The season in the abyss is over! Slayer titles on DVD have been unavailable for purchase for quite some time but the thrash kings are back with a vengeance. Two titles previously available on DVD, War at the Warfield and Still Reigning are back in circulation along with, for the first time ever on DVD, Live Intrusion. War at the Warfield was filmed in San Francisco in 2001 and is the last release that features Paul Bostaph on drums; original skins man Dave Lombardo rejoined the group shortly thereafter.
Still Reigning is from 2004 and features the band performing their 1986 classic Reign in Blood in its entirety. This one is legendary---the show closes with 150 liters of fake blood raining down on the band, their equipment and the entire stage. How they did it without being electrocuted is anybody's guess.
Fans have missed these two titles but the real treasure of the trio is Live Intrusion. Filmed in 1995, Live Intrusion catches the band when they're much younger; Tom Araya, Kerry King, Bostaph and Jeff Hanneman look like fresh-faced kids compared to their somewhat grizzled looks on later films.
Looks, of course, aren't the thing Slayer fans need concern themselves with here; Live Intrusion captures the band full of piss and vinegar and at their crowd-pleasing best. The set is long and filled with lots of favorites like Killing Fields, War Ensemble, Angel of Death and of course Raining Blood. Numbers like Dittohead and Hell Awaits slam hard and so does the crowd; the quick cut editing of the film shows plenty of audience action including an unfortunate fellow caught in a mosh who is roaring and throwing devil horns one minute and being accidentally kicked in the head the next. For most though Slayer's show only knocks teeth out metaphorically, including here with a special cover of Venom's Witching Hour where the band is joined onstage by Robb Flynn and Chris Kontos of opening act Machine Head.
These titles are available separately or as a set called Slayer Live DVD 3-Pak.