It’s hard to believe that May 2nd, 2023 marks a full decade since the passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. One of the founding members of the trailblazing thrash band (along with singer-bassist Tom Araya, guitarist Kerry King, and drummer Dave Lombardo), Hanneman proved to be a crucial element of Slayer’s sound and approach. Case in point, his gift for shredding-yet-emotive solos (“Seasons in the Abyss”), remarkable riffs (“South of Heaven”), and also, chilling lyrics (“Angel of Death”).
On the strength of such now-classic albums as Hell Awaits, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss (among other titles), Slayer played a major role in the creation of extreme metal. And if you were to take a gander at the songwriting credits of Slayer’s albums, Hanneman had a hand in the construction of just about every track.
Hanneman remained a member of Slayer from their formation in 1981 until a spider bite on his right arm in 2011 led to him contracting the flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis.
Exodus guitarist Gary Holt filled in for Hanneman, who eventually passed away from liver failure (caused by alcohol-related cirrhosis) on May 2nd, 2013, at the age of 49. Slayer continued on with a lineup featuring Araya, King, Holt and drummer Paul Bostaph (replacing Lombardo, who exited the band in 2013) until concluding their run with a farewell tour in 2019.
“I’ve never tried to replicate Jeff’s solos exactly how he played them, because I can’t,” Holt explained to Heavy Consequence earlier this year. “And they didn’t ask me to do it… There’s only one guy that can play like that… outside of these ‘tribute band guys’ that mastered that. So for me, I tried to mimic ‘vibe’ more than ‘notes’ – because it’s two totally opposed styles. But at the same time, not. Jeff was super-frantic. I play frantic but I play a little differently.”
