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Slayer
Question: What's the greatest Thrash Metal album of all time?
A. Metallica - Master Of Puppets
B. Slayer - Reign In Blood
C. It has yet to be recorded
Answer: Hey, take your pick. The point is, Slayer's a contender.
Death, annihilation, destruction and an Iron Butterfly cover are all in the Slayer mix. Numerous Metal groups have released the power-ballad single. A pop hit is always good for sales and name recognition. Gets the group on the cover of Rolling Stone and in People magazine (mainstream stuff). It also picks up the nerdy kids who might have missed the buzz. But since the late '70s, there's been a Metal sect led by Judas Priest, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer that refused make such a concession. They haven't suffered for their decision.
Slayer formed in L.A. (OK, Huntington Beach), starting out as a Judas Priest/Iron Maiden covers band. They found Satanic references really wowed the crowd. Two years later they were signed by Metal Blade and released "Show No Mercy." The group nursed its act on Metal Blade before moving to Rick Rubin's Def Jam/American label. There they launched "Reign Of Blood" ('85), "South Of Heaven" ('88), "Seasons Of The Abyss" ('90), "Divine Intervention ('94) and "Diabolus In Musica" ('98).
For "The Less Than Zero" soundtrack Slayer covered "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (what, no drum solo?). Basically, they ripped that old chestnut a new one.
In '01 Slayer released "God Hates Us All." Thanks for the blinding flash of the obvious.
While on tour to support "God Hates Us All," Slayer played San Francisco's Warfield Theater in December '01. Two years later, the DVD War At The Warfield arrived containing "South Of Heaven," "Angel Of Death" and "Seasons In The Abyss." In August of '06, Slayer delivered another blistering set, "Christ Illusion
1. Reign In Blood ("Angel of Death," "Criminally Insane" and "Altar of Sacrifice")
2. Seasons Of The Abyss ("Dead Skin Mask" and "Born of Fire")
3. Diabolus In Musica ("Stain Of Mind" and "Overt Enemy")
4. Divine Intervention ("Circle of Belief")
5. South Of Heaven (The title track and "Crooked Cross")
This is what counts. But if you want more "Undisputed Attitude" ('98) has Slayer covering Punk classics ("Guilty of Being White" and Iggy's "I Wanna Be Your Dog"). Want more? Check out "God Hates Us All." Actually, God hates Rock, shallow celebrities and the evening news (they always get it wrong); but not in that order.
Any concerns that Slayer had slowed between "God Hates Us All" and "Christ Illusion" are unwarranted. The torrid opener "Flesh Storm" is just what you'd expect; spitting vocals and rapid-fire guitar/bass/drums. As if that weren't enough, they crank it up a notch for "Catalyst." "Eyes Of The Insane" has a screaming guitar and a march-like cadence while "Skeleton Christ" is pure Speed Metal. Even the slower tracks, "Catatonic" and "Cult," which aren't all that slow, have intensity to burn. These songs have more power than most groups going full-tilt.
From their early Metal Blade period go for the EP "Haunting In The Chapel" or the full-length "Hell Awaits." The later material is better, but this is where it all began.