Reign In Blood
Slayer
1986
Album Summary
Reign in Blood is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 7, 1986, by Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. The release date of the album was delayed because of concerns regarding the lyrical subject matter of the opening track "Angel of Death", which refers to Josef Mengele and describes acts such as human experimentation that he committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The band's members stated that they did not condone Nazism and were merely interested in the subject.Reign in Blood was well received by both critics and fans, and was responsible for bringing Slayer to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. Today, it is often mentioned among the greatest heavy metal records ever. In their 2017 listing of the 100 Greatest Metal albums of all time, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Reign in Blood" at #6. Alongside Anthrax's Among the Living, Megadeth's Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, and Metallica's Master of Puppets, Reign in Blood helped define the sound of the emerging US thrash metal scene in the mid-1980s, and has remained influential since. The album was Slayer's first to enter the US Billboard 200, peaking at number 94, and was certified Gold on November 20, 1992. In 2013, NME ranked it at number 287 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
WikipediaI was gonna write something about the big 4, their skill as musicians, laying the groundwork for death metal, blah blah blah... but really, there is only one thing that needs to be said here: *deep breath* FUUCKIIIINNNGGG SLAAAAYYEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!
Relentless power. Feels so frenetic and dangerous. Makes me happy that music like this exists. The solo at the end of Jesus Saves is a thing of beauty.
Great album. Could listen to this on repeat all week and it would still be epic on the seventh day. In fact I'm sure that's what God was doing on the seventh day. He was so awed by their awesomeness he just had to kick back, drink some beers and listen to some Slayer.
Absolute masterpiece. Not just one of my favorite metal albums, one of my favorite albums ever! Extremely hype, intense, fast-paced, horrifying, heart-pounding...and PERFECT.
More punk than I thought, so that was kind of cool, but couldn't get behind the lyrics.
J'ai fait écouter cet album à Satan qui m'a bien confirmé que c'était de la merde.
This project has enabled me, for the first time, to be able to tell you the difference between a number of heavy metal bands. Slayer is no Metallica. In this relentless 28 minutes there is no variance of tempo, no recognizable riffs or remarkable solos, and neither melody nor rhythm to any of the lyrics. I couldn't tell you which song is which upon hearing a sample. Is it bad that I laughed out loud a few times listening to this? Is "How can we really freak mom out?" the sole driver of this creation? There is absolutely no meter or structure to the random, screamed lyrics. I was trying to imagine what else might be performed in this manner. Julia Child's recipe for Bœuf Bourgignon? And then it hit me that I wanted to hear the poem "This is Just to Say" performed in this manner. "...so cooooooooooooooooooold!" This isn't to say that it doesn't represent its genre well. It has a consistent badass sound and scary lyrics. I love the scream at the beginning of "Angel of Death" but it did make me laugh as I listened to it over and over, and I'm not sure that's the intended effect. Some of my favorite lyrics: "How long can you last in this frozen water burial?" "Dismembered destiny" "Transforming five toes to two" and "These shackles will be useless when your life is out of time" I love that the somewhat timely "Epidemic" ("pulmonary overthrow") ends with the ominous line, "Years will pass before it can be cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuured!" Hail, Satan!
Brooooooo, no idea how anyone else will react to this (not well is my guess) but I was kind of bobbing along? Definitely not my type of music and I doubt I'll relisten but for what it is, great.
Absolute genius in its own way. Essentially, this is the same basic musical setup as The Beatles or Booker T and the MGs but THIS music sounds like it’s from another planet which is terrifying and frightening. Slayer get this sound out of those same instruments. Music is incredible. I couldn’t listen to this too many times but I’m glad I have heard it.
metal has never been my thing. I suppose there’s a certain level of artifice present within the lyrics and presentation of bands like Slayer. Songs like Angel of Death and Postmortem simply feel performative to me in terms of lyrical content. Maybe it’s more a rejection of the genre clichés than the music itself for me personally. It's competently made music, well put together and a pleasingly brief in a satisfying way. I simply have no wish to ever listen to it again, but am glad I did if only to gain insight into a genre I still have no draw towards. 6/10
Harmless satanism, breakneck speed, and some kind of purity--by which, I think I mean that, thanks to Rick Rubin, the songs are short and focussed. The lyrics and vocals are beyond silly, and all the better for it. Tom Araya yells like he's had wet cement poured into his veins and is trying to get his words out before it dries. All of which makes the technical showboating genuinely exciting rather than the drag it usually is. Deliberately overrating this because I can.
