Jeff Hanneman

Jeff Hanneman
Born	31 January 1964(1964-01-31) in Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	2 May 2013 (aged 49) in Hemet, California, U.S.
Nationality	US American
Known for	Thrash metal, "Slayer"
Occupation	Musician (guitarist), songwriter (1981–2013)

Jeffrey "Jeff" John Hanneman (31 January 1964 – 2 May 2013) was an American musician, the guitarist and a founding member of the American thrash metal band "Slayer". Guitarist Hanneman, who died of liver failure at 49, was the songwriter, sometimes-lyricist and shredding fingers behind some of Slayer's most enduring songs: the impossibly fast and insane "Angel of Death," the manic "Dead Skin Mask" and "South of Heaven".

Life

Hanneman with Guitar, Totenkopf, the Reichskriegsflagge (version used 1938 to 1945) and Ärmelstreifen of SS-Divisions and Reinhard Heydrich

Hanneman (middle) giving the so-called Hitler salute (source)

Hanneman approached Kerry King in 1981, when King was auditioning for a band. After the try-out session, the two guitarists started talking and playing Iron Maiden and Judas Priest songs. Slayer was born when King asked "Why don't we start our OWN band?", to which Hanneman replied "...Fuck yeah!".In 1984, Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Suicidal Tendencies's guitarist Rocky George had a brief punk side project called "Pap Smear" - the band due to start recording when Hanneman was advised to avoid the side project by Slayer's producer, Rick Rubin, who is quoted as saying "Ahhhh, don’t do it, man — this is the kind of thing that breaks bands up!" Hanneman took Rubin's advice, and later used two of the songs on Slayer's 1996 album Undisputed Attitude.

Hanneman and Slayer vocalist Tom Araya were reformed cocaine and pill abusers. They had decided to quit when they realized "this can lead to only death or something, this is going too far". Both Araya and Hanneman restrict themselves to drinking beer. Hanneman's favorite brand is Heineken lager; he can often be seen with the drink backstage and in publicity photos. During The Unholy Alliance Chapter II tour, Hanneman was seen playing a guitar with a Heineken logo (but it says Hanneman instead of Heineken) as a custom finish.

Hanneman's interest in German war medals and National Socialist Germany is illustrated by many of his lyrics. These have been taken as evidence that Hanneman, as well as the rest of Slayer, are sympathizers. Hanneman's interest in the National Socialist Germany began with medals given to him by his father, including some taken from a fallen (⚔) German soldier. His most prized medal was his Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, which he bought from a Slayer fan for $1000. While touring with Motörhead, Hanneman discovered Motörhead vocalist Lemmy's (de) interest in German medals, and the two discussed medal designs, weapons and tactics used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.

In the mind of Slayer fans, we've built characterizations of the members: Kerry King hates Christianity, Tom Araya screams about the devil. Jeff Hanneman, for all of his laid-back demeanor, thought seriously about war and destruction. It got everybody in trouble; like Lemmy in Motörhead, Hanneman was morbidly fascinated by Nazi history. That caused the most grief, yet fueled some of Slayer's most damning material, like "Spill the Blood" and "Angel of Death." Like an Ingmar Bergman film, metal often works in darkness, rooting for something, anything that makes sense of this ugly human existence. Hanneman understood that and channeled it into a band that exemplifies pain. But beyond the lyrical concepts and riffs were Hanneman's guitar solos, numbing and chaotic, intertwined with Kerry King's cleaner — but no less meaner — shred. They were two sides to a coin that split a stage, something I'd never realized until the only time I saw Slayer live, in 2007. And even though Hanneman withdrew from touring after contracting necrotizing fasciitis, a debilitating skin disorder, in early 2011, something will never be the same about Slayer now. We will wander in darkness, where hell awaits.

Hanneman's lyrics for the song "Angel of Death" led to accusations of Slayer being NSDAP sympathizers. The track details the actions of doctor Josef Mengele at the Auschwitz labour camp during World War II. Hanneman has defended himself with:

"Nothing I put in the lyrics that says necessarily he was a bad man, because to me - well, isn't that obvious? I shouldn't have to tell you that."

The band have stated numerous times that they do not condone National Socialism and are merely interested in the subject.

Death

Hanneman died of liver failure on 2 May 2013, in a Southern California hospital near his home. Gary Holt (Exodus) eventually became Hanneman's permanent replacement in Slayer, remaining with the band for the next six years until they disbanded after finishing their final tour in 2019.

Family

Hanneman grew up in Oakland, California, in a German American family containing several war veterans: his father fought in Normandy during World War II and his brothers in Vietnam; so warfare was a common conversation topic at the dinner table. War films were popular on TV at the time, and Hanneman often joined his brothers in constructing and coloring tank and plane models. His interest in warfare and military history is attributed to his upbringing.

Marriage

In 1997, Hanneman married Kathryn, whom he had met in the early 1980s.

Of course, the metal world misses iconic Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. The axeman was one of thrash metal's greatest songwriters and it's truly sad that Hanneman will never bestow us with another gigantic riff. As much as we miss Hanneman, it's nothing compared to what the guitarist's wife Kathryn must be going through. In memory of her late husband, Kathryn Hanneman recently shared the sort-of heartwarming and metal-as-hell story of how the two met. “My girlfriend and I were getting tired of going to the movies every weekend, so we decided to go see this band called Slayer at a little club in Buena Park called the Woodstock,” Kathryn tells Guitar World. “They were playing with a band called Leatherwolf. I begged my father to let us go to the show, knowing that I would be home later than my 10 o’clock curfew, and he was okay with that. There may have been 15 or 20 people at the show, so I was able to stand up front against the stage, on Jeff’s side. And before I knew it, he kneeled down, grabbed me by the hair, and started making out with me. I was blown away, and that was how we met.” It may not sound like the most romantic first impression, but it birthed a 30-year relationship between the two. “I asked the manager if he could have Jeff call me, and he told me Jeff was in Vegas visiting his grandmother,” Kathryn continues. “I thought that was so sweet. About three weeks later, I was at home and my phone rang one night, and I picked it up and the voice on the other end said, ‘Hi, Kathy, this is Jeff from Slayer.’ And my heart started racing. I asked him how his grandmother was, and he said to me, ‘I wasn’t visiting my grandmother. I went to Vegas to break up with my girlfriend.’ And that was what I loved about Jeff—he was honest from the get-go.” Kathryn adds, “I was around 16 at the time. Jeff called me one evening and said they were about to do this photo shoot and that the girl they were going to use broke her toe and had to cancel, so he asked if I would fill in. And that I needed to bring some sort of black lingerie. I told him I had to get permission from my parents but that I’d be happy to do it. And since neither of us had driver’s licenses, Tom [Araya] came out and picked me up and we went to the garage at Tom’s parents’ house, which is where they would rehearse, and we did the shoot. I was very shy and conservative in those days, but it was the least I could do. I was honored that they chose me.”

The couple have no children and lived in Los Angeles, forty minutes away from King. Kathryn stayed at home when Slayer tour; Hanneman claimed to prefer this, saying that when he comes home, she's "all brand new again". Kathryn had toured with the band twice in twenty years.