Reign in Blood
Encyclopedia
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal
band Slayer
. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings
. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin
, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. Reign in Blood was universally well received by both critics and fans, and was responsible for bringing Slayer to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. Kerrang!
magazine described the record as "the heaviest album of all time," and a breakthrough in thrash metal and speed metal. Alongside Metallica's
Master of Puppets
, Anthrax's
Among the Living
and Megadeth's
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
, Reign in Blood is considered by critics one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time, thrash metal in particular.
Reign in Bloods release was delayed because of concerns regarding its graphic artwork and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, "Angel of Death
", which refers to Josef Mengele
and describes acts, such as human experimentation, that Mengele committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp
, provoked allegations of Nazism
. However, the band stated numerous times they do not condone Nazism, and are merely interested in the subject. The album was Slayer's first to enter the Billboard 200
; the release peaked at number 94, and was certified Gold on November 20, 1992.
, the band's producer and manager Brian Slagel
realized the band were in a position to hit the "big time" with their next album. Slagel negotiated with several record labels, among them Rick Rubin
and Russell Simmons
's Def Jam Recordings
. However, Slagel was reluctant to sign the band to what was at the time primarily a hip hop
label. Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo
was made aware of Rubin's interest, and made a move to contact him. However, the other Slayer members were apprehensive at leaving Metal Blade Records
, with which they were under contract
.
Lombardo contacted Columbia Records
—which was Def Jam's distributor
—and managed to get in touch with Rubin, who along with photographer Glen E. Friedman
agreed to attend one of the band's concerts. Friedman had produced Suicidal Tendencies
's self-titled debut album
, in which Slayer vocalist Tom Araya
made a guest appearance in the music video for the album's single "Institutionalized", pushing Suicidal Tendencies's vocalist Mike Muir
. Around this time, Rubin asked Friedman if he knew Slayer.
Guitarist Jeff Hanneman
was surprised by Rubin's interest in the band, and was impressed by his work with the hip hop acts Run DMC and LL Cool J
. During a visit by Slagel to a European music convention
, Rubin spoke with the band directly, and persuaded them to sign with Def Jam. Slagel paid a personal tribute to Rubin, and said that Rubin was the most passionate of all the label representatives the band were in negotiations with. Following the agreement, Friedman brought the band members to Seattle for two days of publicity shots, possible record shots, and photos for a tour book; Rubin felt no good photos of the band had been taken before that point. One of the photos was used on the back cover of the band's 1988 release South of Heaven
. The album became an American Recordings album after Rick Rubin ended his partnership with Russell Simmons
. It was one of only two Def Jam titles to be distributed by Geffen Records
through Warner Bros. Records
because of the original distributor's refusal to release work by the band.
Guitarist Kerry King
later remarked that "It was like, 'Wow—you can hear everything, and those guys aren't just playing fast; those notes are on time.'"
Hanneman has since admitted that while the band was listening to Metallica
and Megadeth
at the time, they were finding the repetition of guitar riffs tiring. "If we do a verse two or three times, we're already bored with it. So we weren't trying to make the songs shorter—that's just what we were into," which resulted in the album's short duration of 29 minutes. King had stated that while hour-long records seem to be the trend; "You could lose this part; you could cut this song completely, and make a much more intense record, which is what we're all about." When the record was completed, the band met with Rubin, who asked "Do you realize how short this is?" Slayer members looked at each other, and replied "So what?" The entire album was on one side of a cassette; King stated it was "neat," as "You could listen to it, flip it over, and play it again." The music is abrasive and faster than previous releases helping to push the gap between thrash metal
and its predecessor hardcore punk
, and is played at an average of 210 beats per minute.
, where it debuted at number 127, and attained its peak position of 94 in its sixth week. The album also reached number 47 on the UK Album Chart, and on November 20, 1992 it was certified gold
in the United States.
Reign in Blood was well received by the underground and mainstream
music press. Reviewing for Allmusic, which was established in 1991, Steve Huey awarded the album five out of five, describing it a "stone-cold classic." Stylus Magazine
critic Clay Jarvis awarded the album an A+ grade, calling it a "genre-definer," as well as "the greatest metal album of all time." Jarvis further remarked the song "Angel of Death", "smokes the asses of any band playing fast and/or heavy today. Lyrically outlining the horrors to come, while musically laying the groundwork for the rest of the record: fast, lean and filthy." Kerrang!
magazine described it as the "heaviest album of all time," and listed the album at No. 27 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".. Metal Hammer
magazine named it "the best metal album of the last 20 years." Q Magazine
ranked Reign in Blood among their list of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time," and Spin Magazine
ranked the album number 67 on their list of the "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005." Critic Chad Bowar stated: "1986's Reign in Blood is probably the best thrash album ever recorded."