This is super not my kind of music. I finished it, but only because it's short. Maybe 1 star, I don't know. Really didn't enjoy this.
I couldn't listen to this everyday. But this is an example of genre perfection.
I love every single songs on this album. Definitely their greatest imo
This album fucking slays (pun intended). One of my favorite thrash albums of all time. Great way to wake up in the morning on a day when you've been up since 4am.
This is what I wanted Master of Puppets to sound like. I'm know that's legitimate heresy to say, but it's true.
Holy shit. Today is the day I found out I love thrash metal and Slayer! This album is a verified banger from start to finish, But not for the faint of heart or easily offended. Music that challenges norms always deserves credit, especially the controversial stuff-and by golly gee wiz this deserves to be in the forefront.
Classic album in the evolution of Thrash and metal as a whole. You can feel Rick Rubin's hands all over this album, funneling the band's aggression into the work, without negating or nullifying the emotion. I understand why it is not for a large portion of the population, but it's critical listening for modern metal. And honestly, even people who know nothing about Slayer know about Raining Blood and "SLAAAAAAYERRRRRR" jokes, so clearly there's been a huge impact. Outside of RIB's obvious power, Angel of Death, Jesus Saves, Piece by Piece, and Reborn are standouts. But it's worth listening to the whole thing. || Shoutout to Ms. Anker's 9th grade English class where I was allowed to play "Angel of Death" as a 'media piece' for my speech about torture...yeah, I was an edgelord, yes I am embarrassed hahahah.
This is my second favourite album from Slayer (first one is without doubt Seasons in the Abyss). Great work.
People are saying it more and more and it's true you hear it a lot that this is the best metal album ever.
This is objectively the best Slayer album. Every song is incredible, and somehow catchy. Everyone after them were just try-hard wannabes.
As a dyed-in-the-wool heavy metal maniac I'm not giving this any less than five well-deserved stars. This album absolutely smokes. Lots of bands tried to sound like Slayer. Few bands actually sound like Slayer. 'Angel of Death' and 'Raining Blood' are all-timers in the metal pantheon.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" -Opening line of "Reign in Blood" if I remember correctly UPDATE: I remembered correctly. This album fucking TEARS. UPDATE 2: This one is an absolute burner. I don't think I've ever noticed that it's almost completely seamless. There's a slight break before Raining Blood kicks in but other than that it's just wall-to-wall insanity. Love it.
I have nothing smart to say about this. It's hard, fast, and utterly devoid of good taste. LOVE IT
This album fucks so heavy, the switch ups are so gruelly and reek of pure violence, fills me with primordial rage like no other record
Solid classic thrash. I generally prefer more melodic metal, but still very good.
Probably my favorite Slayer album and without the immensity of Raining Blood I’m not sure they would be remembered with as high regard
pretty good, didn't know slayer so much, happy to have listened to this one
A classic of the genre sending a flaming spear into the future of metal that nearly every other metal band has had to dodge.
This is a good album. Thrash is always a fun listen and Slayer do it particularly well. Highlights: Angel of Death, Jesus Saves Lowlights:
A silly but perfectly formed blast of death metal. It sounds like there are too many lyrics for each song. Can't believe it came out in 86, it still sounds fresh.
Album rocks. Postmortem into raining blood is fucking sick. Definitely deserved of all the praise it gets
if you like hard rock is a good disc. Not my cup of tea this type of music
Schockt viel krasser als das lame Black Album von Metallica neulich. Stimme, Schlagzeug, Gitarren, Geschwindigkeit, Aggression und Nihilismus: genauestens kontrolliert auf den Punkt gebracht, geil abgeliefert. Wäre das mein Style (und würde es mich nicht doch irgendwann bisschen ermüden), hätte es vielleicht sogar noch mehr Punkte gegeben. Aber bei (Thrash-) Metal die Latte an der ich jetzt alles andere messe.
