From Blabbermouth:
In the “Ask CKY” section of CKY’s official web site, CKY guitarist/vocalist Deron Miller was asked by a fan for his opinion on the “baffling” fact that SLAYER frontman Tom Araya can be a “devout Christian” and still write/sing SLAYER’s songs which regularly bash religion. “SLAYER is bullshit,” Deron replied. “Somehow they became the ‘scariest and fastest’ metal band that everyone is aware of. Little does anyone know that SLAYER is far from being the fastest, heaviest, brutalist, and most talented extreme band. Back in the day they were extreme, but now they’re just a parody of themselves. Everyone always yells ‘SLAYER!!!’ at concerts because they think that’s the first band you need to know if you’re trying to be an extreme metalhead, as if SLAYER is underground and they know something no one else does. Everyone knows SLAYER and has heard them. Truth is, I always thought SLAYER sucked. I somehow ended up owning all of their albums (I guess buying them to see what all the fuss was about) and the only songs I like from them aren’t even them. They’re MALEVOLENT CREATION’s covers of ‘Raining Blood’ and ‘Piece by Piece’. I will never know why they’re credited for pushing the metal envelope.
“I didnt know Araya went Christian. A lot of those metal guys get old and forget what their jobs are and how to do them. They get confused because they have all the money and they lost the passion years ago. So they go to God, or whatever is out of character for them. The music becomes unimportant.
“SLAYER always followed trends (like doing punk cover albums, UGH!!!!, and nu-metal, like ‘Diabolica in Musica’, or whatever it’s called).
“If you think SLAYER is extreme, put them up against bands like MALEVOLENT CREATION or GORGUTS and you’ll discover that both of those bands kick SLAYER’s ass.
“I know I’m going to get a bunch of hate responses from this, but Jesus Christ do I hate SLAYER. This is just my opinion. I don’t know any of the SLAYER guys personally… they may be really cool, but winning Grammies is definitely not cool if you’re supposed to be a threatening thrash band.”
As can be expected from fans as fiercely loyal as Slayer’s, the message boards have been all a-buzz with naught but derision for these seemingly offensive words.
This is a perfect example of dogmatism within the metal world; of people being caught up in image and doing the “right†thing. I applaud Deron for speaking his mind on this. He must have known that his wasn’t the popular opinion and that he’d see no end to the naysayers accusing him of poseurdom and ignorance, but he wasn’t afraid to speak his own truth. Was he doing it for publicity? If we can see past the media-based ramifications of this and believe that, as he stated, he didn’t expect anyone to care about it enough to post it to Blabbermouth, then no. And personally, I don’t find this difficult to believe at all. Why should we assume that everything a musician does is for attention? Yes, the viability of their chosen profession is based on popularity, but some bands just don’t want to play politics. They’re just people, after all. They’re no better or no more business-minded than you or I on average, so why do we assume that all their actions are somehow deceitful or devised exclusively to get their name in the news? Give them the benefit of the doubt once in awhile; maybe they really are just trying to be honest. Maybe- god forbid- they really do have a mind of their own and refuse to cater to the masses.
Now let’s get at what Deron was saying. First of all, I’d like to preface the breakdown of his statement by saying that I DO like Slayer, so I’m not coming from a position of wanting to perpetuate Slayer-hate. To wit: I’ve seen Slayer five times and Seasons in the Abyss is one of my favorite albums. I have no agenda here other than to examine the repercussions of Deron’s statement, and if you find that dubious, consider that I’m in neither band. There’s no payoff for me here.