Adrien Begrand of Popmatters
observed that: "There's no better song to kick things off than the masterful ‘Angel of Death’, one of the most monumental songs in metal history, where guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman deliver their intricate riffs, drummer Dave Lombardo performs some of the most powerful drumming ever recorded, and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya screams and snarls his tale of Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele." When asked why Reign in Blood has retained its popularity, King replied: "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."
in the United States and Malice
in Europe; they also served as the opening act for W.A.S.P.'s US tour in 1987. After a month of touring drummer Lombardo quit the band; he said, "I wasn't making any money. I think I had just gotten married, and I figured if we were gonna be doing this professionally—on a major label—I wanted my rent and utilities paid." To continue the tour Slayer enlisted Whiplash
drummer Tony Scaglione
.
Rubin called Lombardo daily to insist he return, telling him, "Dude, you gotta come back in the band." Rubin offered Lombardo a salary, but he was still hesitant about returning; at this point Lombardo had been out of the band for several months. Lombardo's wife convinced him to return in 1987; Rubin came to his house and picked him up in his Porsche
, taking him to a Slayer rehearsal.
praised Slayer's "downtuned rhythms, infectious guitar licks, graphically violent lyrics and grisly artwork," which they stated "set the standard for dozens of emerging thrash bands," while "Slayer's music was directly responsible for the rise of death metal
." MTV described Reign in Blood as essential listening, and the album was ranked number 7 on IGN
's "Top 25 Most Influential Metal Albums."
When asked during a press tour for 1994's Divine Intervention
about the pressure of having to live up to Reign in Blood, King replied that the band did not try to better it, but rather just wanted to make music. In 2006, Blabbermouths Don Kaye drew a comparison to the band's 2006 album Christ Illusion
, and concluded that "Slayer may never make an album as incendiary as Reign in Blood again."
Rapper Necro was heavily influenced by the album, and has remarked that it takes him back to the 80s, "when shit was pure." Ektomorf
vocalist Zoltán Farkas describes the album as one of his primary influences. Paul Mazurkiewicz
of Cannibal Corpse
stated Lombardo's performance on the album helped him play faster throughout his career.
Hanneman has said that the album is his personal favorite, reasoning it is "so short and quick and to the point." Araya has remarked that Slayer's 2006 album Christ Illusion
"comes close," but that "nothing can surpass Reign in Blood for intensity and impact. No one had heard anything like it before. In the twenty years since then, people have got more desensitized. What was over the top then might not be now." Drummer Paul Bostaph
who was a Slayer member from 1992 to 2001 first heard the record when he was a member of Forbidden
. During a party Bostaph walked towards music he heard from another room, and approached Forbidden guitarist Craig Locicero. When asked what music was playing, Locicero shouted "the new Slayer record." After listening closely to the record, he looked at Locicero, and concluded that his band was "fucked."
" and "Angel of Death" have become almost permanent additions to Slayer's live set, and are Hanneman's favorite tracks to play live. The band played Reign in Blood in its entirety throughout the fall of 2004, under the tour banner "Still Reigning". In 2004, a live DVD of the same name
was released, which included a finale with the band covered in fake blood during the performance of "Raining Blood".
King later said that while the idea of playing Reign in Blood in its entirety was suggested before by their booking agency, it was met with little support. The band ultimately decided they needed to add more excitement to their live shows, and to avoid repetition incorporated the ideas of raining blood. When asked about using fake blood in future performances, King remarked "It's time to move on, but never say never. I know Japan never saw it, South America and Australia never saw it. So you never know."
Although it was omitted from a number of concerts because of short time allotments, Slayer have often said that they enjoy playing the album in its entirety. According to Hanneman: "We still enjoy playing these songs live. We play these songs over and over and over, but they're good songs, intense songs! If it were melodic songs or some kind of boring 'clap your hands' song, you'd be going crazy playing those every night. But our songs are just bam-bam-bam-bam, they're intense." The band was on stage for 70 minutes, which only allowed seven or eight additional songs to be played following the album's play. King stated this arrangement "alienates too many people. In the Unholy Alliance Tour of 2004 however, the album was played in its entirety during Slayer's set as the last ten songs to end the show."