Blood, sacrilege, violence, and general mayhem are key in this classic old school thrash album. Did I mention the blood?
great content. good pacing. enjoyed the fanciful lyrics. for me this fills the excellent workout jams niche.
Ahhh… this takes me back to high school. While I was more into Anthrax, Slayer and Metallica rated a close second. This was the album from them that I played often to my parents discontent.
Can you imagine the discussions between the band members, when they were putting these songs together? "Oh yeah, that sounds great, but let's try it like 5 times faster." "Totally, and while you guys do that, I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs about BLUHHHHHHHHHHHHD!" Whatever state of mind they were in, the result is a blistering fever dream of thrash metal that set the bar for everything else to come. For my tastes, I'd love to hear the album sans vocals. At times Tom had a hard time keeping up with the track, which was distracting. More important to me though is that the lyrics feel cringy and pointlessly scandalous. I think they turn a lot of listeners off from appreciating the album on the whole.
As someone who was more into the indie rock scene, this was one of the few metal albums my friends and I would listen to in college. There is something about the ferocity of the pace and the athleticism of the performances that kind of knocks the wind out of you, especially considering when this came out. They take it to the edge without going over the top, and that is what makes them more palatable to me than some other metal. Takes itself seriously enough to give you chills but not completely freak you out. Those high notes in the vocals are like a reassuring wink to the audience that it's all in good fun. Not something I'd put on every day but would be very welcome in the right context/mood. Stands head and shoulders above other metal from the era and holds up remarkably well over 30 years later.
I'm usually not a metal fan but I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.
Powerful, hard hitting metal, iconic if not slightly showing its age in some places
"Spil noget med Slayer!" Awesome album, though only one song was memorable. 4
Fuck yeah, Slayer. This album is one of the many examples of everything Rick Rubin touches turning to gold. While he was in the midst of building one of the most successful hip-hop albums, he was producing this album. Slayer is one of those bands that really has done one thing for their entire career, and they do that one thing so well that they don't need to diversify. Slayer makes thrash metal. That's it. Metallica did it better during the 80s in my opinion, but they stopped making thrash towards the end of the decade, while Slayer kept making thrash well into the 2000s. This album is one of their greats. It hits you like a brick to the face, yet manages to be so intricate that it stays fresh over several listens. I've come back to this album over and over throughout the years, and it doesn't disappoint. 4/5. Fuck yeah, Slayer
The best way to clear a drum circle. Best Tracks: Angel of Death; Postmortem; Raining Blood
Very loud, fast, and short. Songs about a wide variety of topics, which got them in a bit of bother. The 'big 4' band I knew least we'll before, but would be happy to see them pop up again
I was really excited to listen to this again. It's been a loooong time. But you know what? I quickly remembered that I was never a huge Slayer fan and I think I can pinpoint why now. I like Arraya's voice. I like everything Lombardo's doing. But, man, I am torn about these guitars. Yes, the riff in "Angel of Death" rules. "Raining Blood" is a no-brainer, can't argue balls-to-buttholes classic. But listen to the end of "Reborn." And then listen to the beginning of "Epidemic." And just focus on the guitars. My dudes, those two songs sound like they used the exact same riff. They might be the same song just played twice with some different fills. Maybe that's where this band has kept me at a bit of a distance in the past? I don't know. Whatever reason, when it came to the Big 4 of thrash, Slayer was at the bottom of that list for me personally. And, yeah, I know I'd be a lot cooler if that wasn't the case! And they influenced so many bands I love! But still... thank Satan this made the list. I'll take Slayer over trip hop any and every day of the week.
Classic. Heavily influential across metal and even some sub-genres of Hardcore.
Pure metal. Heavy guitaring, fast double bass pedal drumming. Standouts are "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" opening with it's iconic riff.
