The current state of punk-rock disgusts the members of speed-metal act Slayer.
"Punk-rock was the most important thing ever to come along in music," guitarist Jeff Hanneman said in a recent interview. "But this stuff they're putting out today is just plain (bleep!)."Hanneman calls most of the current punk-rock acts a bunch of "whiny, snot-nosed, dyed-hair, punk-come-latelys spewing up tunes about (screwed-up) childhoods and low self-esteem while raking in the big bucks."
The success of bands like Green Day, the Offspring and Rancid finally motivated the group to record versions some of its favorite punk tunes - by acts like Minor Threat, Verbal Abuse, T.S.O.L. and D.I. - which are all featured on Slayer's new CD, "Undisputed Attitude."
"The songs on this record are real punk, the hard-core punk from the early 1980s," Hanneman said.
"We're exposing kids to what the new punk sound should be, as compared to what Green Day sounds like now. Or Rancid. Or the Offspring," guitarist Kerry King added.
Slayer brings its "Undisputed Attitude" to Salt Lake City in a Thursday, Aug. 22, concert at the Saltair Pavilion.
While some critics have battered the band for recording the album and changing some of the songs, especially Iggy and the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," Hanneman claims Slayer has always had a punk-rock heart beating beneath its speed-metal skin.
"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but we're only getting around to it now because we're lazy," he said.
Slayer's current tour has seen them playing with the reunited Sex Pistols in Europe, and giving young punk-rock acts a chance to open for them in the United States.
"A lot of our younger fans have never been exposed to this stuff," Hanneman said. "Wait till they see what we do with it."
Hard-core punk-rock outfits D.F.L. and Unsane will open the show, which starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance from all Smith'sTix locations or $17 the day of show. It is a United Concerts production.