The album will again be performed live at the I'll Be Your Mirror London
festival in May 2012.
, refused to release the album due to its controversial lyrical themes and cover art. Reign in Blood was eventually distributed by Geffen Records
; however, due to the controversy it did not appear on Geffen's release schedule.
The artwork was designed by Larry Carroll
, who at the time was creating political illustrations for The Progressive
, Village Voice, and The New York Times
. The cover art was featured in Blender Magazine
's 2006 "top ten heavy metal album covers of all time."
themes explored on their previous album Hell Awaits
, and write about issues that were more on a street level. Reign in Bloods lyrics include meditations on death, religion, insanity, and murderers, while the lead track "Angel of Death
" details human experiments conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp
by Josef Mengele
; who was dubbed "the Angel of death" by inmates. The song led to accusations of Nazi sympathizing and racism
, which have followed the band throughout their career.
Hanneman was inspired to write "Angel of Death" after he read a number of books on Mengele during a Slayer tour. Hanneman has complained people usually misinterpret the lyrics, and clarified, "Nothing I put in the lyrics that says necessarily he was a bad man, because to me — well, isn't that obvious? I shouldn't have to tell you that." The band utilized the controversy to attract publicity, incorporating the Reichsadler
into their logo (also the S in the band's name resembles the Sig runes used by the SS), and writing a song titled "SS-3," which mentions Reinhard Heydrich
, the second in command in the Schutzstaffel
.
on her 2001 album Strange Little Girls
. King has admitted that he thought the cover was odd: "It took me a minute and a half to find a spot in the song where I knew where she was. It's so weird. If she had never told us, we would have never known. You could have played it for us and we'd have been like, 'What's that?' Like a minute and a half through I heard a line and was like, 'I know where she's at!'" The band however liked the cover enough to send Slayer t-shirts to Tori Amos. The song was also covered by Malevolent Creation
, Chimaira
, Vader
, Dokaka
, Reggie and the Full Effect
and Erik Hinds
, who covered the entire album on a H'arpeggione.
In 2005, the Slayer tribute band Dead Skin Mask released an album with eight Slayer tracks, including "Angel of Death". The death metal band Monstrosity
covered the song in 1999, while the track was featured on the classical band Apocalyptica
's 2006 album Amplified / A Decade of Reinventing the Cello
. A Slayer tribute album titled Al Sur Del Abismo (Tributo Argentino A Slayer), compiled by Hurling Metal Records, featured sixteen tracks covered by Argentina
metal bands, including Asinesia's version of "Angel of Death". "Raining Blood" was also covered by the New Zealand drum and bass band Concord Dawn
on their 2003 album, Uprising
. "Raining Blood" was also covered by Nashville, Tennessee band Asschapel on their 7" "Satanation".
"Raining Blood" was featured in the 127th South Park
episode, Die Hippie, Die
, aired on March 16, 2005. The plot centers on the town of South Park, which has been overrun by hippies. Eric Cartman
states "Hippies can't stand death metal
" and proceeds to drill through a hippie concert onto the main stage to change the audio to "Raining Blood", making the hippies run away. King found the episode humorous and expressed his interest in the show ending the interview with "It was good to see the song being put to good use, if we can horrify some hippies we've done our job." "Angel of Death" also appears in several movies, including Gremlins 2
, at the point when the character Mohawk turns into a spider, Jackass: The Movie
, where it is played during a car stunt scene, and in the 2005 Iraq
War documentary Soundtrack to War
.
"Angel of Death" was featured in the multi–platform video game Tony Hawk's Project 8
. Nolan Nelson, who selected the soundtrack for the game, asserts; "one of the greatest heavy metal songs ever recorded. Don't know who Slayer is? I feel sorry for you." "Raining Blood" was included in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
in–game radio station V-Rock.
"Raining Blood" is also one of the songs featured in Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, and is considered one of the most difficult songs in the game, if not the hardest of the career song list.
Raining Blood is also featured in the video game Skate
.
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. Reign in Blood was universally well received by both critics and fans, and was responsible for bringing Slayer to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine described the record as "the heaviest album of all time," and a breakthrough in thrash metal and speed metal. Alongside Metallica's
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets
-Personnel:Metallica* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on track 1, first solo on tracks 2 and 7* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals* Lars Ulrich – drums* Kirk Hammett – lead guitarProduction...
