Copyright © 1987 Def Jam
1. Angel Of Death
2. Piece By Piece
3. Necrophobic
4. Altar Of Sacrifice
5. Jesus Saves
6. Criminally Insane
7. Reborn
8. Epidemic
9. Postmortem
10. Raining Blood
|
Having established their formula of fast NWOBHM with the arrangements and instrumentalism of hardcore, Slayer amplified the extreme with this 1987 landmark of chromatic riffing and explosive changes in song structure. Most striking for the bizarre and intricate mixtures of lead playing and power chords that comprise a Slayer riff, the pieces of songs here are more like sculptures which interlock through transitory material of the spaces between objects. From thrashing violence architectures rise to mutate and self-realize into final themes of tragedy and nothingness. Not yet at a death shout, the hoarse yell of Tom Araya edges out the more Rob Halford moments his previous performances contain. While most of the album keeps pace and rhythm, songs like "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" define shapes of phrasing which speak resonant ideas of the genre in tangible form. Notable also is the definition of noise lead guitar playing into disciplined and ingenious soloing. Foundational to metal as it moved from speed to death subgenres, this album along with works by Bathory and Sodom shaped the coming underground metal movement.
|