Album of the Week #2 - Slayer - Reign In Blood

Karl Hungus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb-DTrMG4vs

I'll admit, Slayer were never a band I got into. Some people would probably like to slap me across the head for saying so, but I just never liked 'em, no matter how much I tried. No doubt they had some great riffs, especially on this album, but they just never clicked with me for some reason.

Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, just about every other Thrash band of the 80's, I like them all... Just not Slayer, and honestly, I don't know why.

So, there's my confession. Your turn guys!

JIZZLORD

The early stuff was great, reign in blood is an excellent album. Though i havent seriously listened to them in years, due to the fact that the last 3 albums have been dodgy.

Ph3n0m

consistent live, great albums (despite the fact that some people they have produced "dodgy" albums, I mean WTF is a dodgy Slayer album?)

One of the first bands I ever got into, and ah **** it, just a pleasure to listen to them

Mr. CooL ICE

Took me a while to get into them, but I am glad I put in the effort. Truly amazing band, and IMO, the epitome of extreme metal.

War Ensemble is one of only a handful of classic songs that I have ever listened to where you could change absolutely nothing about the song to make it better

Schism

A classic album with some of their best songs. Deserves album of the week for Raining Blood alone.

JIZZLORD

Ph3n0m wrote:

I mean WTF is a dodgy Slayer album?)

God hates us all, that's a dodgy album, and while diabolus in musica was my first slayer album i dont rate it as high as i used to, it's better than ghua, but after i got DIM i started getting their older stuff, and i like nothing better than sitting back with old school stuff like reign in blood

OctavarIan

Meh, I never really got into Slayer either. They don't do anything for me.

feylya

I don't like Slayer.

I like this though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNk-sUSRWYQ

buck65

The quintessential thrash album in my opinion. Clocking in under 30 minutes with every track an absolute monster, the riff in Post Mortem the energy of Angel of Death and the opening minute of Raining Blood are highlights for me.
Slayer played faster than anyone else at their time and this album influenced alot of extreme music subsequently. Slayer seldom reached the dizzy heights of this album again (a few songs on South.. and Seasons... were great).
But in fairness to them after 25 odd years they have never toned down their music or lyrics.

Fozzy

I'm not a huge Slayer fan, but I really like this album. There's something about Raining Blood that just gets me every time, great song

senordingdong

Never liked this album myself, aside from the obvious tracks.
My first taste of Slayer was South Of Heaven which I think is better, then Seasons In The Abyss...which I feel is superior again...then I heard Reign In Blood.
Most of the album just sounds like it was rushed, thrown together in a day or two for the sake of it.
But Seasons In The Abyss....now that is a classic.

GhostInTheRuins

I never got into Slayer myself either. I got a lend of South of Heaven off someone purely because it had a cover of Judas Priest's Dissident Aggressor on it. I can say without a doubt it's one of the worst covers I've ever heard, and for that reason alone I never even bothered to listen to the rest of the album.

JC 2K3

Dun dun dun!

That's all the Slayer I know.....

John

I wouldn't be a huge Slayer fan and think that they are a bit of a joke now (not quite on the same scale as Metallica) but this album is ****ing killer. Porbably one of my most played metal albums and definitely the only one I play regularly with a BPM higher than 1... Pefect metal album.

Morf

I much prefer seasons, i heard it first and felt everything else slayer did was a pale imitation

mike65

I only heard it once (a borrowed copy) I nearly died of shock in 1986! :eek:

Mike.

Angus MacGyver

10/10, Brilliant band. Brilliant Album.

DeadSkin

I remember this was one of the first albums I ever bought[on tape and still have it], I was about 15 years of age, and it scared the bejesus outta me, fantastic fantastic stuff.

senordingdong

How the hells did this get album of the week?

Ph3n0m

senordingdong wrote:

How the hells did this get album of the week?

Because it got the most votes, and its a great album - why who did you vote for

It wasn't me!

senordingdong wrote:

How the hells did this get album of the week?