, Anthrax's
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
Among the Living
Among the Living
Among the Living is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. The album was released in March 1987 by Megaforce Worldwide/Island and is certified gold by the RIAA. The BBC has described the album as "arguably their big breakthrough", and "often cited by fans as their favourite...
and Megadeth's
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
-25th Anniversary 2-CD reissue:-25th Anniversary box set:Disc 5 contains both the original album, and the above listed 1987 show in hi-resolution audio....
, Reign in Blood is considered by critics one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time, thrash metal in particular.
Reign in Bloods release was delayed because of concerns regarding its graphic artwork and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, "Angel of Death
Angel of Death (song)
"Angel of Death" is the opening track on the American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood. The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi ″physician″ Josef Mengele, who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during...
", which refers to Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
and describes acts, such as human experimentation, that Mengele committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, provoked allegations of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. However, the band stated numerous times they do not condone Nazism, and are merely interested in the subject. The album was Slayer's first to enter the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
; the release peaked at number 94, and was certified Gold on November 20, 1992.
Record label changes
Following the positive reception to Slayer's previous release Hell AwaitsHell Awaits
Hell Awaits is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer, released through Metal Blade Records in 1985. The band's previous release, Show No Mercy, became Metal Blade Records' highest selling release; as a result, producer Brian Slagel desired to release a second Slayer album...
, the band's producer and manager Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel is the owner and founder of Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for giving Metallica their first break in 1982, with an appearance on Metal Massacre, a compilation album on Metal Blade, and has since released seminal albums by Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Cannibal Corpse, Fates Warning,...
realized the band were in a position to hit the "big time" with their next album. Slagel negotiated with several record labels, among them Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
and Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
's Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
. However, Slagel was reluctant to sign the band to what was at the time primarily a hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
label. Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo is a Cuban American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal band Slayer. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood and their 2006 release Christ Illusion, for which he received critical praise...
was made aware of Rubin's interest, and made a move to contact him. However, the other Slayer members were apprehensive at leaving Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
, with which they were under contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
.
Lombardo contacted Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
—which was Def Jam's distributor
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
—and managed to get in touch with Rubin, who along with photographer Glen E. Friedman
Glen E. Friedman
Glen E. Friedman is an American photographer and artist.Coming to prominence in the 1980s with his photography of skateboarders and musicians, Friedman is considered one of the most important photographers of his generation.He is perhaps best known for his work promoting rebellious artists such as...
agreed to attend one of the band's concerts. Friedman had produced Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
's self-titled debut album
Suicidal Tendencies (album)
-Personnel:* Mike Muir – lead vocals* Grant Estes – guitar[A]* Louiche Mayorga – bass, backing vocals* Amery Smith – drums-Production:* Glen E...
, in which Slayer vocalist Tom Araya
Tom Araya
Tom Araya is a Chilean musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the American thrash metal band Slayer...
made a guest appearance in the music video for the album's single "Institutionalized", pushing Suicidal Tendencies's vocalist Mike Muir
Mike Muir
Mike Muir is the lead vocalist of the Venice skate punk bands Suicidal Tendencies Los Cycos and the funk rock band Infectious Grooves...
. Around this time, Rubin asked Friedman if he knew Slayer.
Guitarist Jeff Hanneman
Jeff Hanneman
Jeffrey John "Jeff" Hanneman is a rhythm/lead guitarist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman grew up in Los Angeles in a family of war veterans, and his fascination with warfare is attributed to his upbringing...
was surprised by Rubin's interest in the band, and was impressed by his work with the hip hop acts Run DMC and LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
. During a visit by Slagel to a European music convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
, Rubin spoke with the band directly, and persuaded them to sign with Def Jam. Slagel paid a personal tribute to Rubin, and said that Rubin was the most passionate of all the label representatives the band were in negotiations with. Following the agreement, Friedman brought the band members to Seattle for two days of publicity shots, possible record shots, and photos for a tour book; Rubin felt no good photos of the band had been taken before that point. One of the photos was used on the back cover of the band's 1988 release South of Heaven
South of Heaven
South of Heaven is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on July 5, 1988, the album was the band's second collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on Slayer's previous album Reign in Blood had helped the band's sound evolve.South of...
. The album became an American Recordings album after Rick Rubin ended his partnership with Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
. It was one of only two Def Jam titles to be distributed by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
through Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
because of the original distributor's refusal to release work by the band.
