Slayer – Hell Awaits: 40th Anniversary (3-LP Box Set)
Slayer Vinyl Records
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Released in 1985, Hell Awaits arrived at a pivotal moment when thrash metal was still being invented in real time, with Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth all pushing the form to its breaking point simultaneously. The album's labyrinthine song structures and downtuned, dissonant riffing pointed toward the extreme metal movements that would follow, making it a direct ancestor of death metal and black metal as much as thrash.
“It’s the record where Slayer became Slayer.” That’s what Kerry King says about Hell Awaits. And he knows of what he speaks. As the band’s guitarist, co-songwriter and co-lyricist, he was in the trenches with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, guitarist Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.) and drummer Dave Lombardo, creating what has become one of heavy metal’s greatest albums. A significant departure from Slayer’s 1983 debut, Show No Mercy—and every Slayer album that came after it—Hell Awaits is both an outlier and a solidification of form. Show No Mercy was the mission statement, but Hell Awaits is a more developed and intricate execution of Slayer’s speed, chops, and aggression. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Hell Awaits is the second studio album by American thrash metal masters, Slayer. The crucial album was initially released on April 8th 1985, by Metal Blade Records, who, in honor of Hell Awaits's 40th anniversary, will be unleashing unique physical releases, along with a digital release for fans.
Tracklist
UPC: 039841619812
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: 5.15.26
Format: LP Vinyl