Slayer – Live Undead Vinyl Review
Decade of Aggression may be regarded as the quintessential live Slayer record. To this old school headbanger, Live Undead will always be THE document of a Slayer show. Which, honestly, is a strange stance to take, considering that Live Undead captures a “fake” concert.
Live Undead isn’t a “real” live record in the sense that the recording does not capture a traditional concert. Instead of a packed, sweaty nightclub, Slayer tore through select songs inside the clinical atmosphere of a recording studio.
The official story was that a dozen lucky radio contest winners were present as the tape rolled. As time passed, rumors began to swirl that the rowdy audience was recorded separately and mixed in well after the performance. At one point, producer Bill Metoyer was asked directly about fake audience noise. His reply, “I don’t know if I should tell you,” is particularly damning.
Of course, as a teenage Slayer fanatic, I didn’t have the slightest notion that Live Undead wasn’t anything other than a genuine Slayer concert. When I listened to Live Undead, my adolescent mind conjured visions of the chaotic violence that early Slayer shows are famous for. The audience, real or not, sounded absolutely rabid.
Audience confusion aside, Live Undead captured a hungry Slayer poised to take the metal world by storm. Tom was still young enough to produce high pitched screams that bordered on a Halfordish falsetto.
Somehow, these versions are better than their studio counterparts. We have an extended intro on “Black Magic,” along with frantic performances only attained when the shackles of studio tracking is cast aside. Despite detractors criticizing the prominently mixed audience noise, I found the drunken chants of “SLAYER” to enhance the listening experience. Live Undead made me FEEL like I was given access to a 1984 Slayer concert and that impression lingers in 2021.
Let’s not forget all the delightful song introductions from Tom. “They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Well, I say ‘fuck the pen, cause you can DIE BY THE SWORD!” There was also the slightly vulgar intro to “Captor of Sin,” with talk of “spreading legs in the night.” Revisiting these songs conjures memories of hanging out with my equally Slayer obsessed friends. We would endlessly quote Tom’s song introductions and Live Undead takes me back to those simpler times.
When Metal Blade records announced they were reissuing the early Slayer records, preordering Live Undead was a no brainer for me. I thought the label had done a commendable job on their Sacred Reich reissues and I threw my money down without the quality control concerns that plague other metal labels.
Obviously what matters here is music but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the album cover. Slayer transformed into undead zombies fit the 80’s metal aesthetic perfectly. Playing guitars in a mist filled graveyard is comical brilliance.
The artwork may seem laughable now, but it was EXACTLY what I wanted in a Slayer album. In fact, I distinctly remember being disappointed in the Decade of Aggression artwork. A dude with a guitar was just boring. Part of the excitement of a new Slayer record was the artwork and Live Undead delivered a memorable image worthy of the mighty SLAYER.
The vinyl reissue captures the classic artwork in stunning detail. Glancing at my reissue, I can’t help but recall the cassette version of my youth where only Tom’s zombie self was represented.
When holding the physical record, it is obvious why vinyl has returned as a format. THIS is how Slayer, or any band with eye-catching art, should be experienced.
I distinctly recall the minimal cassette inserts of both Show No Mercy and Live Undead. Not only was there a lack of photos, but lyrics were also absent. These omissions are rectified with the new vinyl reissue. A cardboard insert contains lyrics on one side and vintage photographs on the other. Following along with the lyric sheet was incredibly satisfying and I feel that my adolescent self was robbed of this pleasure.
Of course, the cassette revival IS picking up steam. Metal Blade has reissued Live Undead on both tape and CD if those are your preferred formats.
Even vinyl devotees have some hard choices to make. Being a traditionalist, I opted for simplicity in plain black. Still, both the split and splatter vinyl are so appealing, I was left second guessing whether I should have opted for those variants.
I pre-ordered Live Undead and Hell Awaits directly from Metal Blade as soon as the reissues were announced. They shipped promptly, and I was taken by surprise to discover large posters folded inside the record sleeves. Although the hype sticker proudly boasts about the posters, the preorder link made no mention of this lavish extra. These high quality posters are worthy of being framed. Metal Blade is doing vinyl reissues right!
Regarding sound quality, there are no issues I can detect. I don’t concern myself with DR numbers and I hardly expect a Slayer show from 1984 to be an audiophile recording. That said, Live Undead was recorded well for such a low budget, indie label. All instruments (as well as that rabid crowd noise) is clear and audible. Live Undead is no second-rate bootleg. It is a genuine live offering from a once obscure metal band that since become iconic representatives of a genre. Metal Blade has upheld the integrity of this live offering, presenting it in pristine form to be enjoyed by both newcomers and nostalgia-minded old timers.
