Music

Slayer calls for an end to the Kardashians

by Richard Howard

There are three sureties in life – death, taxes and the fact Slayer doesn’t give a crap what you think. During the controversy over their song “Angel of Death” about  Nazi physician Josef Mengele, guitarist and lyricist Jeff Hanneman (RIP) basically said people were dumb for thinking they were Nazi sympathisers: “There’s nothing I put in the lyrics that says necessarily he was a bad man, because to me – well, isn’t that obvious? I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

So it’s heartwarming to see that Hannerman’s replacement, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt is carrying on the tradition. While he’s been sporting it for a while, Billboard took notice of Holt’s T-shirt at a recent New York gig – all black, it simply states “Kill The Kardashians.” And it’s not just a kooky thrift store find – turns out Holt and T-shirt designer Jack Wyoming are actually the guys behind No Love Apparel, the company that makes the tee.

This becomes all the more amusing considering almost exactly a year ago, the Kardashian brood’s young half sibling Kendall Jenner caused a stir in the metal community by sporting a Slayer T-shirt at last years MuchMusic Video Awards show (Canada apologises, Slayer). Not a good stir, more of a take-that-Municpal-Waste-and-Cro-Mags-patch-jacket-off-Chris-Brown-you-tool stir. Cuz we’d applaud her for having good taste if it wasn’t for the tweet she sent out a year earlier stating “I don’t get how some people can listen to heavy metal.”

So while it’s unlikely the T-shirt is in direct retaliation to Jenner’s (read: her stylist’s) foray into metal couture, it sure makes for a pretty funny narrative. With the story blowing up online, you can be sure Kardashian fans will be up in arms about “Holt’s deliberate and calculated attempt to incite violence.” In true Slayer fashion, I’m expecting Holt to summon his inner Hannerman and start calling those folks a bunch of dummies. I would suggest he keeps a clear berth of Kanye though.