What we have here are 2 statements that have run up against the accepted rhetoric of the metal community:
1. I don’t like Slayer
2. Slayer isn’t very good
Number one simply can’t be disputed. It’s a statement of opinion, and much as you may be in disbelief over a rock musician claiming to have NOT been influenced by Slayer, put this in your pipe and smoke it: it’s entirely possible. Some people don’t like them; Deron is one of them. This shouldn’t be all that surprising- if everyone loved Slayer, then Beethoven wouldn’t still be receiving royalty checks (for those of you saying “GOOD! BEETHOVEN SUCKS!†or even “Beethoven’s not alive anymore, you moron,†stay with me. I’m simply using this as an example of conflicting tastes). Just go into your local Tape Town to see how many different genres and styles there are. Consider that they’re all there because of market demand. If no one listened to all that stuff you consider crap, it wouldn’t be there. From that, we can deduce that no matter how bad you think it is, if it can be purchased, someone’s listening to it. WHY they like it is a different matter, but the fact remains that whether they’ve been manipulated into liking it or came to it organically, different preferences exist.
Now whether or not this should affect your opinion of the speaker is up for debate. If it matters that much to you that everyone you interact with have exactly the same predilections as you do, then sure- it’ll affect your opinion. And I encourage you to have fun in your downy little blanket of sameness where everyone likes identical things but they don’t know why, and you never have to defend yourself because no one ever questions anything.
Does a person’s taste even reflect on whether or not they’re a worthwhile person in the first place? Well, consider this: Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray made music that I considered to be terrible; it made me want to rip my ears off and pour fetid abortion leftovers in the gaping holes left behind. However, contrary to my initial expectations, he always demonstrated enviable knowledge of the history of his craft in interviews. Dave Grohl is another example. He makes mirror-polished, toe-tapping pop rock…but if anyone can talk metal, it’s him. Point being that just because Deron is in CKY- not exactly a band known for their technical prowess or ability to incite riots- that doesn’t mean his opinion is de facto less valid or less informed. In fact, operating under that assumption will only result in ad hominem attacks which serve to weaken the argument against him.
If, on the other hand, you value independent thinking and the courage to speak a dissenting opinion, then perhaps the speaker’s very distaste for Slayer is what will endear him to you. I’m not sayin’ which one I think is the more mature option, but consider that daring to speak one’s mind is not only an invaluable (and sadly scarce) trait in the real world, it’s essentially the paradigm upon which the Slayer brand was built: reveling in nonconformity.
Item number two can be argued until robots take over the world and we’re all reduced to a life of servitude while having Limp Bizkit piped into our ear canals- both sides have valid points. Are Slayer technically accomplished? Yes, very. Are they the BEST? Taking all subjectivity out of the equation, probably not, but I can see why one might think differently. They are the most mainstream when it comes to “extreme†metal. They’re a recognizable name. For someone who hasn’t searched far and wide for the most fastest, most thrashariffic, legitimately offensive metal act out there, they probably do appear to be unsurpassed masters of their craft, and pretty scary to boot. By virtue of the fact that they’re accessible enough to cross the line from underground sensations to multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-winning artists, however, they’re laughable in the eyes of extreme metal purists. Mind you, that’s not to say that they’ve sold out- but the day that the most extreme metal band really DOES win a Grammy is the day King Diamond will be elected president.
Deron didn’t say he hated Slayer fans, much as “Slayer sucks†is a personal attack to many. He wasn’t passing judgment on anyone who didn’t agree with him. He was just responding to a fan’s inquiry with full honesty, and there’s no reason to slam him for that, regardless of what his intentions were. I support his willingness to speak freely in the face of adversity; he’s unashamed of who he is. Thinking for oneself should be respected far above an unquestioning love of Slayer any day. The next time I’m listening to Seasons, I’ll think of how I fully support Deron for refusing to like a band just because everyone says he should, and how there’s absolutely no reason for him to apologize for that.
I’ll probably catch flak for this one, but if it inspires even one person to critically examine their opinions and jettison media-and-peer-manipulated, prepackaged attitudes, it’ll be worth it. Seriously. Even if the outcome is someone deciding that yes, they really DO like Slayer and it’s not just a product of their environment, at least they’ll be able to defend that in the future and not mindlessly attack all opposition.