By being an insane album, as aggressive as anything out there, snarly and full of grit. Cracking listen in other words.

senordingdong

Because an awful lot of the posts here are against the album or Slayer as a whole.

Anyway, to each their own ofcourse but I stick to my point of it being an awful pointless album.

Ph3n0m

senordingdong wrote:

Because an awful lot of the posts here are against the album or Slayer as a whole.

Anyway, to each their own ofcourse but I stick to my point of it being an awful pointless album.

Actually that is a fair point, I was hoping people would come on here and say why they actually like the album (like me) - I really dont give two ****s about the people that dont like it - its meant to be a thread about appreciation about the album of the week, if people dont like it, dont like the band, etc - why the **** post about it?

Likewise I am sure there will be plenty of other albums chosen, by bands that I do not like, etc, and tbh I aint going to waste my time posting here on why I dont like the album of the week

buck65

an awful pointless album senordingdong ...just like your post so

DeadSkin

senordingdong wrote:

Anyway, to each their own ofcourse but I stick to my point of it being an awful pointless album.

"Pointless album", I don't understand

John

Ph3n0m wrote:

its meant to be a thread about appreciation about the album of the week, if people dont like it, dont like the band, etc - why the **** post about it?

Well I don't know Karl Hungus' reasoning behind albums of the week but the reason I started them on Alt/Indie was to generate discussion about the albums, not necessarily all appreciation. I think it's a far more interesting thread when people actually discuss what they like and/or don't like about the album instead of it all being a pat on the back, aren't our tastes brilliant thread.

Ph3n0m

John wrote:

Well I don't know Karl Hungus' reasoning behind albums of the week but the reason I started them on Alt/Indie was to generate discussion about the albums, not necessarily all appreciation. I think it's a far more interesting thread when people actually discuss what they like and/or don't like about the album instead of it all being a pat on the back, aren't our tastes brilliant thread.

Unfortunately nothing here has even smacked of disccussing the album - some people are more interested in mouthing off about the band, questioning why it was album of the week, etc

If it was a case of actually saying what you like or dont like about the album - fine, big thumbs up for such a discussion. But so far, some of what has been posted, has actually been quite irrelevant and pointless

senordingdong

Ph3n0m wrote:

Unfortunately nothing here has even smacked of disccussing the album - some people are more interested in mouthing off about the band, questioning why it was album of the week, etc

If it was a case of actually saying what you like or dont like about the album - fine, big thumbs up for such a discussion. But so far, some of what has been posted, has actually been quite irrelevant and pointless

Come on now, I don't think I was mouthing off. I tried to make a point and was rear ended before a discussion started.

dcr22B

Not the best Slayer album IMO (a close 2nd to Seasons) but I just love watching the Still Reigning DVD for the craic. A most uncompromising band and still going strong after all these years.

Ph3n0m

senordingdong wrote:

Come on now, I don't think I was mouthing off. I tried to make a point and was rear ended before a discussion started.

Thats the problem with assumptions - I never said your name, did i?

buck65

assume made an ass out of u and me

The Bollox

JIZZLORD wrote:

God hates us all, that's a dodgy album

WHAT!? God Hates Us All has the best opening two tracks of any album I have ever heard. I always pray, when I go to a Slayer gig, that they will open with them. after those two it's not great, but the album is deffinitly not dodgy!

John

The Bollox wrote:

but the album is deffinitly not dodgy!

You're right, it's beyond dodgy! Compare the sheer power and amazingness of Reign in Blood or Seasons in the Abyss to God Hates Us All and it's like a completely different band. Not in the sense of Slayer evolving over their career but losing all the elements that made them worth listening to. It is the sound of a band getting lazy, going through the motions and not giving a damn anymore.

Hector Gilbert

This is a wonderful album. Great songs, great production, a classic in thrash metal. I have to admit I still haven't heard the two albums they subsequently released, though, which are preferred by some fans.

