Slayer - Reign In Blood

Number 19

Slayer - Reign In Blood
Metal classic or just noise?
To me this is all classic.... Slayer broke into the mainstream consciousness with this, their third album. Released in 1986 against a backdrop of Reagan's America.
The album was brutal, extreme, controversial and honest. Clocking in at as little of 29 minutes the pace is both breathtaking and relentless.
'Angel Of Death' opens proceedings, this track initially had the moral majority (PMRC) throwing all sorts of accusations at Slayer, ranging from Devil worshippers through to Nazi symphathizers. The lyrical matter was questionable, it tells of the experiments at Auschwitz concentration camp by Nazi physician Josef Mengele, but the music is top draw speed Metal!
The album barely draws breath with most songs under 3 minutes, a real blink and you miss it, the following are not to be missed:
The buzzsaw guitar sound on 'Necrophobic', Tom Araya's (Vocalist) demonic vocal and scream on 'Altar Of Sacrifice' and not forgetting the Dave Lombardo school of thrash metal drumming throughout the disc, especially on 'Jesus Saves'and 'Criminally Insane'.
The outstanding track on the album is saved to last 'Raining Blood'. The track starts with thunder and rain, then the tension builds further with Lombardo's tom toms.
Then possibly one of metal's most recognisable riffs rips through. It was writers Kerry King and Jeff Hannerman's (both guitar) intent to try and make this sound like being stuck in purgatory and waiting to take your revenge on Heaven. It indeed sounds that savage.
Slayer Raining Blood Video From Live Decade
The influenece of this disc has been far reaching throughout the Metal world, without it we would not have seen bands like Pantera and Sepultura breaking into the mainstream.
Others like Carcass and Fear Factory may have never been signed etc...
Also big kudos to producer Rick Rubin for seeing the potential in them and signing Slayer to his predominantly hip hop label 'Def Jam'.
As far as this genre of music goes, Reign In Blood is a masterpiece.

Why I ♥ This Album

A couple of years ago, my wife and I were having an evening meal with friends at Cafe Galatea in Glastonbury high street, The resturant was very busy and the management had put on some entertainment for the customers. The (ahem) singer was playing acoustic guitar and looked a lot like TV presenter Sister Wendy.

At these occasion after a few drinks myself and my friend Tim were discussing which songs we should request and amongst them were Metallica and our mainstay Slayer's Raining Blood.
However desite the amount drunk neither of us had the bottle to shout out any of these, especially after what seemed to be a random person from the resturant got up and sang backing vocals on a screeching version of 'California Dreamin'.
The best laugh of the evening was left to our table. As you may imagine Glastonbury is full of the weird and wonderful people and tonight was no different. However this resturant was shocked by what was said from our table.
Tim was discussing local art galleries with our American friend, Dancing Hands, and as the resturant was very noisy they were speaking quite loudly, during their conversation the resturant went very quiet and it was at this point that Tim exclaimed at the top of his voice 'Do I Know Lucifer?' well you could hear a pin drop... everyone's head turned to our table, necks were craned to see who this satanist was. How did we reacted to this.... We fell about in fits of laughter, my stomach hurt, tears were rolling down my face.
Here we were in the spirit capital of England and people are still shocked by the mention of the L word - which really means the 'dawn of Venus' ...

NB Lucifer does run a beautiful art gallery in Glastonbury 'Portal For The Immortal' in Benedict Street. Worth a visit if you're in town.