Part of the big 4 for a reason. Love the energy, too fast to comprehend on 1 go
Reign in Blood is the third album by American thrash metal band Slayer. This critically acclaimed and certified gold album brought the band into the mainstream and is regarded as one of the best heavy metal records. The production on this album was so well done that you could hear every note played by each instrument - even though they're played really fast. This caused the mainstream audience to enjoy this thrash metal album. I've listened to "Angel of Death" & "Raining Blood" before and loved them, so to hear the rest of this album was a treat. I'm not a big fan of metal, but this album is too amazing to not like.
Classic Thrash metal. Never got into Slayer though. But I was definitely a fan of the others in the "Big 4".
Slayer n'a jamais été mon genre, mais ça reste un gros classique avec des supers bons riffs. Raining Blood est évidement un anthem du trash.
boilerplate 80s thrash with a legendary guitar hero III single. dark, shrill, twangy, and not too bad. optimistic 4/5
Metal is so funny. They're all like, "I'm a real sicko! Blood and guts and gore!!! SATAN!" That edgy shit just gets funnier and funnier as I get older. Would be embarrassing if it didn't also rip.
It was more interesting than the Iron Maiden album, but not really my cup of tea.
A subtle and nuanced composition. Jolly good This is actually my least favorite Slayer album, it’s a high 3, but a 3 nonetheless.
Cool metal album. Good riffs, good tracks. Nothing mind blowing. Lyrics are like they're written by a teenager but other than that not bad
I know many of Slayer's songs from my teenage years and I like them and listen to them today made me realize how much they influenced the metal scene forever. Their songs from this album are a little bit repetitive, but it's cool.
3.6 - Took a minute to get accustomed to the thrashy sound. By the 2nd track I was hooked. Screeeeeammming guitar! Towards the end of the album, I’d lost my stamina and was starting to get a headache.
I was surprised by my enjoyment of this. First song was the standout. Vocals shouty obviously but not to the point where its incomprehensible guff
Well performed but feels sort of aimless until Raining Blood kicks in and it starts to RIP. still good enough that I could revisit the whole thing
Estaba bien la energía, aunque me ha cansau un poco según continuaba. pero guay, bien
43. Eu faço o que quiser. Corro, ando, grito, falo bem, falo mal, penso, mordo, existo, sou, estou, vou, controlo, descontrolo. Não compro missa nem compromisso. Já te disse, faço o que quiser. Passa-me o bisturi. Estou numa fase minguante. MotA: Raining Blood "Auschwitz, the meaning of pain"
Über große Strecken besser zu hören als ich es in Erinnerung hatte. Aber trotzdem zu krass für mich!
Bit too raw and aggressive for my liking, would have appreciated bit more singing than yelling but overall not as bad as imagined which probably is aided by the short runtime
I will always have a love for rock and metal. The riffs are there and the album is a great run time, but with 2021 eyes, the corny lyrics, the lack of melody, similar song formula throughout, simply make the album less than exceptional.
REIGN IN BLOOD is very far out of my wheelhouse both musically and lyrically. This listen started out rough… then I ended up listening to it several times. “Jesus Saves” and “Reborn” were two of the songs I appreciated most. Slayer plays at almost superhuman speeds. On the negative side I never did get into “Piece by Piece” or “Necrophobic”. “Raining Blood” is a surprise. I was previously familiar with the Tori Amos cover of it. I did not realize they were the same song until I read the Wikipedia page. I had to play them back to back to believe it. One has to wonder what inspired her to do the cover, or how she became aware of the song in the first place… I ended up liking this more than I ever thought possible. REIGN IN BLOOD took me somewhere I didn’t want to go, yet inexplicably I found myself not hating being there. While I don’t see Slayer as part of my daily routine, this gets an extra half star for its expansive effect on my musical Overton Window.
3 stars. Some of the tracks are interesting and filled with classic riffs (angel of death, postmortem, raining blood) but most of the album is just fast thrash. Not incredibly satisfying. It has its place but not usually my thing.
I guess I've never really "gotten" Slayer. To me, it always just sounds sloppy. Thrash is pretty far from my preferred style of metal, but even in thrash, they never really struck a chord with me. They're better than Metallica, I can say that at least.
