• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

RUN FOR COVER: SLAYER VS. SEAN BONNETTE OF ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD: “SOUTH OF HEAVEN”

Written by NINA CORCORAN Posted March 21, 2015 Filed Under: MUSIC, Run For Cover

Slayer Sean Bennette

Run For Cover is a weekly music column comparing cover songs to the original version. Prepare for a major bending of rules as we hear musicians throw around genres, tempos, style, and intent. Whether they’re picking up another’s song out of respect or boredom, the results have impressed us.

 

Watching Slayer is like watching a glitchy video get caught on the same quarter of a second. Backed by massive walls of amps, the heavy metal group take part in some seriously ridiculous tremolo picking and double bass drumming, not to mention all that head thrashing. It fits their albums which, let’s not forget, graciously outline necrophilia, Satanism, warfare, and serial killers. Ah, the joys.

 

Let’s get one thing straight about Slayer: as easy as they are to make fun of, they’re an important band.

 

The Cali thrash metal band are responsible for helping morph metal into something uglier than ever before, earning their credit as one of the Big Four metal bands. “Evil Has No Boundaries” gets destructive. “Raining Blood” salutes the antichrist. Even the bass in songs like “At Dawn They Sleep” gets thicker and sludgier than before. Sure, Metallica and Anthrax are part of the Big Four, too, but they don’t have the same furious, punk-tinged edge that Slayer bring to the table.

 

Then they took things farther. Even though 1988’s South of Heaven was Slayer’s most commercially successful record at the time, it drew mixed responses. The onslaught of satanic drivel was disturbing to some and worrisome to most. Over the years, Slayer have considered the album’s title track to be a constant fixture in their live setlist, exploding with pent-up fury and volatile kick drum onstage. On the bright side, it did offer up some Tumblr-ready quotes like “Before you see the light, you die.”

 

 

On the other side of the musical spectrum is folk-punk, and no folk-punk band gets as goofy as Andrew Jackson Jihad. The Arizona duo of Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty charm listeners with bandwagon tales of social anxiety, youthful poverty, ambivalent religion, and general existentialism. To say the least, everyone can relate. Their chipper attitudes and freewheeling songs only add to the joyous setting of their live shows.

 

But let’s talk about Bonnette for a minute.

 

Sean Bonnette is a bit of a do-gooder. He just released a free covers EP through Jeff Rosenstock’s record label. As if the Bomb the Music Industry! frontman’s blessing isn’t enough, take a look at the EP’s blissfully chill name: Skateboarding’s Greatest Hits. In true AJJ fashion, Bonnett covered everyone from The Misfits to Guided By Voices, Beck to David Bowie, and every great skateboarding song in between.

 

On the EP, he offers up an entertaining, albeit comical, take on “South of Heaven”. While Slayer’s version is chilly, if not terrifying, Bonnette reworks the song to his own draw between a country western and an alien takeover. His guitar’s mountainous echoes and hollow twangs reappear throughout, giving it a Texan taste. It doesn’t take long for the slow start to kick up dust and bring in all sorts of tweaking electronic blips. When Bonnette does a cover, he leaves nothing untouched.

 

 

As one of the official Big Four, Slayer will never see their sound perfectly mimicked. Artfully covered, however, is another thing. Bonnette uses his recording time to turn thrash metal into a momentary departure into sci-fi fun. Duel guitars and layered harmonies give it some texture, but it’s his trusty wailing vocals that hit home. Bonnette has officially made one of the most eerie Slayer covers out there. The best part? It’s free to download.

NINA CORCORAN
More from author
  • NINA CORCORAN
    https://digboston.com/author/nina-corcoran/
    WHEEL OF TUNES: JULIA HOLTER
  • NINA CORCORAN
    https://digboston.com/author/nina-corcoran/
    WHEEL OF TUNES: PANDA BEAR
  • NINA CORCORAN
    https://digboston.com/author/nina-corcoran/
    WHEEL OF TUNES: HOP ALONG
  • NINA CORCORAN
    https://digboston.com/author/nina-corcoran/
    THE BEST LOCAL EPS OF 2018

Filed Under: MUSIC, Run For Cover Tagged With: 1988, 2015, AJJ, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Bomb the Music Industry!, Boston, California, Column, Columnist, country, Dig, Download, folk punk, Free, Free Music, Jeff Rosenstock, metal, Music, Nina Corcoran, Run for Cover, Sean Bonnette, Slayer, South of Heaven, Thrash Metal

