Repentless and Relentless

Slayer is back!

The thrash metal kings perform on Thursday, July 27, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It's a headbanger's dream bill, with Lamb of God and Behemoth providing support.

It will be great to hear Slayer performing tracks from their latest ferocious masterpiece, "Repentless" (2015). "Repentless" is, simply put, a relentless assault on the senses.

Singer-bassist Tom Araya's by turns chilling, anguished and angry screams, guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt's blistering riffs and barely contained solos, and drummer Paul Bostaph's monstrous battery of rhythms and double-bass work propel the shock and awe of the title track and other standouts like "Implode" and "You Against You."

"Repentless" ranks high in Slayer's pounding pantheon, which says a lot, given that the band's catalog includes "Reign In Blood," considered by many to be the best thrash album of all time. And of course, Slayer is one of the best live metal acts ever as well, so don't miss this opportunity to see them play before a crazy New York crowd.

We recently spoke with drummer Paul Bostaph.

Do the new songs evolve in a live setting now that "Repentless" has been out a couple of years?

It does change a bit from when we recorded the album. That was a moment in time, a photograph of what things were back then. Now the songs take on a life of their own. Once I get used to the songs I start to improvise and make them better from a drum perspective. I want to do something a little different.

I've read that you're a perfectionist

I'm very critical of myself in the recording studio and it's hard for me. I always listen to the record when it's finished and think, 'I could've done it better.' I think striving to find perfection and capturing the best moments is good. But no one is perfect and I've learned to let that go a little and not be as critical on that.

As a drummer in an extremely intense band, there must be a lot of physical and mental preparation and energy that goes into putting on a Slayer show. It seems like doing this for years could also take a toll on your body. Would you put yourself in the same category as an extreme athlete?

In terms of what I do, there is that part of it. It's all about the music but there's a part of it that does come down to muscle strength, muscle memory and cardiovascular health, how you take care of your body, what you eat. Because our set is so physically demanding as well as creatively demanding. I always put in100 percent, that's a given. There are some gigs where the energy between the band is just on and it goes up to 150 percent. After those gigs, the next day, I think, 'man I was hitting hard last night.' I've always said it's related to athletics. That's one of the things I love about it. I've always been into sports

Which Slayer songs are the most difficult for you to play?

They can be the ones you know the best. Sometimes you play a song so many times that you think, 'I've got this' by memory. Then you can drift away for one second and make a mistake. It's like, 'I shouldn't have said that.'

This is your third call of duty with Slayer (1992-1996), (1997-2001), (2013-present). How have the experiences been different? Do you appreciate or savor being in the band now more than during your first two stints?

We're all wiser and we're all better at what we do. We've always had an appreciation for what we do but now is different. I cherish every moment more so than I ever did.