Live Review: Slayer - Finsbury Park, London
Support: Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed, Neckbreakker
6th July 2025
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
A few years ago Slayer called it a day, their final farewell tour took the band through arenas in the UK and for all the fans we genuinely believed this would be the end. No more Slayer. Since then the world fell apart, COVID struck, Russian invaded Ukraine, and we have political unrest worldwide. Was the world’s downfall all because Slayer went away?
Lucky for us, Slayer are now back (whether the rest of the world rights itself is anyone’s guess) but for the metal heads amongst us…. SSSLLLAAAYYYEEERRR!
When the US dates were announced the rest of the world wondered if they would see the band too. Eventually an appearance on Black Sabbaths farewell show in Birmingham was revealed, would there be more? Soon followed two stand alone headline dates, Cardiff and London. With a line up including the best heavy bands around; Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed and Neckbreakker.
It’s a sunny day as we arrive in London, it may not stay that way all day, but the metal gods have at least decided to keep us relatively dry today.
To wake up the early rises Neckbreakker take to the stage. They tore into their set with unrelenting ferocity, delivering a blistering performance that proved they were more than worthy of opening for Slayer. From the first riff, the London crowd was whipped into a frenzy, feeding off the band’s raw energy and savage stage presence. Their mix of thrash and death metal hit like a freight train, with razor-sharp guitar work and guttural vocals that left no doubt they belonged on this legendary bill.
After a short turn around it’s time for hardcore crew Hatebreed to take over. They stormed the stage with a no-frills, all-impact set that left no room for compromise. Opening with the defiant roar of ‘I Will Be Heard’ they instantly commanded the attention of a packed London crowd, who roared every word back with anger. The band’s trademark blend of hardcore and metal was delivered with surgical precision; tight, brutal, and utterly relentless.
Mid-set highlights like ‘In Ashes They Shall Reap’ and ‘Proven’ showed off the band’s uncanny ability to mix groove with grit, while ‘Destroy Everything’ predictably detonated the pit into a swirling frenzy of limbs and chaos. Hatebreed’s message of strength through adversity rang loud in a defiant, unified scream during closer ‘Looking Down the Barrel of Today’. Their performance was crushing and delivered with the kind of conviction that proves they’re still leading the scene.
Mastodon took the stage with an air of precision and weight, launching into ‘Tread Lightly’ and immediately immersing the London crowd in their signature blend of prog-metal complexity and crushing heaviness. The sound was colossal; layered, textured, and thunderous as the band moved seamlessly from the ‘The Motherload’ into the snarling urgency of ‘Pushing the Tides. Everyone contributing vocally and instrumentally, weaving a sonic masterpiece that balanced aggression with atmosphere
‘Steambreather’ pulsed with dark swagger, and ‘Mother Puncher’ was a feral throwback that reminded everyone of the band’s heavier roots. But it was the closing epic, ‘Blood and Thunder’ that brought the house down. Mastodon they constructed a towering wall of sound that was primal, proving once again why they’re one of metal’s most forward-thinking live acts.
Fresh off the Black Sabbath show, Anthrax erupted onto the stage with the unstoppable force of ‘Among the Living’ instantly whipping the London crowd into a nostalgic frenzy. The band came out swinging; tight, energetic, and clearly thrilled to be part of such a stacked bill. Scott Ian’s guitar was as sharp and aggressive as ever, while Joey Belladonna’s vocals soared with the same power that made them thrash legends. The opening run of ‘Caught in a Mosh’ and ‘Madhouse’ sent the crowd into overdrive, a sea of flailing limbs and circle pits proving that Anthrax’s brand of chaos still hits as hard as it did in the '80s.
Digging deep into their legacy, they unleashed ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ and the always electrifying ‘I Am the Law’, both delivered with blistering speed and precision. Between songs, the band’s chemistry and humour shone through, giving the set a loose, celebratory vibe without losing any of its intensity. Charlie Benante’s drumming was relentless, anchoring the madness with flawless timing, while Frank Bello’s basslines added the punch that drove each track forward.
The crowd screamed every word of ‘Antisocial’ and ‘Got the Time’ back at the stage, turning the venue into a communal thrash sanctuary. Closing with the anthemic ‘Indians’, Anthrax brought it all home with one last explosion of riffs and fists-in-the-air unity. The cry of “WAR DANCE!” sent the floor into a final pit frenzy, proving that after all these years, the band still knows how to bring the fire, and they left promising a new album is in the works.
Amon Amarth brought their trademark fire and fury to the stage with a thunderous set, opening with the battle cry of ‘Guardians of Asgaard’. From the first note, the atmosphere turned into a Norse battlefield, with towering riffs and guttural roars shaking the grounds of Finsbury Park. Johan Hegg commanded the crowd like a seasoned warlord, as he pyro lit up the stage behind him. ‘Shield Wall’ and ‘Deceiver of the Gods’ followed in quick succession, while the band’s imposing stage presence and Viking visuals added a mythic scale to the chaos.
Mid-set highlights like ‘Crack the Sky’ and ‘Find a Way or Make One’ brought a thunderous groove to the proceedings, giving the audience a moment to catch their breath before being thrown back into the melee with the anthemic ‘Put Your Back Into the Oar’. The crowd responded in kind, miming the rowing motion en masse turning Finsbury Park into huge Viking warship.
As the set closed with ‘Raise Your Horns’ the crowd obliged, hoisting pints, drinking horns and fists in a raucous show of unity. But it was the encore, ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’ that brought their performance to its peak; a colossal anthem that left no doubt Amon Amarth are a force of nature.
And finally the time had come, the return of Slayer to the English capital, an outdoor show in front of a packed crowd of tens of thousands of fans. As the anticipation built a video played documenting Slayers history before they burst onto the stage with menace of ‘South of Heaven’. Tom Araya’s growled declarations, Kerry King’s searing solos, and Paul Bostaph’s machine-gun drumming locked in instantly, whipping the crowd into chaos. The pit never rested, responding to each punishing riff with raw, unfiltered violence.
As the set powered through classics like ‘Die by the Sword’ and ‘Jihad’, the band maintained a merciless pace. There was no banter, just an unbroken wall of sound and an unrivalled amount of pyro. ‘War Ensemble’ and ‘Chemical Warfare’ detonated like sonic bombs, while ‘Reborn’ and ‘Born of Fire’ showcased the band's sheer intensity. Slayer proving they had not lost their edge despite a six year hiatus.
The atmosphere grew even darker with ‘Dead Skin Mask’ and ‘Spirit in Black’ the crowd fully immersed in the creeping melodies that define Slayer’s most haunting work. ‘Mandatory Suicide’ had fans chanting in unison, while ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ slowed the tempo just enough to allow its eerie, brooding tension to seep across the park.
The final stretch pushed things into overdrive. ‘Hell Awaits’ and the chilling ‘213’ brought brutality and dread in equal measure, while the band surprised fans with a crushing cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Wicked World’ a song they had debuted live the previous evening at Back To The Beginning.
However, it was the trio of ‘Postmortem’, ‘Raining Blood’ and the immortal ‘Angel of Death’ that sealed the night with absolute finality. The fans erupted, and every voice screamed along, knowing this was their final chance of the evening to go wild. London was left in ruins, and fans walked away knowing they had seen something unforgettable: Slayer, in all their ruthless, unforgiving glory. Will we see them again? Let’s just say I don’t think the Slayer story is at its end just yet.
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
