SLAYER - HELL AWAITS (1985 Combat/Metal Blade) (Original Issue)

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SLAYER - HELL AWAITS  (1985, Metal Blade/Combat Records)

Catalog #: Combat/Metal Blade #MX8020

UPC: n/a

Condition: PLAYED ONCE. All vinyl has been played (and taped) on high end equiment, thus the cassette bore the brunt of amy "wear and tear".Looks the same 27 years after the day I bought i!

Tracks:

1. Hell Awaits

2. Kill Again

3. At Dawn They Sleep

4. Praise of Death

5. Necrophiliac

6. Crypts of Eternity

7. Hardening of the Arteries

Here we have it; Slayer's (un)godly underrated platter of pure thrash in Hell Awaits. Released in '85, a time where thrash was beginning to peak, the band created a huge second album, perhaps one too much for many to handle at the time. The more dynamic songwriting and much heavier riff-age this time around was a big step forward from Show No Mercy in '83. As well as that, the lyrics had shifted towards what Slayer are more recognised for; dark tales of serial killers and visions of hell.

The NWOBHM sound of the previous album had been abolished in the following EP Haunting the Chapel for a darker and heavier thrash one, and that is continued on this album. Despite the sorta muddy production, everything here just sounds so fucking tight instrumentally. Dave's drums, while being sorta quiet in some parts, pummels every fucking happy walk-in-the-park dreams in your head to oblivion as it forces you to bang it until you can't feel your neck (cliches are cool, okay! ) the riffing from Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King is disgustingly dirty and buzzy yet it has that irresistable charm and nostalgic feel to it, harking back in the days where production was the last thing on people's minds.

The knowledge that several of these songs are so underrated adds even more to the appeal of this album. Hidden gems such as Hardening of the Arteries and Praise of fucking Death are easily some of the best songs that Slayer have written in their career, and yet both of these are ignored live nowadays. A shame, perhaps, but keeping these hidden from the live world like a deformed child makes you truly appreciate the (somewhat) unknown.

While many may gasp and run at the prospect of a more progressive and lengthy thrash album, having a mere seven songs but all being over three-and-a-half minutes was a great decision and leaves for more attentive listening rather than the two-minute blurs that sandwiched the first and last tracks from Reign In Blood. This is one of Slayer's most dynamic and definitely the most evil-sounding album they've released and yet I don't really see how many could not truly appreciate it, especially in the riffs! Necrophiliac and the title track are two examples of the most evil-sounding thrash riffing there is to be heard in a metal album of its kind. Another song to be mentioned is Kill Again. Truly a masterpiece, with its sheer fury and speed and THE (yes, "the") chorus in any song by the band. "HOMICIDAL MANIAC!"

Speaking of lyrics, there is plenty a line to grin (or gasp, if you love the man above) at. From entering the blackened abyss below on the title track, or killing on adrenaline in Kill Again, or in Necrophiliac...well, you can figure that one out, the lyrics on Hell Awaits are some of the most diabolical writings in eighties metal and I'm sure that this would have pleased many a Catholic group around the globe, but its not just limited to Satan and serial killers here, there's also death, and, well, yeah.

These lyrics are spat from the mouth of Tom Araya, and vocally he is in great form here, perhaps more energetic here than on Reign In Blood or any other albums after that, but maybe not as forceful as on Show No Mercy. He slips a few growls in here and there, and doesn't hesitate to let out some of those classic screams as well, especially during Crypts of Eternity, which is another great song, more mid-paced and eerie than the rest of the album. Classic.

In their over twenty-year existence I don't believe that the band have topped Hell Awaits, this is a true classic, and the somewhat mediocre offerings shown by the band in the last decade or so don't diminish the charm and greatness of this one as a standalone release. This is an album that would be a classic if any great thrashers from that decade had conceived it, and it just happened to be Slayer. The pinnacle of brutal, satanic thrash and therefore worthy of what it has been rated.

Yield you life to me

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