Being a fan since their debut album, Slayer has always impressed me with what a band can do with speed and technique. From Show No Mercy to Reigning Blood(my second favorite album from them), they never cease to raise the bar on bringing the musical pain. Blistering riffs from guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, the full frontal assault drums of Dave Lombardo, and the vividly morbid songwriting of bassist/vocalist Tom Araya has made Slayer a force to be reckoned with i...See More Photo: Being a fan since their debut album, Slayer has always impressed me with what a band can do with speed and technique. From Show No Mercy to Reigning Blood(my second favorite album from them), they never cease to raise the bar on bringing the musical pain. Blistering riffs from guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, the full frontal assault drums of Dave Lombardo, and the vividly morbid songwriting of bassist/vocalist Tom Araya has made Slayer a force to be reckoned with in the metal scene. While Reigning Blood made history(being the first metal album to be signed to Def Jam under the production of Rick Rubin who also produced quite a few Beastie Boys albums), Slayer was hard pressed to top their latest beast. 1988, Rick Rubin split from Def Jam to form Def American and signed Slayer to its new roster of artists. Being notorious for fast aggressive music, Slayer decided to flip the script with their next release. July 5, 1988, South Of Heaven was released and Slayer changed the face of metal once again. Instead of the usual break-neck pace the band is known for, this marks the first album to slow the tempo and utilize undistorted instruments and and toned down vocals. It also released to mixed reviews due to the drastic musical change and evolution of the band as a whole. Critics and fans alike were not sure of this new sound coming from the now crowned kings of thrash metal, but their opinions and views were soon changed after listening in its entirety. This album shows a more mature Slayer, if you will, still as brutal as any other album they released except for the speed. The title track opens with brooding guitar lines and builds into a slow, grinding fever pitch with Araya’s lyrics painting a picture of an apocalyptic earth on it’s way to oblivion. Ending on a swell of guitar feedback and into the next track, the band rips through each song with the utmost voracity. Some of the most notable songs from the release is Mandatory Suicide, a reality charged song on the atrocities of war, as well as Spill The Blood, a tale of vampire “love” which also ends the 36 minutes of mind numbing music these guys have cranked out for years. Although alot of people were thrown for a loop with this album, it still went platinum and is one the greatest classic albums of all time. 9 out of 10 TRACK LISTING 1. “South of Heaven” 2. “Silent Scream” 3. “Live Undead” 4. “Behind the Crooked Cross” 5. “Mandatory Suicide” 6. “Ghosts of War” 7. “Read Between the Lies” 8. “Cleanse the Soul” 9. “Dissident Aggressor” (Judas Priest cover) 10. “Spill the Blood” 1Like · · Share
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:41:53 +0000
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