Maps of Music

Still Reigning (2004)

Where the lyrics of Still Reigning take you, and where it was really made.

The DVD's finale, 'Raining Blood', was filmed with the band drenched in stage blood, and the mixing that followed was so hard that the producer later publicly complained about the recording.

Key places

Augusta Civic Center, Maine (2004)

Recording site Augusta Civic Center — Still Reigning was recorded at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Maine, on July 11, 2004, before the 2004 Ozzfest. The point marks the venue area in Augusta, not a confirmed building spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Still Reigning: live performance DVD by thrash metal band Slayer
• Released in 2004 through American Recordings
• Filmed at the Augusta (Maine) Civic Center on July 11, 2004
• Plays the 1986 album Reign in Blood in its entirety
• Four original band members on a set resembling the 1986 Reign in Pain Tour
• Finale: the band covered in stage blood while performing "Raining Blood"

Background

• Reign in Blood: Slayer's first album to enter the Billboard 200, at 94, and their first gold-certified album
• European agent John Jackson suggested playing the album in full on the Jägermeister tour of 2003 and 2004, under the banner "Still Reigning"
• Dave Lombardo, who drummed on the album, rejoined in 2001 after leaving in 1991
• The band planned to enter the studio for its next album, Christ Illusion, but producer Rick Rubin insisted they not, due to problems between himself and American Recordings
• The band's manager suggested recording a Jägermeister show for a DVD, and the band agreed

Recording

• Recorded at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Maine, on July 11, 2004, before the 2004 Ozzfest
• Ten-man camera crew under director Dean Karr
• Seventeen-minute interview "Slayer: In their own words" on the tour bus
• Stage modified to absorb the blood and recirculate it onto the band
• Video in 1.85:1; audio in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo, no subtitles
• Producer Kevin Shirley replaced thousands of cymbal and drum hits with those from previous recordings, a process that took several days
• Mixing took place at a New York studio

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1981 in Huntington Park, California by Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Tom Araya.
• Started by playing covers of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Venom at parties and clubs in Southern California.
• Signed with Metal Blade Records after the song "Aggressive Perfector" appeared on Metal Massacre III.

Members

• Current lineup: Kerry King, Tom Araya, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt; Holt joined in 2011 and became permanent after Hanneman's death in 2013.
• Former members include drummers Dave Lombardo (left three times) and Jon Dette.

Career

• Released twelve studio albums, including Reign in Blood (1986), widely described as one of the most influential thrash metal albums.
• Christ Illusion (2006) won a Grammy for "Eyes of the Insane", the band's first Grammy-related recognition.
• Disbanded in 2019 after a farewell tour and reunited for sporadic shows from 2024.
• Considered one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• IGN's Andy Patrizio: six out of ten
• Praised Lombardo's return, saying the drummer had not lost a step
• Noted that Tom Araya had lost his piercing shriek at the opening of "Angel of Death"
• Said the production was not of the highest caliber
• Criticized the rapid MTV-style cuts as distracting
• Criticized the switches between black-and-white and color shots

Records

• Debuted on the Billboard DVD chart at number seven, selling 9,813 copies
• Gold certification on July 20, 2005, the band's second gold DVD after War at the Warfield
• War at the Warfield had received gold a year earlier for sales over 50,000
• Readers of Revolver magazine voted it "best live DVD" in 2005
• That made it the second consecutive year the band topped the category

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Guitarist Jeff Hanneman came up with the idea of the stage blood two years after Reign in Blood's release, but the band lacked funding for it.
• A bloodbath scene in the 1998 film Blade, with blood falling from a sprinkler system in a club, revived Hanneman's and Kerry King's interest in the idea.
• Director Dean Karr added six more songs from the same show as bonus material because the DVD was short.
• King donated his guitar to the Hard Rock Cafe after the show, saying it did not like the blood.
• The DVD's producer Kevin Shirley later alleged he had not been paid and had received threats and insults from people associated with the band.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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