- Seasons In the Abyss · 1990
- South of Heaven · 1988
- Seasons In the Abyss · 1990
- South of Heaven · 1988
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
- Christ Illusion · 2006
Essential Albums
- After breaking the thrash speed barrier with 1986’s Reign in Blood, Slayer had no choice but to slow their roll on South of Heaven. Released in 1988, the album may not have given listeners whiplash, but it’s far more sinister than anything the band recorded prior. Written largely by guitarist Jeff Hanneman, South of Heaven is the only Slayer album on which the band deliberately did something different. As they’ve said in interviews, they knew they couldn’t top Reign in Blood for sheer speed and ferocity. They made up for it with atmospheric malevolence. The title track sets the menacing tone with an evil opening riff before the inevitable plunge into hell—the earthly one. Vocalist Tom Araya describes the descent of mankind (“Chaos rampant, an age of distrust”) in the pre-chorus, but delivers the forgone conclusion in the opening verse: “Before you see the light, you must die!” Wipe away the vocals, and the song is downright cinematic. “South of Heaven” would’ve been a killer soundtrack to Child’s Play, Pumpkinhead, Monkey Shines—or any of the other horror flicks that hit the big screen that year. Drummer Dave Lombardo’s dizzying drums ride high in the mix here, but in no way obscure the sheer unholiness of the guitars. Lyrically, Slayer revisit the horrors of war on “Behind the Crooked Cross”, “Ghosts of War” and “Mandatory Suicide”, the latter of which also features one of the album’s most diabolical riffs. “Read Between the Lies” continues the band’s anti-religious crusade, while a ripping cover of Judas Priest’s “Dissident Aggressor” pays tribute to guitarist Kerry King’s favourite band. And “Spill the Blood”, the slowest song on the album, spins a tale of demonic possession with Slayer’s first recorded instance of non-distorted guitars. It’s the dawn of their slow-and-sinister era, one that would continue on 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss.
- 1985
Music Videos
- 2015
- 2010
- 2009
- 2006
Artist Playlists
- Their legendary thrash is a sublime union of furious chops and graphic imagery.
- Hear one of thrash's Big Four bring their biggest, baddest, and best to the stage.
- The reigning kings of thrash made ripples across punk, rock and metal.
- Thrash metal doesn't exist in a vacuum.
Singles & EPs
More To Hear
- Ringing in 2019 with new music and old favorites.
- Hanni El Khatib on Savage Times. Slayer on metal and politics.
About Slayer
Boasting curdled vocals, apocalyptic riffs and an unrelenting sense of doom, Slayer spent four decades as one of thrash metal’s premier bands. Vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, and drummer Dave Lombardo came together in California in 1981, taking inspiration from metal pioneers and the local punk scene while drawing on Satanism for lyrical imagery. Slayer’s 1983 debut, Show No Mercy, was a watershed moment in thrash, setting the stage for the genre of death metal. Live Undead then introduced their intense live show to the world, and its follow-up, Hell Awaits, expanded on the band’s fundamentals, with sprawling arrangements and road-honed musicianship. Their next album, Reign In Blood, was a breakthrough; produced by Def Jam guru Rick Rubin and stuffed with gruesome tracks like the lyrically controversial “Angel of Death”, it catapulted Slayer to the forefront of the thrash scene and placed them solidly in thrash’s Big Four alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. Subsequent LPs South of Heaven (1988), Seasons In the Abyss (1990) and Divine Intervention (1994) capture Slayer at their fast and loud peak, blending Araya’s bleak caterwauls with mind-bending solos and punishing rhythms. Slayer paid tribute to their punk roots with the 1996 covers album Undisputed Attitude; in the 2000s, they probed issues such as envy and self-control on God Hates Us All and Christ Illusion. Hanneman passed away in 2013, and two years later the band released Repentless, their final album and only recording without the guitarist. After a farewell tour, Slayer disbanded in 2019, leaving a legacy of bludgeoning riffs, pummelling drums and a vision of metal that took its darkest elements to the extreme.
- ORIGIN
- Huntington Park, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1981
- GENRE
- Metal