Un dels grans clàssics de la primera onada de thrash. Dec ser l'únic que sempre m'ha semblat sobrevalorat, i he preferit, de lluny, l'increïble, aquest sí, 'Seasons in the Abyss'. Potser a la seva època va ser demolidor i sorprenent, no ho vaig viure. Però dels grans clàssics en el génere als '80, és dels que menys he entés
Let's play everything as loud and as fast as we can. Nailed it! Oddly, I enjoyed listening to this in the background while I did the dishes. As background music, I appreciated it and found it weirdly calming. But, I don't think I could ever enjoy it the way it's meant to be enjoyed - live, in the pit, with a bunch of angry bikers. Still, Slayer is Slayer.
Track 01 - 2.25/5 Track 02 - 2/5 Track 03 - 1.5/2 Track 04 - 2.5/5 Track 05 - 2.75/5 Track 06 - 2.5/5 Track 07 - 1.5/2 Track 08 - 2.25/5 Track 09 - 3.25/5 Track 10 - 3/5 Track 11 - 1.5/2 Track 12 - 2.5/5 Overall: 2.5/5 Album Art: 3.75/5
Reign in Blood by Slayer (1986) For a thrash metal album that is mercifully short (under 29 minutes), Reign in Blood packs plenty of variation, compositional innovation, and enough moral turpitude to offend pretty much everybody. From the Hannibal Lecter/Josef Mengele School of Cultural Excellence, Slayer indulges in an orgy of pain, gore, insanity, blasphemy, sadism, Nazism, disease, Satanism, torture, and (need I mention?) death. It is all done very well, with highly commensurate composition and arrangements, and stellar guitar performances by Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, a demented duo that also wrote the lyrics and the music. Blazing dual riffs dominate whatever melody might be found on this record. The alternating lead solos between these two guys at 3:34 on the opening track “Angel of Death” dazzle and astonish. And the drumming by Dave Lombardo is not just impressive—it is superlatively elaborate and energized. His dual bass drum rolls are unsurpassed (Do an image search for “Dave Lombardo Drum Kit” and prepare to gasp). Added to this musical excellence, we get the driving bass of Tom Arraya (How can he keep up with Lombardo?) and his genre-bound non-melodious rapid-fire screaming vocals, yelling and enunciating simultaneously. Try this sometime when no one’s around; it ain’t easy. We hear the band performing rhythmic halts, jarring stops and starts, inexplicable tempo and time signature changes, requiring long preparation and rehearsal. All four musicians had to be supremely disciplined and in sync. It is really quite amazing. The blasphemous “Jesus Saves” is performed at such a blinding speed that one suspects the band needed to lay it down on tape quickly, lest He return suddenly and spoil all the fun. The last two stanzas of “Epidemic” prompt interesting reflections in this era of the Covid pandemic (cf. the hauntingly predictive “Years will pass before it can be cured”). The guys who listened to this as teenagers likely grew up to interrogate captured Al-Qaeda operatives. This is not to claim that the art is necessarily good or bad, but one does note the marginal utility. 3/5
I have to appreciate the technicalities of the guitar riffs and drums in this album. But it is not my genre at all. Very heavy metal, would be great to lift heavy weights to.
Next time I need to get really pumped up I'll be reaching for this album. Thrash metal is usually a little heavier than I prefer but I did enjoy listening to this.
I dunno man, in some ways this feels so played out I can't even properly evaluate this since this sound has been so overplayed throughout a ton of thrash/death metal bands. It's interesting that this was their first well-produced album and set a standard for metal production going forward, I think that's neat. Beyond that, I can't say I really enjoy it a ton, but I can also highly respect the brevity; I actually listened to it 3x just to make sure. Live however, I'm sure it would be super fun.
Somehow manages to not be very exciting, despite them absolutely obliterating that poor poor guitar and yelling 30 words a second. There's not enough diversity. Most songs are just: SATAN SUMMONS BLOOD, DEATH COMES AND HELL WILL KILL US ALL *10 second guitar solo*. There were some moments when I didn't even catch that one song ended and another had begun. The best song is definitely "Raining Blood". It's so cool when that iconic riff kicks in.
