As soon as you begin typing those words, you have to accept that you will be shouted down by the internet. So, why would anyone bother hanging their gentlemens out there to be chopped off? Because Slayer are doing their last ever tour after 12 studio albums and 37+ years of being one of the most important and influential thrash bands OF ALL TIME.

They are a polarising band for sure. I’d wager that it’s safe to say that the majority of metal-loving people do enjoy their music, and appreciate what they have done, but with a gazillion metal bands now crushing the earth, well, the pie is sliced more thinly.

How do you define what it is about a certain album that makes it a bands best? Is it through mass appeal, that can sometimes be seen as "selling out" as many people thought with Metallica’s Black Album? (We all know Master of Puppets is their best) Or is it because the band just haven’t been able to replicate that perfect moment in time again, like Rust In Peace for Megadeth?

It has to be a combination of things. Whatever was driving the band at the time, the change in culture, technology advancement, the right line up, the lyrical content or theme of an album. But for some, it’s just that primal feeling you get when you hear the right songs by the right band together in one place.

This is why, for Slayer, it has to be Reign in Blood from 1986.

^{Reign In Blood cover art.}

This was their third full-length studio album and was a sonic change from their previous offering, Hell Awaits, which itself was a huge leap forward from Show No Mercy. They were progressing and trying new things on each album and with Reign In Blood, it was the shorter length songs that ruled supreme. The album is less than half an hour long and just rips your face off from start to finish.

Imagine, if you will, what it was like in 1987 to hear Angel of Death for the first time as a 12-year-old kid. That’s how old I was when I started High School and was first introduced to Slayer by a mate’s older brother. It scared the bloody hell out of me, but I couldn’t stop listening. The lyrics were like a horror movie, what WAS this?

I had never heard ANYONE do to a guitar what Kerry King was doing on this album. Also, HOW BLOODY FAST IS THIS?!!

That was my first impression, but that’s not what makes it their greatest. The production on this absolutely kicks the hell out of anything they’d done prior and sure, production has improved since 1986, but as I mentioned earlier, this was a time in their career that stamped them in immortality.

If Reign In Blood hadn’t been made by Slayer, would they have reached the heights they have? Maybe, but a song like Necrophobic wouldn’t be around. And that’s just insane warp drive stuff. Any wonder my parents thought it was "just noise". They didn’t get it, man.

This album was the heaviest metal album in 1986. It’s dark and fast, with chilling lyrics that had the band accused of all kinds of nonsense that has followed them throughout their career, which only adds to the appeal for young impressionable rebellious listeners.

It’s a landmark album not only for thrash music but for all metal. Its influence on people is undeniable, and I think Kerry King sums it up perfectly:

"If you released Reign in Blood today, no one would give a shit. It was timing; it was a change in sound. In thrash metal at that time, no one had ever heard good production on a record like that. It was just a bunch of things that came together at once."

Timing is everything.

I remember my high school music teacher saying to me once, “find out who your favourite bands listen to, and listen to them. Find the source.” It’s something I have tried to do over my own musical journey in life, and if you take that same advice then you will often find yourself listening to Slayer.

Thrash bands, grind bands, metalcore bands, death metal bands, punk bands - you can trace them all back to the influence of Slayer and in particular, Reign in Blood.

This is a metal album you should own and listen to on the regular. It’s good for your soul and also to remind you that the riffs from Raining Blood are some of the best of all time. 

Higgo.

Slayer Final Australian Tour Dates

THE RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE THURSDAY MARCH 07 TICKETS

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, SYDNEY SATURDAY MARCH 09 TICKETS

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, MELBOURNE MONDAY MARCH 11 TICKETS

AEC ARENA, ADELAIDE WEDNESDAY MARCH 1 TICKETS

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