Recording
Reign in Blood was recorded and produced in Los Angeles with Rick Rubin. The album was the label boss' first professional experience with heavy metal, and his fresh perspective led to a drastic makeover of Slayer's sound. Steve Huey of Allmusic believed Rubin drew tighter and faster songs from the band, and delivered a cleanly produced sound that contrasted sharply with their previous recordings. This resulted in drastic changes to Slayer's sound, and changed audiences' perception of the band. Araya has since admitted their two previous releases were not up to par production-wise.Guitarist Kerry King
Kerry King
Kerry King is an American lead and rhythm guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and cofounder of American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since...
later remarked that "It was like, 'Wow—you can hear everything, and those guys aren't just playing fast; those notes are on time.'"
Hanneman has since admitted that while the band was listening to Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
at the time, they were finding the repetition of guitar riffs tiring. "If we do a verse two or three times, we're already bored with it. So we weren't trying to make the songs shorter—that's just what we were into," which resulted in the album's short duration of 29 minutes. King had stated that while hour-long records seem to be the trend; "You could lose this part; you could cut this song completely, and make a much more intense record, which is what we're all about." When the record was completed, the band met with Rubin, who asked "Do you realize how short this is?" Slayer members looked at each other, and replied "So what?" The entire album was on one side of a cassette; King stated it was "neat," as "You could listen to it, flip it over, and play it again." The music is abrasive and faster than previous releases helping to push the gap between thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and its predecessor hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, and is played at an average of 210 beats per minute.
Critical response
Although the album received no radio airplay, it was the band's first release to enter the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, where it debuted at number 127, and attained its peak position of 94 in its sixth week. The album also reached number 47 on the UK Album Chart, and on November 20, 1992 it was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in the United States.
Reign in Blood was well received by the underground and mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
music press. Reviewing for Allmusic, which was established in 1991, Steve Huey awarded the album five out of five, describing it a "stone-cold classic." Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
critic Clay Jarvis awarded the album an A+ grade, calling it a "genre-definer," as well as "the greatest metal album of all time." Jarvis further remarked the song "Angel of Death", "smokes the asses of any band playing fast and/or heavy today. Lyrically outlining the horrors to come, while musically laying the groundwork for the rest of the record: fast, lean and filthy." Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine described it as the "heaviest album of all time," and listed the album at No. 27 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".. Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
magazine named it "the best metal album of the last 20 years." Q Magazine
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
ranked Reign in Blood among their list of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time," and Spin Magazine
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
ranked the album number 67 on their list of the "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005." Critic Chad Bowar stated: "1986's Reign in Blood is probably the best thrash album ever recorded."
Adrien Begrand of Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
observed that: "There's no better song to kick things off than the masterful ‘Angel of Death’, one of the most monumental songs in metal history, where guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman deliver their intricate riffs, drummer Dave Lombardo performs some of the most powerful drumming ever recorded, and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya screams and snarls his tale of Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele." When asked why Reign in Blood has retained its popularity, King replied: "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."
Lombardo's departure
Slayer embarked on the Reign in Pain tour with the bands OverkillOverkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
in the United States and Malice
Malice (metal band)
Malice is an American heavy metal band formed in the early 80s. Their sound is comparable to that of Judas Priest's, and they are notable for having toured with popular metal group Slayer. They had mild popularity that disappeared and reappeared frequently. The 1988 film Vice Versa featured a...
in Europe; they also served as the opening act for W.A.S.P.'s US tour in 1987. After a month of touring drummer Lombardo quit the band; he said, "I wasn't making any money. I think I had just gotten married, and I figured if we were gonna be doing this professionally—on a major label—I wanted my rent and utilities paid." To continue the tour Slayer enlisted Whiplash
Whiplash (band)
Whiplash is an American thrash metal/speed metal band. The band was founded in 1984 in Passaic, New Jersey by the three Tonys: Tony Portaro , Tony Scaglione and Tony Bono . Joe Cangelosi replaced Tony Scaglione in 1986 when he left for a small stint with Slayer...
drummer Tony Scaglione
Tony Scaglione
Tony Scaglione originally gained notoriety in the mid-eighties with his powerful drumming on Whiplash’s debut album, “Power and Pain". Throughout the years, Tony went on to perform and record with some of the most popular names in the metal and hardcore scenes while branching out into many other...
.
Rubin called Lombardo daily to insist he return, telling him, "Dude, you gotta come back in the band." Rubin offered Lombardo a salary, but he was still hesitant about returning; at this point Lombardo had been out of the band for several months. Lombardo's wife convinced him to return in 1987; Rubin came to his house and picked him up in his Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, taking him to a Slayer rehearsal.
