Hear Slayer’s Crushing New War Cry, ‘Cast the First Stone’

Slayer. Photo: Tim Tronckoe/Courtesy of Nuclear Blast

Plodding, doomy guitars open one of the heavier tracks on Slayer’s upcoming album Repentless, “Cast the First Stone,” which is now streaming online and available for free download via Adult Swim Singles. The tune soon transitions into a bulldozing, mid-paced thrasher, as frontman Tom Araya sings about vengeance, echoing war cries and devils spitting fire. The LP will be available in full on September 11th.

Earlier this year, Slayer guitarist Kerry King told Rolling Stone that he got the idea for the song while walking around Athens, thinking about all of the clashes that took place there over the centuries. “It’s just about battle, not a particular battle,” he said. “You cast the first stone, I’m gonna win.”

In other Slayer news, the group recently filmed a video for Repentless’ title track at a women’s prison in East Los Angeles. In the clip, “prisoners” ”“ played by Machete star Danny Trejo alongside people who’ve starred in Halloween, Friday the 13th, Predators and other films ”“ stage what the band has teased as a brutal riot. The clip was helmed by filmmaker BJ McDonnell, who directed Hatchet III, and is slated to come out around the release of the album.

As with “Cast the First Stone,” a few of the other songs off Repentless, including the title track, are already available to stream. The others include “When the Stillness Comes” and “Implode.”

The release of “Cast the First Stone” comes from Adult Swim, which has been putting out tracks by a number of artists who span various genres this summer. Run The Jewels, Skrillex, Chromatics, Myrkur and Flying Lotus will all be premiering new songs into October.