Shiminay

Hector, here's the full Slayer Discography:
Studio albums
1983: Show No Mercy
1985: Hell Awaits
1986: Reign in Blood
1988: South of Heaven
1990: Seasons in the Abyss
1994: Divine Intervention
1996: Undisputed Attitude
1998: Diabolus in Musica
2001: God Hates Us All
2006: Christ Illusion

South of Heaven was a good album. Seasons is phenominal (War Ensemble is the opener and it's non-stop brutality from there ), but the highlight for me has to be Divine Intervention. Defo my favourite album. Paul Bostaph was the drummer with them for a while around then and it was a noticable (and imo, refreshing) difference. Not to take anything away from Dave Lombardo, he's a very good drummer, but I felt Bostaph just added a little more to the mix. Interestingly, as I read the above link, I see that Divine Intervention was his own least favourite album

But I do recommend picking up their back catalog, or at the very least the Sound Track To The Apocalypse for a "best of" smattering (+ some rarities).

Tar.Aldarion

Great album, not as good as seasons which is probably my favourite album.


I love GHUA. It's good fun.

Gonzo

I found Slayer hard to get into at first when i was a young teen all those years ago but now after 15 years of listening to them I still think they are amazing to this day and propably nearly the only early 80s metal band who still play great to this day and produce great stuff unlike Metallica and a few other bands from that period who are now nothing more than a joke.

senordingdong

Ph3n0m wrote:

Thats the problem with assumptions - I never said your name, did i?

I guess you didn't, but anyway, I'd be more than happy to properly discuss the albums merits and failings in a proper discussion.

Ph3n0m

senordingdong wrote:

I guess you didn't, but anyway, I'd be more than happy to properly discuss the albums merits and failings in a proper discussion.

Then discuss, as you said "it being an awful pointless album" - explain?

buck65

I wouldn't mind hearing this too

senordingdong

Ph3n0m wrote:

Then discuss, as you said "it being an awful pointless album" - explain?

Well for a start, that's a typo, I meant to type 'awfully'...the album has some good songs on it but I find that most of the songs are just rushed and poorly produced. Like they were just thrown together at the last minute.
Even some of the riffs in some of te songs don't sound right to me....take Postmortem for example...after the second chorous and a completely different riff kicks in. The riff is off a different style then the rest of the song and sound completely out of place.
Then there is the outro to Raining Blood which sounds like it was slapped on because the album was too short.

Like I sais, in my opinion, Seasons is Slayer at their best and Reign in Blood sounds like it's polar opposite.

Ph3n0m

senordingdong wrote:

Well for a start, that's a typo, I meant to type 'awfully'...the album has some good songs on it but I find that most of the songs are just rushed and poorly produced. Like they were just thrown together at the last minute.
Even some of the riffs in some of te songs don't sound right to me....take Postmortem for example...after the second chorous and a completely different riff kicks in. The riff is off a different style then the rest of the song and sound completely out of place.
Then there is the outro to Raining Blood which sounds like it was slapped on because the album was too short.

Like I sais, in my opinion, Seasons is Slayer at their best and Reign in Blood sounds like it's polar opposite.

The songs are rushed? How so - multiple times have the band said, in interviews, that they wanted to make the fastest, angriest, heaviest, etc album they could. Its meant to be about ferocity, pace, and brutal power

Poorly produced? Well I dont think you should say that to Rick Rubin - he might get offended, given that he has produced most of Slayer's albums, including Season in the Abyss.

As for the outro to Raining Blood - that is just a matter of taste and personal opinion

I asked before - how is it pointless?

buck65

I think the riffing in Post Mortem is great, certainly one of the standout tracks. This debate is a bit pointless really just admit it's a great album dingdong and we'll move on...

cournioni

senordingdong wrote:

Well for a start, that's a typo, I meant to type 'awfully'...the album has some good songs on it but I find that most of the songs are just rushed and poorly produced. Like they were just thrown together at the last minute.
Even some of the riffs in some of te songs don't sound right to me....take Postmortem for example...after the second chorous and a completely different riff kicks in. The riff is off a different style then the rest of the song and sound completely out of place.
Then there is the outro to Raining Blood which sounds like it was slapped on because the album was too short.

