Slayer was one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics deal with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of hell. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chops paint an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side; this correspondence has helped
Slayer's music hold up arguably better than the remaining Big Three '80s
thrash outfits (
Metallica,
Megadeth,
Anthrax).
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Naturally,
Slayer has stirred up quite a bit of controversy over the years, with rumors flying about Satanism and Nazism that have only added to their mystique. Over the years,
Slayer put out some high-quality albums, one undisputed classic (
Reign in Blood), and saw the numbers of naysayers and detractors shrinking as their impact on the growing death metal movement was gradually and respectfully acknowledged.
Slayer survived into the 1990s with arguably the most vitality and the least compromise of any pre-
Nirvana metal band, and their intensity still inspires similar responses from their devoted fans.
Slayer was formed in 1982 in Huntington Beach, CA, by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman; also recruited were bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer
Dave Lombardo. The band started out playing covers of
Judas Priest and
Iron Maiden songs, but quickly discovered that they could get attention (and fans) by exploiting threatening, satanic imagery. The band was invited by Metal Blade's Brian Slagel to contribute a track to the Metal Massacre, Vol. 3 compilation (a series that also saw the vinyl debuts of
Metallica and
Voivod); a contract and debut album,
Show No Mercy, followed shortly thereafter. While
Slayer's early approach was rather cartoonish, their breakneck speed and instrumental prowess were still highly evident. Two EPs, Haunting the Chapel and Live Undead, were released in 1984, but 1985's
Hell Awaits refined their lyrical obsessions into a sort of concept album about damnation and torture and made an immediate sensation in
heavy metal circles, winning
Slayer a rabid cult following.
Def Jam co-founder
Rick Rubin took a liking to the band, signed them to his label, and contributed the first clear-sounding production heard on any
Slayer album for the stripped-down
Reign in Blood. Due to the graphic nature of the material, CBS refused to distribute the album, which garnered a great deal of publicity for the band; eventually, Geffen Records stepped in. Combining
Slayer's trademark
speed metal with the tempos and song lengths (if not structures) of hardcore, along with the band's most disturbing lyrics yet,
Reign in Blood was an instant classic, breaking the band through to a wider audience, and was hailed by some as the greatest
speed metal album of all time (some give the nod to
Metallica's
Master of Puppets).
South of Heaven disappointed some of the band's hardcore followers, as
Slayer successfully broke out of the potential stylistic straitjacket of their reputation as the world's fastest, most extreme band. Drummer
Lombardo took some time off and was briefly replaced by Whiplash drummer Tony Scaglione, but soon returned to the fold. 1990's
Seasons in the Abyss was well received in all respects, incorporating more of the classic
Slayer intensity into a more commercial -- but no less uncompromising -- sound. "War Ensemble" and the title track became favorites on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, and
Slayer consolidated their position at the forefront of
thrash, along with
Metallica. Following the release of the double live album Decade of Aggression,
Lombardo left the band for good due to personality conflicts with the other members and formed
Grip Inc. Slayer remained quiet for a few years; the only new material released after 1990 was a duet with
Ice-T recorded for the Judgment Night
soundtrack on a medley of songs by
the Exploited. After leaving
the Forbidden, Paul Bostaph signed on as the new drummer for 1994's
Divine Intervention, which was released to glowing reviews; thanks to the new death metal movement, which drew upon
Slayer and particularly
Reign in Blood for its inspiration,
Slayer was hailed as a metal innovator. The album was a massive success, debuting at number eight on the Billboard album charts.
Bostaph left the band to concentrate on a side project, the Truth About Seafood, and was replaced by ex-
Testament drummer Jon Dette for Undisputed Attitude, an album consisting mostly of
punk and hardcore covers. Bostaph rejoined
Slayer in time to record 1998's
Diabolus in Musica. The band reunited with Def Jam for 2001's
God Hates Us All. In 2004, they unleashed the four-disc anthology Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, followed by an album of all-new material,
Christ Illusion, in 2006. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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