Slayer - 1985 - Hell awaits
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Re: Slayer - 1985 - Hell awaits
On Hell Awaits, the band has crafted a slab of satanic Thrash Metal-perfection!
Why the Metal-world didn't hail it as a masterpiece like they did with "Reign in Blood" is beyond me.
Opener 'Hell Awaits' is still one of the most foreboding intros to any Metal-song... Ever!
That might be why the band still chooses to open with that song on occasion.
Then, of course, there are the vampiric riffs of 'At Dawn They Sleep', which strike like venomous snakes in your spine.
There is also some innovative double-bass by His Lombardoness on several songs like at the 4:20 mark on
'Praise of Death', which Easily rivals 'Angel of Death' imo.
Personal favorite 'Necrophiliac' has one of the most demonic riffs ever in the verse parts, dark and bleak, and Fast,
as Slayer could only do. Everything about this album has "legendary" written all over it.
And while it is highly praised to this day, it's a crime that it was overshadowed by 'Reign in Blood' as much as it was
As so many others have explained, Hell Awaits bridged the gap between Show No Mercy and Reign in Blood.
It retained some of the raw power of the debut, but the sound became more "evil;" darker, faster,
less early speed metal influence, more "serious" tone.
Accordingly, this album helped shape the thrash genre and distinguish it from speed metal, hardcore, crossover,
or any other heavy metal sub-genre.
The seven songs on Hell Awaits are top-notch examples of early thrash when it was at its most unrestrained,
before commercial success began to exert its influence on the genre's direction toward more palatable heavy music.
Slayer was a new, popular band on the verge of major stardom, and this release shows them beginning to understand
what they should sound like.
They would fully realize that sound only a year later with Reign in Blood, but how about for 1985,
when thrash was still mostly relegated to independent labels?
I'm sure people would argue that a few albums equaled Hell Awaits, but its status as one of the elite
of the pre-1986 time period justifies a rank of five stars, even though Reign in Blood, judged on the merits alone, is stronger.
Why the Metal-world didn't hail it as a masterpiece like they did with "Reign in Blood" is beyond me.
Opener 'Hell Awaits' is still one of the most foreboding intros to any Metal-song... Ever!
That might be why the band still chooses to open with that song on occasion.
Then, of course, there are the vampiric riffs of 'At Dawn They Sleep', which strike like venomous snakes in your spine.
There is also some innovative double-bass by His Lombardoness on several songs like at the 4:20 mark on
'Praise of Death', which Easily rivals 'Angel of Death' imo.
Personal favorite 'Necrophiliac' has one of the most demonic riffs ever in the verse parts, dark and bleak, and Fast,
as Slayer could only do. Everything about this album has "legendary" written all over it.
And while it is highly praised to this day, it's a crime that it was overshadowed by 'Reign in Blood' as much as it was
As so many others have explained, Hell Awaits bridged the gap between Show No Mercy and Reign in Blood.
It retained some of the raw power of the debut, but the sound became more "evil;" darker, faster,
less early speed metal influence, more "serious" tone.
Accordingly, this album helped shape the thrash genre and distinguish it from speed metal, hardcore, crossover,
or any other heavy metal sub-genre.
The seven songs on Hell Awaits are top-notch examples of early thrash when it was at its most unrestrained,
before commercial success began to exert its influence on the genre's direction toward more palatable heavy music.
Slayer was a new, popular band on the verge of major stardom, and this release shows them beginning to understand
what they should sound like.
They would fully realize that sound only a year later with Reign in Blood, but how about for 1985,
when thrash was still mostly relegated to independent labels?
I'm sure people would argue that a few albums equaled Hell Awaits, but its status as one of the elite
of the pre-1986 time period justifies a rank of five stars, even though Reign in Blood, judged on the merits alone, is stronger.
Similar topics
» Slayer - 1984 - Live undead
» 1979 - Highway to hell
» 1974 - Hotter than hell
» Slayer - 1983 - Show no mercy
» Slayer - 1986 - Reign in Blood
» 1979 - Highway to hell
» 1974 - Hotter than hell
» Slayer - 1983 - Show no mercy
» Slayer - 1986 - Reign in Blood
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