Back in the 1980s, it was hard to find Slayer in record stores or big concert halls.

“Heavy metal” meant Judas Priest, AC/DC, Kiss, Iron Maiden and maybe Metallica — although Metallica scared most people, and Iron Maiden was considered Satanic for their Number of the Beast album, which meant many stores would not stock it. (Seems dated, but rather quaint: a society interested in its own well-being, even if a bit ignorant as to how it applies that. For example, Desperate Housewives is more Satanic than Iron Maiden.)

When you went to a big show — Slayer was still playing smaller venues, and until the New Titans on the Block tour, so were Sepultura et al — you usually did it at a place called The Summit. This was a basketball arena with an awesome circular lighting system and one of the first giant TV screens to show your favorite team eating dirt in high definition.

Sometime in the 1990s, it went bankrupt. Sometime in the 00s, it became a Megachurch.

As time goes on, I am reminded of a few things:

• Most people hate themselves and want crap that feels like what they deserve
• What is popular is always inferior to what intelligent people like
• Over time, as new forms of music get discovered, they get dragged down to mediocrity
• We destroy good bands and venues by forcing them to play the music industry game
• The music industry game is pandering to idiots and then getting out before the band’s name value falls

And when all is said and done, the ashes fall, and the creatures of decay (including Lakewood Church, a cheesy megachurch that’s half-television and half-circus, with Jesus added) take over. RIP