WHAT’S NEW

PARENTS RELEASE AN ANALYSIS OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDRAISING INEQUITIES

PARENTS RELEASE AN ANALYSIS OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDRAISING INEQUITIES

IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

PICS & RECAP: COMMUNITY CANDLE VIGIL HONORING VICTIMS OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE

PICS & RECAP: COMMUNITY CANDLE VIGIL HONORING VICTIMS OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE

CAMBRIDGE CHURCH MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT RECENT VANDALISM OF SIGN

CAMBRIDGE CHURCH MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT RECENT VANDALISM OF SIGN

PRESSLEY MEETS WITH LOCAL 26 WORKERS

PRESSLEY MEETS WITH LOCAL 26 WORKERS

THE HOUR THAT THE SHIP COMES IN

THE HOUR THAT THE SHIP COMES IN

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • VACCINE EQUITY NOW! COALITION ASKS BAKER TO ALLOCATE 20% OF NEW DOSES TO HARD HIT COMMUNITIES by SHIRA LAUCHAROEN
  • A NEW PLACE FOR MORE PEOPLE TO CALL HOME IN TOUGH TIMES by MARK EMMONS
  • rally to protest discrimination and crimes against Asian and Pacific islanders during Stop Asian Hate rally on Boston Common in Boston PICS & RECAP: “STOP ASIAN HATE BOSTON” RALLY ON THE COMMON by KEIKO HIROMI
  • IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION by CHRIS FARAONE
  • A FAREWELL TRIBUTE (OF SORTS) TO MARTY WALSH by DIG STAFF

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 2.1 – March 2021

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

Footer

digbos

digbos
“We’re not going to survive for 20 more years “We’re not going to survive for 20 more years if we don’t do this [move to a bigger space].” https://digboston.com/how-juliet-hit-a-100k-kickstarter-goal-in-4-days/ #restaurant #business #food #crowdfund #SomervilleMA #coronavirus #COVID19
EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR KIM JANEY. Environmental organizations and individual activists invited to submit opinion articles for publication. https://digboston.com/editorial-digboston-seeks-climate-ideas-for-mayor-kim-janey/ #politics @boston_mayor #environment #globalwarming #climate #activist #callforsubmissions #policy #Boston #Massachusetts
“Most are some of my favorite bars or local clas “Most are some of my favorite bars or local classics that I’ve learned to love in my time living in the city. Others just have a great facade that I know would make a great drawing.” https://digboston.com/drawn-but-not-forgotten-local-artist-sketches-beloved-boston-restaurants/ #art #artist #sketch #drawing #Boston #Massachusetts #bar #restaurant
Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors hit new high notes. “My #teaching has gone to another level.” https://digboston.com/the-medium-is-the-maestro/ #education #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chron From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chronicles the business of joke-telling. https://digboston.com/the-history-of-stand-up-from-mark-twain-to-dave-chappelle/ #comedy #history #book #interview #Boston #Massachusetts
“I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local “I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local field office and hear what people have to say.” https://digboston.com/dear-reader-the-political-season-is-upon-us-embrace-it/ #politics #commentary #election #Massachusetts
“I think most people agree that we want our publ “I think most people agree that we want our public dollars to go to those companies that are not cutting corners.” https://digboston.com/bill-seeks-to-penalize-contractors-for-unsafe-conditions/ #politics #legislation #construction #safety #labor #Massachusetts
“It’s just shocking to me for Massachusetts, t “It’s just shocking to me for Massachusetts, the state that puts itself forward as this paragon of democracy. Those are just fundamental building blocks of a democratic society.” https://digboston.com/researchers-show-extent-of-lobbying-against-climate-bills-in-ma/ #environment #globalwarming #climate #crisis #politics #lobby #Massachusetts
I was lucky enough to get an extra #vaccine. Here’s how it went down. https://digboston.com/young-healthy-and-inoculated/ #young #youth #student #college #vaccination #publichealth #health #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
The MBTA confirmed that it will “fully fund its The MBTA confirmed that it will “fully fund its operating budget in the coming fiscal year and begin to restore cut service.” https://digboston.com/public-transit-public-good-responds-to-restoring-mbta-service/ #transportation #politics #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]