Legacy
Reign in Blood is regarded by critics as one of the most influential and extreme thrash metal albums. In its "Greatest Metal Bands Of All Time" poll, MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
praised Slayer's "downtuned rhythms, infectious guitar licks, graphically violent lyrics and grisly artwork," which they stated "set the standard for dozens of emerging thrash bands," while "Slayer's music was directly responsible for the rise of death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
." MTV described Reign in Blood as essential listening, and the album was ranked number 7 on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's "Top 25 Most Influential Metal Albums."
Divine Intervention (album)
Divine Intervention is the sixth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on September 27, 1994 through American Recordings, it was their first album featuring Paul Bostaph, replacing the band's original drummer Dave Lombardo. Several of the songs on the album were inspired by...
about the pressure of having to live up to Reign in Blood, King replied that the band did not try to better it, but rather just wanted to make music. In 2006, Blabbermouths Don Kaye drew a comparison to the band's 2006 album Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion is the tenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date...
, and concluded that "Slayer may never make an album as incendiary as Reign in Blood again."
Rapper Necro was heavily influenced by the album, and has remarked that it takes him back to the 80s, "when shit was pure." Ektomorf
Ektomorf
- Biography :Ektomorf was founded in 1993 in Mezőkovácsháza, Hungary, a small city near the Romanian border, by Zoltán "Zoli" Farkas. In the actual line-up Zoli - songwriter and mastermind of the band - is the only remaining founder member...
vocalist Zoltán Farkas describes the album as one of his primary influences. Paul Mazurkiewicz
Paul Mazurkiewicz
Paul Mazurkiewicz is the Polish-American drummer of Cannibal Corpse, and one of two remaining original members, the other being bassist Alex Webster.-Musical History:...
of Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
stated Lombardo's performance on the album helped him play faster throughout his career.
Hanneman has said that the album is his personal favorite, reasoning it is "so short and quick and to the point." Araya has remarked that Slayer's 2006 album Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion is the tenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date...
"comes close," but that "nothing can surpass Reign in Blood for intensity and impact. No one had heard anything like it before. In the twenty years since then, people have got more desensitized. What was over the top then might not be now." Drummer Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph is a heavy metal drummer. His drumming career began in 1984, when he was 20 years old, and he had since worked with bands like Slayer, Forbidden, Exodus and Systematic. He is from Newark, California and currently drums for Testament...
who was a Slayer member from 1992 to 2001 first heard the record when he was a member of Forbidden
Forbidden (band)
Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
. During a party Bostaph walked towards music he heard from another room, and approached Forbidden guitarist Craig Locicero. When asked what music was playing, Locicero shouted "the new Slayer record." After listening closely to the record, he looked at Locicero, and concluded that his band was "fucked."
Live performances
The tracks "Raining BloodRaining Blood
"Raining Blood" is a song by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King for the 1986 studio album Reign in Blood, the concept deals with religion, specifically said to be about overthrowing Heaven...
" and "Angel of Death" have become almost permanent additions to Slayer's live set, and are Hanneman's favorite tracks to play live. The band played Reign in Blood in its entirety throughout the fall of 2004, under the tour banner "Still Reigning". In 2004, a live DVD of the same name
Still Reigning
Still Reigning is a live performance DVD by the thrash metal band Slayer, released in 2004 through American Recordings. Filmed at the Augusta Civic Center on July 11, 2004, the performance showcases Slayer's 1986 album, Reign in Blood, played in its entirety with the four original band members on a...
was released, which included a finale with the band covered in fake blood during the performance of "Raining Blood".
King later said that while the idea of playing Reign in Blood in its entirety was suggested before by their booking agency, it was met with little support. The band ultimately decided they needed to add more excitement to their live shows, and to avoid repetition incorporated the ideas of raining blood. When asked about using fake blood in future performances, King remarked "It's time to move on, but never say never. I know Japan never saw it, South America and Australia never saw it. So you never know."
Although it was omitted from a number of concerts because of short time allotments, Slayer have often said that they enjoy playing the album in its entirety. According to Hanneman: "We still enjoy playing these songs live. We play these songs over and over and over, but they're good songs, intense songs! If it were melodic songs or some kind of boring 'clap your hands' song, you'd be going crazy playing those every night. But our songs are just bam-bam-bam-bam, they're intense." The band was on stage for 70 minutes, which only allowed seven or eight additional songs to be played following the album's play. King stated this arrangement "alienates too many people. In the Unholy Alliance Tour of 2004 however, the album was played in its entirety during Slayer's set as the last ten songs to end the show."
The album will again be performed live at the I'll Be Your Mirror London
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival in May 2012.
