Slayer, Anthrax and Lamb of God - Buffalo, NY

Embarking on their final world tour, Slayer are preparing to hang up their horns for good. Their farewell tour, which recently made a stop at Western NY’s Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, began this Summer and spans all the way into 2019 with 3 final shows at Hellfest next June.

Since 1981, Slayer has been touring hard, amassing fans young and old. Attending a show, so deep into their career, is really a bit of a family affair for many. Metalheads that have been there since the beginning, now bring their kids along to witness the mayhem. The general admission lawn was riddled with a wide variety of music fans, coming to pay their respects to not just a founder of Thrash Metal, but a group that has had a huge influence on the Hard Rock genre.

This farewell tour seems to be a mini metal festival of it’s own. Joining Slayer on this final run are Napalm Death, Testament, Lamb of God, and Anthrax. It’s amazing that the crowd was still standing after six hours of insanity. Being another of the “Big Four”, of course Anthrax and Slayer have crossed paths and shared stages in the past, but seeing them together in one night is such a treat, and no doubt a bucket list item for many.

After Napalm Death and Testament, Anthrax had a very primed up crowd ready for more, and walking onto stage to Pantera’s “Cowboy’s From Hell” only helped fuel that excitement. The band’s energy was on point as usual as they led their set off with their hit, “Caught in a Mosh”, followed by “Got the Time” (a Joe Jackson cover), and “Madhouse”.

Lamb of God followed up and blasted through a pretty condensed set of crowd favorites, opening with “Omerta”, and finishing out with “Laid to Rest” and “Redneck”.

Then time for the main event, Slayer took the stage for the last time in Western NY. Appropriately leading off with “Delusions of Saviour” and right into 2015’s “Repentless”. It seemed like the band was able to visit each of their albums during their 19- song setlist, and definitely spared no expense on the pyrotechnics. There were points of the set where I’m sure fire was blasting through the entirety of a song. Slayer finished out the night with “Angel of Death”, while paying tribute to their former Guitarist and founding member Jeff Hanneman, who passed away in 2013. The crowd united in chants of “Hanneman! Hanneman! Hanneman!” as an enormous stage backdrop proclaimed him as “The Angel of Death”. The band faced the crowd and absorbed the roaring cheers with smiles on their faces. Some yelled for an encore (though at that point, I’m not sure what else the could play). With that, the guys left the stage. So while their touring days may be coming to a close, the legacy of Slayer will continue to reign.

Slayer Photo Gallery - All Photos By: Keith Barker