Intense metal. Makes Master of Puppets sound like Barney the dinosaur. Incredibly athletic musicians with freaky nervous systems.
Below Megadeth and Metallica on my Big4 thrash list - not quite melodic enough for me.
One of the milestones of heavy metal. However, I am unfortunately not a speed/trash metal fan... (5/10) FT: Raining Blood
hasn't aged well, used to sound menacing when I was 13 now just sounds silly. tuneful enough but not essential
Wow. This was a surprise, actually kind of over the top fun. Great drumming, lots of tempo changes to keep things interesting. Not really my style of music but I could find a lot to like.
I played this at my nieces 5th birthday party. Instead of having cake we drank the blood of the innocent and played sacrifice the cat for prizes.
The cover is great. I want to like this album more than I do but only because so many teens wear Slayer shirts now and I want to say to them "You don't know what Slayer is all about! I do!" But I don't. What I do know is that I really like the production here and I like Tom Araya's voice. Metal vocals can sometimes really ruin your whole day, but these sound great. Still - at a certain point it feels like a pummeling and not in a good way.
Was listening to this in the car on the way home from work and it sounded alright, finished the album with headphones on it was much better. Another album that I can appreciate without being a huge fan of.
For an album that I remember really enjoying back in the day, I didn't enjoy it as much now. I think my tastes have become a little bit more melodic.
Reign In Blood, and Slayer as well, is a good example of my musical taste drastically changing over the years. Once beloved band (fifteen years ago, but still), I could listen to certain songs on a loop, like "Reign In Blood" for example. Today, after listening to the album, I honestly couldn't tell when does one songs end and another one starts. It was all one very quick and constant mash-up of extremely oppressive drums (I still have a lot of respect to Dave Lombardo for Fantomas though), sometimes catchy, but generally fast-paced riffs and quick solos by King and rounded up by tagged-along bass and vocal of Araya, which in my opinion works only in small doses. Listening to his shouting for full half an hour is very exhausting, it is suited much more into one or two songs filled in-between your usual playlist. Something that can't be overlook - Slayer was very brutal and honest in their approach to music. There was no cutting corners, it was as rough and spiky, as the minds and idea of music of those four young boys. The bar for extreme music (but still being somehow in mainstream) was raised once again. The only song that I still like is obviously afrometioned "Reign in Blood". Very characteristic riff is probably recogised by people all over the World. It's also not as linear as other songs, with few pauses here and there, some small breakdowns and a very in-tone solo by King. A very good song in a somewhat monotonous album, when listen to nowadays.
Slams one in the face with all the power and subtlety of a wrecking ball. The speed of the guitar work is impressive.
To be honest I put this on and it hit the spot on a rainy October morning. Blows the cobwebs and everything else away. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is.
A brutal, thrashy classic. Lacks the musical sophistication or versatility of Metallica or Megadeath, but still powerful, hard driving music that grabs you from the start and does no let go. The lyrics are vividly extreme and intentionally repellant. If you can get past that, this is one of the best metal albums out there. Undeniably belongs on this list.
BLOODburylifesmellyourDEATHasitburnsdeepinsideofyouAbacinateeyesthatBLEEDpraying fortheendofyourwideawakeNIGHTMAREwingsofPAINreachoutforyouhisfaceofDEATHstaringdownyourBLOOD’srunningcoldInjectingcellsDYINGeyesfeedingontheSCREAMS Then yeah, it does that for half an hour or so. Lighten up lads.
Does the job when you feel like some thrash metal (if I have the right sub-genre)
This was wild to me. The parts that were “tough” just seemed cute to me. But the drums and guitars are 100%
It’s cool. Very high energy and intense. Not for me personally but I hear the appeal.
Kirjaimellisesti raskasta kuunneltavaa. Oman genrensä kärkinimiä toki, joten miljoonan kärpäsen ansiosta yksi tähti lisää.
