SLAYER Frontman: 'We Enjoy Aggressive And Just Fast, Energetic Stuff'

Chris Macias of The Star Online recently conducted an interview with SLAYER frontman Tom Araya. A few excerepts from the chat follow:

On whether the group's new album, "Christ Illusion", is faster than what the band has done before:

"I listen to that record and it doesn't sound fast to me. But it's just something the four of us enjoy. We enjoy aggressive and just fast, energetic stuff. We're not doing it on purpose. That's just how stuff comes out."

On the band's early days:

"We tried to play a few clubs. And at that time, if you didn't have an audience, the club didn't want you to play (there). You had to go out and advertise your show, so eventually we picked up on an idea of getting our own little hall, renting it ourselves and then making up these fliers and putting them around the neighbourhood (and) hitting the high schools, the areas where kids would be. For $5 you could come watch us play. Yeah, in order to get ourselves heard, that was an uphill struggle."

On the infamous picture of a fan with "Slayer" carved in his arm:

"That's crazy! He was like, 'Look!' and we're like, 'That's crazy, dude. Go see the emergency med guy that's here.'"

On what he says to the parents who don't like their kids listening to songs such as "Altar of Sacrifice":

"I don't think they should be too concerned, as long as they're paying attention to what their kids are listening to. And if they have questions, ask. Don't deny. Don't try and take something away, because it will only widen the gap. You don't take away, you become part of their world and part of their life."

On the wide age range of the SLAYER fans:

"There's a whole new generation of kids now in the audience. There's a lot of young faces. You see the ones in between there. And then you see the die-hard, the hard-core, the loyal and faithful. They're still there. Nothing has changed."