Description
2004 release in a 6-panel cross-shaped digipak cover
Recorded and released as a follow-up to the Haunting The Chapel EP, specifically during the tour for that effort (though apparently actually in a studio with a few hypercharged fans in audible attendance), Live Undead shows the band still coming together in ways. Hell Awaits was around the corner and Reign in Blood further off yet, so the set relies on their earliest material, sometimes striking but formative nonetheless. But if nothing else Tom Araya’s part snarling and part merry way around death, doom, and destruction was already nearly settled — only one or two Rob Halford-level shrieks sneak through here and there (“The Antichrist” cartoonishly so) — while the full quartet’s Judas Priest/Iron Maiden in absolute overdrive approach was already paying off. Dave Lombardo’s drumming handled the steadier stomp of songs like “Die by the Sword” solidly while going to town on “Captor of Sin” and particularly “Evil Has No Boundaries,” the best performance of the seven songs. Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King — the latter featuring a slightly unfortunate hairdo on the back cover — strike just enough of a balance, however unexpectedly, between technical skill and flailing chaos. Hell Awaits eventually brought all the newer changes out in fuller force, even with subpar production, so Live Undead isn’t really necessary except for the hardest of hardcore fans in the end, especially in comparison to Decade of Aggression. Still, it does have its “it could only be Slayer” moments — including Araya’s almost casual way of rudely introducing Captor Of Sin. This limited re-issue includes the Haunting The Chapel EP as bonus. This EP is boasting the awesome Chemical Warfare, a regular staple of Slayer’s live shows, the Haunting The Chapel EP was a more crucial stepping stone in the legendary L.A. band’s career development than many give it credit for. Issued in between the band’s very promising debut and the following year’s more sonically ripened Hell Awaits, Haunting The Chapel offers important clues about this transition period, which saw Slayer’s rock-based song structures give way to the non-linear, genre-defining style thereafter regarded as thrash metal’s signature sound. Among the uniformly solid cuts here, the enduring fan favorite Captor Of Sin is another highlight, making this a well-recommended release for committed Slayer fans
Track listing:
1. Black Magic
2. Die By The Sword
3. Captor Of Sin
4. The Antichrist
5. Evil Has No Boundaries
6. Show No Mercy
7. Aggressive Perfector
8. Chemical Warfare
9. Captor of Sin
10. Haunting the Chapel
11. Aggressive Perfector