Like I sais, in my opinion, Seasons is Slayer at their best and Reign in Blood sounds like it's polar opposite.

Thats it, keep digging...

I love Reign In Blood, absolute masterpiece from start to finish. Personal favourites are Angel of Death, Piece by Piece, Epidemic, Postmortem and Raining Blood with Angel of Death head and shoulders above them all. Awesome song. Loved all of the songs apart from Criminally Insane, just couldn't get into that one.

senordingdong

Ph3n0m wrote:

The songs are rushed? How so - multiple times have the band said, in interviews, that they wanted to make the fastest, angriest, heaviest, etc album they could. Its meant to be about ferocity, pace, and brutal power

Poorly produced? Well I dont think you should say that to Rick Rubin - he might get offended, given that he has produced most of Slayer's albums, including Season in the Abyss.

As for the outro to Raining Blood - that is just a matter of taste and personal opinion

I asked before - how is it pointless?

Pointless as in it was slapped out for the sake of making an album. It feels like some of the songs were made fast just for the sake of having them fast, instead of written to sound good.
For example, I would imagine when bands go into studios, the target they aim for is to write as good a sounding song as possible. But with RIB it feels like the target was speed and that they were just trying to write as fast a song as possible and they might have sacrificed superior content for fast content during the sessions.
Pointless as in, nothing would be different if it hadn't been made.

I get the personal opinion thing in regards to the Raining Blood outro...but look at the album sleeve, instead of crediting a 'solo' to one of the players, they credit 'NOIZE!'

I get that it's fast and they wanted that, and I do like some of the songs, I just think the album is a far cry from a masterpiece, especially since Slayer also have Seasons under their belt. And on that note, I think having Rick Rubin on both albums helps make my point...kinda.

buck65

"nothing would be different if it hadn't been made"


now I realise that this is a wind-up

I'm gonna say the world is flat ok?

senordingdong

Maybe not the best way to word it.

Ph3n0m

Pointless as in, nothing would be different if it hadn't been made.

How can you make such a statement, when scores of metal-related bands have cited Slayer, and specifically Reign in Blood as a huge influence on them?

I get the personal opinion thing in regards to the Raining Blood outro...but look at the album sleeve, instead of crediting a 'solo' to one of the players, they credit 'NOIZE!'

so?

Pointless as in it was slapped out for the sake of making an album. It feels like some of the songs were made fast just for the sake of having them fast, instead of written to sound good. For example, I would imagine when bands go into studios, the target they aim for is to write as good a sounding song as possible. But with RIB it feels like the target was speed and that they were just trying to write as fast a song as possible and they might have sacrificed superior content for fast content during the sessions.

No - I would go even further and say bands write an album first and foremost that they are personally happy with (how else do you explain such crap like St Anger). And for such a "slapped together" album it has been a defining moment for Slayer, and has cause so much contraversy for its lyrical content alone.

Plus (taken from the wiki) "the album received virtually no radio airplay, it became the band's first to enter the Billboard 200, debuting at #94,[16] and the band's first album certified gold in the United States" - so I think that sums up, to me, how impressive this album is.

To me, this album is Slayer at its rawest, a massive aural assault. Yes Seasons is a great album (in fact its a tie with Seasons and RIB for my favourite Slayer album).

But for me, personally, RIB defined who Slayer were, are and always will be.

It wasn't me!

I'll agree with that. It's Slayer in a microcosm. 28 minutes of sheer fury and speed. Fan-funking-tastic.

Ancient1

SLAYEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Sorry guys, someone had to say it after 49 posts.

demanufactured

****ing amazing album , anyone who says slayer are a bit of a joke or dodgy needs to go see them live , you will then be put in your place.