Artwork
Def Jam's distributor, Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, refused to release the album due to its controversial lyrical themes and cover art. Reign in Blood was eventually distributed by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
; however, due to the controversy it did not appear on Geffen's release schedule.
The artwork was designed by Larry Carroll
Larry Carroll (artist)
Larry Carroll is an artist who has worked for The Progressive, The Village Voice and the New York Times Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Nation, Reason, SPIN, RayGun, and other periodicals drawing political illustrations...
, who at the time was creating political illustrations for The Progressive
The Progressive
The Progressive is an American monthly magazine of politics, culture and progressivism with a pronounced liberal perspective on some issues. Known for its pacifism, it has strongly opposed military interventions, such as the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The magazine also devotes much coverage...
, Village Voice, and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. The cover art was featured in Blender Magazine
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
's 2006 "top ten heavy metal album covers of all time."
Lyrical themes
For the album, Slayer decided to abandon the SatanicSatanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
themes explored on their previous album Hell Awaits
Hell Awaits
Hell Awaits is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer, released through Metal Blade Records in 1985. The band's previous release, Show No Mercy, became Metal Blade Records' highest selling release; as a result, producer Brian Slagel desired to release a second Slayer album...
, and write about issues that were more on a street level. Reign in Bloods lyrics include meditations on death, religion, insanity, and murderers, while the lead track "Angel of Death
Angel of Death (song)
"Angel of Death" is the opening track on the American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood. The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi ″physician″ Josef Mengele, who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during...
" details human experiments conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
by Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
; who was dubbed "the Angel of death" by inmates. The song led to accusations of Nazi sympathizing and racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, which have followed the band throughout their career.
Hanneman was inspired to write "Angel of Death" after he read a number of books on Mengele during a Slayer tour. Hanneman has complained people usually misinterpret the lyrics, and clarified, "Nothing I put in the lyrics that says necessarily he was a bad man, because to me — well, isn't that obvious? I shouldn't have to tell you that." The band utilized the controversy to attract publicity, incorporating the Reichsadler
Reichsadler
The Reichsadler was the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany...
into their logo (also the S in the band's name resembles the Sig runes used by the SS), and writing a song titled "SS-3," which mentions Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, the second in command in the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
.
In popular culture
"Raining Blood" was covered by Tori AmosTori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
on her 2001 album Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls is a concept album released by singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2001. The album's 12 tracks are covers of songs written and originally performed by men, reinterpreted by Amos from a female's point of view. Amos created female personae for each track and was photographed as...
. King has admitted that he thought the cover was odd: "It took me a minute and a half to find a spot in the song where I knew where she was. It's so weird. If she had never told us, we would have never known. You could have played it for us and we'd have been like, 'What's that?' Like a minute and a half through I heard a line and was like, 'I know where she's at!'" The band however liked the cover enough to send Slayer t-shirts to Tori Amos. The song was also covered by Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation is a death metal band originally hailing from Buffalo, New York. Moving to Florida in 1987, they became a part of the emergent local death metal scene, landing a deal with Roadrunner Records...
, Chimaira
Chimaira
Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...
, Vader
Vader (band)
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn, formed in 1983. According to Piotr Wiwczarek, the band's founding singer and guitar player, the band's name was inspired by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Lyrical themes include stories by H. P. Lovecraft, WW2, horror and anti-christian...
, Dokaka
Dokaka
Dokaka is a Japanese beatboxer who performs music solely by multitracking his own voice, generally with one instrument per track. He has distributed his recordings primarily as free downloads from his website; these include...
, Reggie and the Full Effect
Reggie and the Full Effect
Reggie and the Full Effect was a Kansas City indie rock band, the solo project for The Get Up Kids keyboardist James Dewees.-Early years, Greatest Hits 1984-1987, Promotional Copy and Under the Tray :...
and Erik Hinds
Erik Hinds
Killick Erik Hinds of Athens, Georgia is active as a composer, performer, and promoter of a wide range of music. He plays quartertone electric guitar, as well as Big Red harp guitar and the H'arpeggione, an 18-stringed upright acoustic instrument with sympathetic strings, both built by Fred Carlson...
, who covered the entire album on a H'arpeggione.
