Slayer – Reign in Blood

The reason why we have metal bands singing about wanting to deface Christ during lunch and why God’s a lady in red with a pink tutu is because of this band and this album. Anthrax was busy goofing around and taking things seriously unserious, Megadeth was trying its best to prove that hey, Metallica sucks because their riffs sucks while Metallica was trying their hand at dominating the world. But Slayer, oh my, they were the like rebellious teen; hair was a bit too long, the pants were a little too tight and the costumes they donned gave rise to the movement that it was okay to wear 10-inch nail bands on your wrists. And Slayer just didn’t give a damn. All they wanted to do was to make the fastest metal record and play it to the masses that were ravenous for some really fast and heavy thrashy stuff. Reign in Blood did just that (before a small band from England by the name of Napalm Death usurped them of their throne) and many have hailed it as one of the most influential metal albums of all-time. This is no small feat, what with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and the reason for it all, Black Sabbath, who themselves have released monumental albums of their own.

Look, I don’t give a flying toss (or a stationary toss for that matter) but a thrash metal album isn’t Shakespearean poetry, it’s all about thunderous drumming, speedy riffs, atonal solos, vocals that make you wish American Idol was on and enough attitude to keep school councillors busy for ever. Angel of Death kicks things off by introducing to the world that it was a-okay to scream like a girl amidst a barrage of double bass and a flurry of really thrashy riffs. Satan wasn’t as ala mode then but it did get the people talking. Short history lesson, the angel of death they’re referring to is none other than the infamous Josef Mengele who decided to gas people to see if they would die quicker, all in the name of science, madness and the Third Reich. Rumour has it that this is the most covered metal song. Necrophobic is a Slayer song that will leave you, like it’s said in the lyrics, gasping for air. It’s only a mere minute and a half yet it still manages to deliver a brutal punch to the senses. Jesus Saves has a riff so headbangable I have to remind myself that operations for neck injuries are very costly. The next few songs onwards merely go through the motions and sets up the finale of all metal finales, Raining Blood. A staple in their live shows, this song is for people to go absolutely wild to. Never mind what the lyrics mean, just listen to the breakdown in the middle. Bands have taken up instruments just by listening to that alone. I kid you not. And rumour has it that this is the most covered metal song.

But why is Reign in Blood so influential? As we look back, not all the songs are perfect or even great for that matter but nonetheless good. If you take each song and analyse each one by one then I’m afraid you’re missing the point completely. Clocking in no more than 30 minutes, Reign in Blood is a tad short at first but then you notice the genius behind it. Even if it was 5 minutes longer or shorter it would’ve ruined the vibe. Reign in Blood is the best album of its generation simply because it doesn’t pretend to be anything more or less. You could say without Venom there wouldn’t be Slayer. But without Slayer, the metal that we know it wouldn’t exist. And for that, Reign in Blood thoroughly deserves the praise and tributes.

So there you have it, a metal review by yours truly! More to come, so stay tune. In the mean time, Bang the head that doesn’t bang!

Initial Rating: 10/10

Current Rating: 666/10