslaught of slashes is thrust right in front of you with clarity. “DOWNLOAD SYDNEY 2019 (Shades 1031)” released at the same time was also a superb soundboard-grade recording, but this work is better in terms of transparent clarity. Coupled with the strangely distant cheers, it’s a vivid sound that makes you think it’s a direct-to-the-table soundboard or IEMs. The last show drawn with such a sound can be summed up in these words. “SLAYER is SLAYER”. The set that has been fine-tuned since last year is the same as “DOWNLOAD SYDNEY 2019” released at the same time, and I will leave the details to that commentary, but the performance is even more amazing than the all-time best show. I guess it’s just because it’s the last time in Japan that we feel so attached to it, but the spirit is overwhelming. The ensemble, which features Bay Area heroes such as the superman Paul Bostaph and Crunch founder Gary Holt, is intense, and Kerry King’s crazy solo is even more sinister. And above all, Tom’s singing and screaming. Perhaps due to the fact that the Christchurch concert that was supposed to be held just before they came to Japan was canceled due to a mass shooting, the brutal thrash metal sounds like it has a strange sense of urgency. We have delivered live albums of “FAREWELL TOUR” so far, but the spirit of this rip-off is still special. It was only after the performance that those emotions turned into conviction. It has already become a hot topic in various places, but after everyone left the stage, only Tom reappeared. I will give a speech in Japanese. Let’s write down those words. “This is our last show. I’m so sad. I’m missing you. Goodbye. See you someday, see you again, see you someday. Thank you very much.” These words brought tears to the metal fans gathered at the venue. In fact, final greetings are given at venues all over the world, but in most venues it’s something as simple as “Thank you very much” (even at “DOWNLOAD SYDNEY 2019” it’s just one word). On this day, on the other hand, I prepared a memo with a Japanese translation, and despite my inexperience, I read it aloud. In this work, you can’t see the facial expressions filled with all the emotions, but every single Japanese word is clearly engraved. The film ends with METALLICA’s “Sad But True” playing as if listening to Tom’s words. No matter how much people say “Farewell,” I didn’t think it was the last show until it actually happened, but the “last show” that came out of Tom’s mouth hit me with reality. And looking back at the full show, the spirit that led up to those words was packed full of energy. This is a one-of-a-kind live album that perfectly depicts the weight and passion packed into each song with the finest sound. Musically, it’s a superb thrash album, and a collection of masterpieces that concentrates Emperor’s career, but it’s much more than that. The last night that Emperor SLAYER carved in Japan. Disc 1 (43:43) 1. Intro 2. Delusions of Saviour 3. Repentless 4. Blood Red 5. Disciple 6. Mandatory Suicide 7. Hate Worldwide 8. War Ensemble 9. Jihad 10. When the Stillness Comes 11. Postmortem 12 . Black Magic Disc 2 (47:38) 1. Payback 2. Seasons in the Abyss 3. Born of Fire 4. Dead Skin Mask 5. Hell Awaits 6. South of Heaven 7. Raining Blood 8. Chemical Warfare 9. Angel of Death 10. Outro. Tom Araya – vocals, bass Kerry King – guitar Gary Holt – guitar Paul Bostaph – drums