Following the announcement that he would be stepping in for Gary Holt while the Slayer guitarist returns home to be with his dying father, footage of former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel ripping it up with Slayer in Copenhagen, Denmark last night has surfaced. Demmel commented on the situation via Instagram yesterday (December 3rd), telling fans “I am filling in for a legend who … replaced a legend in a legendary band on their farewell tour. Despite the fact that Slayer is the reason I wanted to play heavy music, it’s beyond my utmost honor to [be] asked to do this.”
The clip above shows off the guitarist’s chops as he shreds through classic thrasher “Hell Awaits” with the quartet, pyrotechnics blazing and the crowd in typical amped-up fashion while watching the band. As horns fly and heads band, the modified version of Slayer performs at breakneck speed on this, their extended farewell world tour. Demmel has just three more nights with the group before they break until the next tour leg beginning in March, so check out more footage below — courtesy of Anthrax/Shadows Fall guitarist Jonathan Donais — for more angles and tracks from the show.