Slayer were the most extreme band of The Big Four (Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax, and Megadeth), but in the new issue of Metal Hammer, former drummer Dave Lombardo explains why he thinks they were also best.

Asked by Hammer which of the Big Four was best, he has no hesitation. "Slayer. Ha ha ha! Who else could I pick?! We were brutal man, we were on top of our game, and if you watch the videos we were on fire. We really showed everyone else how it should be done – we tore everyone a new one.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he discusses how his Cuban heritage helped give him a fascination for percussion from an early age and how Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman's discovery of punk inspired him to pick up the pace. Even when death metal arose later in the decade, he admits Slayer weren't worried.

Read more at Louder Sound.

Rufus Publications has announced the upcoming release of the new book, Portraits Of Slayer. A video trailer can be viewed below.

“I am a fan of this kind of music as well as the rest of the guys naturally are - and being a fan, we kind of get pleased by our music as fans and as being in Slayer.” - Kerry King

Description: Portraits Of Slayer is a photographic celebration of Slayer, one of rock's foremost thrash metal bands. This brand new, coffee table photobook traces the career of Slayer with rare and unseen photographs from some of rock’s greatest photographers.

Whether categorized as thrash metal, speed metal or nu metal, Grammy award winning Slayer were one of the most influential bands in heavy metal history, crucial to the development of thrash, which became the foundation of many different sub-genres. The band’s 1986 album, Reign In Blood is considered a genre-defining classic with its razor-sharp articulation, tightness and extraordinary riffs.

Between 1991 and 2013 the band sold almost 5 million albums in the US alone and as Dave Grohl said, "Me and my friends, we just wanted to listen to fucking Slayer and take acid and smash stuff.”

Portraits Of Slayer also feature’s a career spanning essay by journalist Dave Ling.

This unofficial book is 230mm square, case-bound, 240 pages, printed on luxury 170gsm matt-coated paper. The book comes with a fold out poster and is presented in a black slipcase with a blood red foil logo. The main edition comes in 666 numbered copies and sells for £55 plus shipping.

In addition to this, a much larger, ultra-limited Black Leather and Metal Edition measuring 375mm square and presented in recycled leather and a hand welded aluminium metal slipcase with a screen printed logo in a run of 50 numbered copies. This will sell for £500.

The books will ship worldwide in January 2024, and are available for pre-order here.

(Photo - Alex Solca)