I don't really know what to do with this album. I'm going to try to split the difference, which is probably the wrong thing to do. Musically, this owns. However, there's a Nazi problem. The opening track is named after and makes explicit references to Josef Mengele, who experimented on prisoners at Auschwitz. If you read or listen to the lyrics, they stop short of glorifying him; in fact, it's kind of just their usual shtick with the inspiration coming from a different source. In an interview, Jeff Hanneman basically said, "We didn't say he was bad because it's self-evident." It's clear they're following the same playbook that was so successful for them when it came to Satanic Panic: Create the controversy, fan the flames of it by issuing some non-denial denials, and earn street cred with the rebellious teenagers that make up the core of their fanbase. Are they literal Nazis? Maybe not. Probably not. But they sure didn't have any problems using Nazi imagery on multiple occasions to move records and merchandise, so they can fuck right off. Best track: Raining Blood
Right on the edge of too heavy. Enjoyed some of the music but the songs were better when there was no singing.
Not as awful as I expected but only enjoyed parts of it. Never a whole song either. It was ok, there's plenty worse out there. Enjoyed some of the riffage. 2*
Another band I really never heard when they were getting airplay and were talked about by some friends. I don't really connect with hard-driving thrashy metal like this, but I can absolutely appreciate how difficult this music is to play. Certainly doesn't lack energy.
Technically difficult, but thrash is paradoxically boring if it has no intensity variation. RAWR RAH ARRHEHR RAH RAH RAH RAH RARARARARAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! for 38 minutes, becomes background noise after three minutes. The last track is ok. Metallica is much more consistent at recognizing this.
Wow. I hate this. It sounds like a parody and makes me want to yell at my parents that they don't understand me. Raining Blood is kind of sweet though. Probably 1.5 but I'll give it a 2 because of Raining Blood.
Starting this record now. It's the first one that I've honestly wondered whether I can make it through the whole thing. I'll just say this - I don't listen to a lot of metal. But I've heard metal that I like way more than this. It just doesn't impress me as that great. Once you bring a double-kick pedal into things, the music degrades quickly. I like super heavy music that is made using more conventional rock tones/instruments/technology. Like, If you need more gain than a Les Paul through a Plexi, you're probably seeking some real dumb guitar tone. And, don't get me started on china crash cymbals. But, this is better than that Metallica record we listened to a few weeks ago.
It was an ok metal album. Incredibly short. Some of the guitar riffs were good and memorable. The lyrics were a bit too far off for me. 4.9/10
Guitar was goid and while I didn't dislike it, I didn't exactly enjoy it either. I appreciated that it was short and to the point though!
Almost comical. Seems a lot longer than it is because it is so monotonously aggressive.
So I finally have now heard a Slayer album. And they are thrash without the talent. Boring riffs, terrible vocals. Even Raining Blood sucked. Granted, I'm not huge on thrash, but there's a notable difference and enjoyment level between this, and say, Metallica or Megadeth.
No me asusta nada. En otra época habría pensado que era demasiado duro para mí gusto pero vamos que se escucha como si tal cosa. No esta mal, rápido, 12 canciones en apenas 35 minutos de la versión Expanded. No lo veo imprescindible hoy en día.
Best Song: Raining Blood. A recognizable riff that launched a thousand video game rock band simulators. Worst Song: Necrophobic. The whole song it felt like the lead singer was struggling to keep up with the pace of the rest of the band, giving the whole song a sort of back-foot awkwardness that makes everything feel off balance in a bad way. Overall: Given how passionate, how dramatic, how intense metal music can be due to the freedoms of the genre, I am always disappointed to find an album that's so boring. Try something different! Be weird! But don't just plod along with this morose seriousness. This album is like a drive through the worst kind of rural highways, maybe somewhere in Saskatchewan. Sure, the drive might be a little faster than the posted speed limit, but there isn't anything interesting to look at along the way. The road doesn't even bend or turn. It just goes and goes until you find yourself wondering "are we there yet?"
At the risk of sounding like an auld fart, after track 3 I was looking to see how much more I needed to listen to. I have a headache.
Always enjoyed the title track but the rest of the album was more challenging. Not really my cup of tea.
Heavy riffs and guitar solos, didn’t / couldn’t pay attention to the lyrics. Went by fast so that’s good?