Opinion: Slayer guitar solos

I was hoping to open up a discussion on Slayer's guitar solos. While most agree that the riffs are heavy and bada**, many disagree on the merits of the guitar solos in Slayer songs. Some love Kerry and Jeff's solos, some think they can often devolve into 'random noise'.

What do you think? Also, who plays better lead, Kerry or Jeff?

 

Much like Downing and Tipton, I've always felt that King and Hanneman complimented each other nicely. And like any band, there are usually weak spots here or there. Especially when you're around for decades. I've always favored Jeff (even before he passed), but for the style of music these guys dealt out, King is certainly no slouch.

 

Excellent points. I always wondered why they changed their soloing so drastically after their debut album. On that album, the solos have much more melody.

 

Wow I didn't know Jeff Hanneman died. I am a new Slayer fan but I love the twin guitar attack. I don't really know who is playing what at any given time but their ability to thrash at any given moment and still maintain that punk immediacy is what makes them one of my favorite metal bands. Seeing them on the Golden Gods, all sporting beer guts and gray hair, but still absolutely shredding was very inspiring for this old man. Just because we're getting older doesn't mean we still can't rock.

 

Metallica and now even Slayer have started to catch some flack about 'hanging around too long'. I think that's all BS. They all still kill it live, and I, for one, am very, very happy that they're still around >30 years later.

 

If you haven't yet, you should check out the bands Overkill, Anthrax and Testament.

 

I dunno, Metallica is a pale shadow of it's fomer self live these days...

 

I actually thought it was very logical suddenly getting into Metal in my 50's. Most of the bands I am digging are my age or even older. Hopefully they will be playing Iron Maiden at my Old Folks Home...

 

Oh I most certainly have! Love all 3. Tough to beat 80s thrash.

While they certainly have lost a step from their booze and anger driven concerts of the past, I still think they sound darn good. I saw them at their Orion festival in Detroit where they played their 'secret' set of Kill 'Em All in its entirety the first day and closed with their festival stage show (fireworks, laser lights, etc). It was absolutely mind blowing. One of the best concert experiences of my life. However, I am too young to have seen them in their prime, unfortunately. I'm just grateful that they're still here.

Haha very nice. If they aren't, just start blaring it from your room and shout 'up the irons' to the nurses while they work.

 

Technically Jeff played the better solos. Kerry used a lot of squealing whammy bar stuff. But both are play an important role in musical soundscape of Slayer. It's peanut butter and chocolate!

 

Well said.

 

Always favoured Hanneman.

 

I like it when Kerry makes his guitar "NAYYYY NAYYYYYYY!" like a wild stallion with flames spewing from it's snout as it plunges into the depths of hell!

 

I recall someone quoting King, saying that he could only solo in A, regardless of what key the music is in. I haven't tested all this, but I do know that War Ensemble is soloed in a different key.

 

Both amazing, Jeff to my ears a little bit more melodic esp. in the early days when he was playing a Les Paul!

 

I think Slayer and Metallica have both hung around too long. Slayer IMO hasn't made a decent album since Diabolus, I think Hanneman's various health issues kept him from contributing like he had in the past. Looking at their classic material, Hanneman wrote most of the music but that stopped around 2001 and King basically took over in the last 15 years. Slayer is still good live but needs to vary up their setlist more, I have seen them three times in the last 4 years and it wasn't much different each time.

As for Metallica, they haven't even released anything going on 6 years now. I actually liked Death Magnetic and thought it was their best release since the '80s but they don't seem to do much any more.

 

I liked DM, too. They're supposed to be recording a new album now. At this point, I just want something good. I'm not to terribly fussed if they take awhile to do it. Same with Tool, as long as it's great.

 

When i was younger i lostened a lot to the Reign In Blood and South Of Heaven. I used to think the solos were just random notes. Now after about twenty years of not listening much to them (but having recieved a major in jazz guitar playing) i bought them on iTunes and was surprised on two accounts. 1: I could still remember most of the solos. 2: They suddenly didn't sound "random" but made sense in their own twisted way.

 

Slayer hasn't made a good album since Seasons In The Abyss, IMO.
It strikes me that Araya and Hanneman (RIP) post Seasons were pretty much lazy leaving King as the main song writer. He (King) seemed to be following trends rather than leading as they did in their hey day. Live they still are in a league of their own and that has saved them from becoming completely irrelevant, and I say this as a big fan since '85.

In terms of the original question I don't know that their solos are anything that was technically spectacular but, at their best they were well phrased and memorable. Post Seasons (here I go again) there seemed to a lot of same old, same old in terms of solos. They get extra points, in my book, for being able to replicate it live on a consistently top notch basis, unlike their peers who can fall flat on their face on any given night or blow the roof off the place.

 

I like Slayer..I really do. But the solos always struck me as unmelodic and out of tune and a bit amatuer-ish A buddy of mine told me the dissonance was intentional. Perhaps......

 

Their solos suit their songs just fine. In terms of who solos better, it really comes down to the song. For example, I like King's solos better in War Ensemble and Dittohead, but I like Jeff's Seasons in the Abyss solo better.

Of course, in terms of compositions, Jeff had a much higher ratio of good songs and was responsible for most of their best material. Although, King composed most of Divine Intervention, which is one of my favorites.

I think that Kerry was certainly the better live player though. I saw them four times with Hanneman (2006-2010) and he definitely got sloppier as time went on, whereas Kerry was always on point, and might have even be at his best now (I've seen them three times since Jeff died). But rehearsing with Gary probably tightened him up.

 

I saw Slayer on the Clash of the Titans tour. I thought the whole band sounded sloppy. That's what I expected though as I thought their albums sounded sloppy so...as far as being able to replicate their studio sound in a live setting...they had that covered *lol* anyway...they were great fun to see live.

 

Maybe that`s the appeal of the solos for me.They sound twisted and unmelodic but kind of contorted into the song in an energetic way that fits right.I can understand why people don`t like`em though.

 

I've seen them a couple times since Jeff's death, too. Gary Holt is a phenomenal thrash guitarist. It's not Jeff, but you go do a lot worse with a replacement.

 

Does Holt play Jeffs solos or has he made up his own?