Slayer Repentless is a three-issue miniseries inspired by legendary thrash-metal band Slayer, who have been rocking stages for over thirty years at this point, and particularly their latest album, Repentless.
The story itself revolves around two brothers, Adrian and Wyatt, who suffer the horrific tragedy of losing their parents to a vicious murderer. As young men, they become angry and confused about their loss and they turn to the white supremacy movement for solace, becoming neo-Nazis in the process.
However, younger brother Wyatt soon grows tired of this new life and leaves to find true happiness with a beautiful woman named Angel, and her family. But, as you would expect, Adrian does not take this betrayal lightly, hunting his brother down to eradicate his “weaker younger sibling” in the name of their “great white race”. This is precisely where is where we, the readers, pick the story up.
Slayer Repentless is exactly what you would expect from its title, an action-packed, bloody tale of revenge and new beginnings that finds our hero, Wyatt, fighting to save his life and defend his new family against all odds.
It is a fun comic that integrates the music that inspired it by adding the lyrics of a song before each chapter and then inscribing the lyrics over the final battle scene. On my first read I went through the entire story, but on a second go-round, as I am unfamiliar with Slayer, I put the chosen song for the chapter on as I reread it.
This is an interesting literary device that enhanced my reading experience–especially in the final scene, which mixes violence and the thrash style of Slayer. This method of mixing the music that it was inspired by with the story is extremely creative and I am more than willing to experience another comic with a similar take on the music aspect as a result.
Overall, you will enjoy this as a fan of Slayer and is a must have just on that basis, but if you enjoy stories of hardcore revenge and want to try something different, as per the music element, then pick up Slayer Repentless, turn on the corresponding song(s) and enjoy.
Catch Slayer Repentless when it’s released from Dark Horse on September 6, 2017