In 2005, the Slayer tribute band Dead Skin Mask released an album with eight Slayer tracks, including "Angel of Death". The death metal band Monstrosity
Monstrosity (band)
Monstrosity is a death metal band originating from Fort Lauderdale, Florida during the death metal scene of the early 1990s. Vocalist, George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and drummer, Lee Harrison, were the founders of Monstrosity. Harrison had just left the band Malevolent Creation and George Fisher...
covered the song in 1999, while the track was featured on the classical band Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
's 2006 album Amplified / A Decade of Reinventing the Cello
Amplified / A Decade Of Reinventing The Cello
Amplified // A Decade of Reinventing the Cello, is the second greatest hits album by Apocalyptica.It consists almost entirely of the band's most notable covers and original songs, however it also contains two new songs: "Repressed" and Slayer's "Angel of Death"...
. A Slayer tribute album titled Al Sur Del Abismo (Tributo Argentino A Slayer), compiled by Hurling Metal Records, featured sixteen tracks covered by Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
metal bands, including Asinesia's version of "Angel of Death". "Raining Blood" was also covered by the New Zealand drum and bass band Concord Dawn
Concord Dawn
Concord Dawn, is a New Zealand drum and bass group, active since mid 1999. It consists of Matt Harvey and Evan Short...
on their 2003 album, Uprising
Uprising (Concord Dawn album)
Uprising is an album by New Zealand drum and bass group Concord Dawn, released in 2003. Classed as their most popular album, it features other New Zealand musicians such as Scribe and Salmonella Dub's front man Tiki and DJ Optiv.- Track listing :...
. "Raining Blood" was also covered by Nashville, Tennessee band Asschapel on their 7" "Satanation".
"Raining Blood" was featured in the 127th South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode, Die Hippie, Die
Die Hippie, Die
"Die Hippie, Die" is the second episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 16, 2005.-Plot:...
, aired on March 16, 2005. The plot centers on the town of South Park, which has been overrun by hippies. Eric Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
states "Hippies can't stand death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
" and proceeds to drill through a hippie concert onto the main stage to change the audio to "Raining Blood", making the hippies run away. King found the episode humorous and expressed his interest in the show ending the interview with "It was good to see the song being put to good use, if we can horrify some hippies we've done our job." "Angel of Death" also appears in several movies, including Gremlins 2
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a 1990 American horror comedy film, and the sequel to Gremlins . It was directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles S. Haas, with creature designs by Rick Baker...
, at the point when the character Mohawk turns into a spider, Jackass: The Movie
Jackass: The Movie
Jackass: The Movie is a 2002 American reality film directed by Jeff Tremaine with the tagline "Do not attempt this at home." It is a riskier and uncensored continuation of the stunts and pranks by the various characters of the MTV television series Jackass, which had completed its unique series...
, where it is played during a car stunt scene, and in the 2005 Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
War documentary Soundtrack to War
Soundtrack to War
Soundtrack to War is a 90 minute documentary by Australian war artist George Gittoes. Filmed throughout 2003-2004, Gittoes bypassed the U.S. military's media lockdown on the war in Iraq to capture an authentic account of the human experience of the war. Gittoes interviewed American soldiers...
.
"Angel of Death" was featured in the multi–platform video game Tony Hawk's Project 8
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Tony Hawk's Project 8, officially abbreviated as THP8, is the eighth installment in the Tony Hawk series of video games. It was released on sixth-generation and seventh-generation consoles...
. Nolan Nelson, who selected the soundtrack for the game, asserts; "one of the greatest heavy metal songs ever recorded. Don't know who Slayer is? I feel sorry for you." "Raining Blood" was included in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
in–game radio station V-Rock.
"Raining Blood" is also one of the songs featured in Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, and is considered one of the most difficult songs in the game, if not the hardest of the career song list.
Raining Blood is also featured in the video game Skate
Skate (video game)
Skate is a skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was released in North America on September 17, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and September 24, 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and in Europe on September 28, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and October 5, 2007 for the...
.
Track listing
- "Aggressive Perfector" was shorter and had clearer production than the previous version featured on the reissue of the EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Haunting the ChapelHaunting the ChapelHaunting the Chapel is an EP released by the thrash metal band Slayer in 1984 through Metal Blade and Enigma Records. Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy became Metal Blade's highest selling, leading to producer Brian Slagel wanting to release an EP...
. The reissue also fixed a problem with some CD pressings which incorrectly set the beginning of "Raining Blood" into the blank pause in "Postmortem".
Personnel
|
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings... – producer Larry Carroll (artist) Larry Carroll is an artist who has worked for The Progressive, The Village Voice and the New York Times Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Nation, Reason, SPIN, RayGun, and other periodicals drawing political illustrations... – artwork Howie Weinberg Howie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977... – mastering |