RAINING BLOOD OVER SOUTH WALES โ ONE FINAL THRASH APOCALYPSE ๐ค๐ฅ
Venue: Blackweir Fields, Cardiff
Date: Thursday, July 3, 2025
Blog by: The Riff Report โ Your backstage pass to all things loud, fast, and filthy ๐ค
โ๏ธ THEYโRE BACK FROM THE DEAD (AGAIN) โ๏ธ
Letโs just address the blood-splattered elephant in the pit: SLAYER were done. Finished. Retired.
Their 2019 farewell tour was supposed to be the end โ one last brutal goodbye from the undisputed kings of thrash metal. But if thereโs one thing more eternal than Slayerโs riffs, itโs their ability to rise from the ashes like a flaming pentagram.
So when they announced a limited reunion tour, and one of those sacred nights was set for Cardiff โ in the open air chaos of Blackweir Fields, no less โ well, mun, we dropped everything (including our pints) and ran screaming toward the pit.
๐๏ธ THE BUILD-UP: ANTICIPATION LEVEL โ RAGING DEMON
Tickets went faster than you could yell โSLAAAAAYERRRRโ. The queues were wild, the forums exploded, and even your nan’s metalhead cousin from Merthyr was texting asking for spares.
Outside Blackweir Fields, it was a whoโs-who of black denim, battle jackets, and tattoos of demonic goats.
We saw:
- A full Jeff Hanneman back piece (tattooed across one blokeโs bald head).
- Three lads who brought inflatable pentagrams (donโt ask).
- A woman dressed as Kerry King, complete with fake beard and tribal tattoos.
Cymru had officially summoned the dark lords of thrash, and we were ready to sacrifice our neck muscles in the name of metal. ๐ช
๐ธ SUPPORT BANDS: WHO GOT TO WARM UP HELL?
Before Slayer descended upon us like biblical wrath, we got served two brutal support acts:
1. Power Trip
Having risen from the ashes themselves, these Texas lads delivered a tight, savage set that mixed old-school thrash with hardcore energy.
Highlights:
- โExecutionerโs Taxโ had the whole crowd two-stepping like possessed goblins.
- Their tribute to Riley Gale hit hard, emotionally and sonically. Proper lush, that was.
2. Carcass
Representing the UK and flying the flag for goregrind and melodic death metal, Carcass came to absolutely ruin our ears.
- โHeartworkโ turned the field into a blender of limbs.
- Jeff Walker gave a tongue-in-cheek shoutout to the NHS before ripping into โCorporal Jigsore Quandaryโ.
By the time the final Carcass chord rang out, Cardiff was cooked and craving carnage.
๐ฅ THENโฆ THE LIGHTS DIED
Red strobes. Smoke. Deafening chants: โSLA-YER! SLA-YER!โ
Then came “Delusions of Saviour”, echoing through the mist and trees like a summoning spell.
When Slayer finally hit the stage โ fronted by the immortal Tom Araya, flanked by the beastly Kerry King and Gary Holt, and with Paul Bostaph pounding the kit like it owed him money โ it was a religious experience.
Well, yโknowโฆ if your religion involves fire, blood, and riffs that could summon Beelzebub.
