I 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.
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.
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.
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.
This is objectively the best Slayer album. Every song is incredible, and somehow catchy. Everyone after them were just try-hard wannabes.
Probably my favorite Slayer album and without the immensity of Raining Blood I’m not sure they would be remembered with as high regard
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
Okay, yep. Still don’t like metal. Not sure I’ll make it too far into this one before I just turn it off. Yeah, I’m definitely not making it through this one. I think it’s probably the worst of the metal albums I’ve had on here. I think I’d give it 0 stars if I could.
not my thing too much screaming and too many satanic themes. the drums are too heavy as well and there isnt enough focus on the guitar which isnt too bad
Couldn't get all the way through. I'm just not a metal person. I will say there were sometimes some really cool guitar melodies.
Boring af. Mostly very uninteristing guitarplay; the riffs are uninspired and the solos seem perfunctory. Within a song, the vocals sound the same throughout, no inflection at all. The lyrics seem to be nothing more than strings of "badass" sounding words. OK, it was heavy for its time, but what else?? Like or dislike, the other albums so far at least had interesting parts.
Just when I thought there was nothing worse than the Iggy Pop album. Are negative numbers allowed?
Wow, this may be the greatest thrash metal album ever composed! … But, my ear holes say “No!”
Virtuosos del aburrimiento, suenan igual que Metallica pero sin las baladas. Todas las canciones son iguales. Esto no es heavy, es pesado.
Appalling rubbish. Can't tell one track from another. Mad guitar - very fast but out of rhythm and key. Who likes this stuff apart from sad 13 year old loners?
Not my genre so can’t speak to why this record merits attention -- maybe the technical proficiency or speed of the playing? The extreme and outlandish nature of this record doesn’t make it worth knowing (in my view). The best that can be said is that you can barely hear the lyrics, which are apparently shocking. I hope these people are okay. Or were they just posing?
What a load of shit. In the same way WWE is just a soap opera for hard men, this just consumer pop music for scary hard people
Eugh this was annoying on so many levels. Not just the terribly placed first track that Grace has described just all of it so unpleasant, how can you describe it any other way
Opening track, Angel of Death, is obviously about Josef Mengele and his torture experiments in the Auschwitz concentration camp. I read that this was purely about their interest in the matter and they don't condone what happened. It feels a little too close to celebrating and glorifying an absolute tragedy representing one of the worst ever outcomes of humanity's existence. How can you feel alright with it knowing it will probably get into the hands of some neo nazis and become their anthem?? Totally grim. I actually can enjoy some thrash metal although it's not exactly my chosen genre, this makes me not want to listen to the rest of the album though. And it makes me angry. Update: I tried to listen to more of the album (4 more tracks) but I'm too mad, lol bye Slayer!
Wtf, I would rather shit in my hands and clap that listen to this!!!!! I finally stopped my ears from bleeding and my eyes have come back into focus now, after three tracks I realise that it is nothing more than noise with some kind of vocal attached to it, it’s a no from me. If I could give it zero I would do so
Wreszcie pojedynek ze Slayerem, wiedzialem ze bedzie to ciezki odsluch, ale czegos takiego sie nie spodziewalem, bo chyba od czasow junkyarda czy scuma takiego szrotu nie slyszalem, a takim wlasnie krazkiem jest w odsluchu Reign in Blood, czyli trzeci studyjny grzech popelniony przeciwko gatunkowi ludzkiemu przez Slayera, plyta z 86, ktora byla ich pierwszym albumem wydanym przez def jama, a jak def jam to nie moglo zabraknac pana Ricka Rubina, ktory stoi tutaj na strazy tego zeby uszy zostaly pogwalcone zwacymi brzmieniami gitarowymi, wspolpraca miedzy Rubinem a banda wychodzi poza ich tworczosc, bo jak na picku od Beastie Boysow slychac bylo pana Kinga, ktory jak sie dowiedzialem poza rwaniem gitarowymi rwie rowniez arkusze papieru i zamienia je na cos z pogranicza komedii i krindzu, bo nie wiem jak inaczej okreslic otwieranie plyty auszwicowym songiem, z calych 28 minut materialu bije taka prymtywnie agresywna energia, ze nawet tak krotki odsluch odejmuje czlowiekowi wiary w drugiego czlowieka z koszulka okraszona slayerowym merchem, ktory przeciez zalicza sie do topowych wyborow wszelakich kucow, przynajmniej za moich czasow, wiec o ile samo granie mogloby byc znosne, bo Rubinowska produkcja daje po uszach, to jednak kontent wokalno liryczny jaki serwuje w tym wypadku Tom Araya jest czyms co chce sie jak najszybciej zapomniec, a ze brak tutaj jakis wylacznie instrumentalnych utworow, wiec na plejke nie ma nic do dodania, poza nadziejami na brak kolejnych wydan Slayerowych na liscie