SLAYER - SHOW NO MERCY (1983, Metal Blade Records)

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SLAYER - SHOW NO MERCY (1983, Metal Blade Records)

Catalog #: MBR 1013

UPC: N/A

Condition: All vinyl played once on high end equipment ... I was in school (no turntables there) and just listened to the tape of my record.

Tracks:

01. Evil Has No Boundaries

02. The Antichrist

03. Die by the Sword

04. Fight Till Death

05. Metal Storm/Face the Slayer

06. Black Magic

07. Tormentor

08. The Final Command

09. Crionics

10. Show No Mercy

Slayer's debut "Show No Mercy" can be best summed up with the word revolutionary. This was the birth of extreme metal as we know it. Venom may have started it, but Slayer perfected it. The guitars still have a distinct NWOBHM flavor to them that's undeniably tasty. Slayer's stylistic direction was largely influenced by legends like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Venom. Slayer would go on to develop and perfect their own sound in their future releases, but this is where Slayer were at their youngest and hungriest.

The lyrics try their best to be offensive but often come off as laughable as the band hadn't yet developed in that department. The songwriting comes off a bit like a bunch of teenagers obsessed with the occult and Satan, which is exactly what they were at the time. The influence of this album is widespread. Thrash giants like Kreator, Sepultura and other European heavyweights took their inspiration from here.

The guitar duo of Hanneman/King would quickly go on to establish themselves as the most influential duo after Downing/Tipton of the legendary British heavy metal band, Judas Priest. Dave Lombardo doesn't quite push the limits of extreme metal drumming here like in "Reign in Blood", but for 1983, this was quite fresh, like a faster, more intense style of NWOBHM drumming. Tom Araya's hellish high-pitched screams and his spitfire delivery of the lyrics were completely outrageous for its time.

Slayer were possibly the first band alongside Metallica to possess that signature 'bay area crunch' that rubbed off on every other band in the scene. The riffs found on this album take the best of Judas Priest and Venom and push them to a whole new level of intensity never seen or heard before. The blasphemous lyrics and complete disregard for record sales or achieving fame is exactly what made them famous later. Surprisingly, the riffs have an inherent 'catchiness' that makes them get stuck in your head forever. Also worth noting is that despite the one-dimensional nature of the songs, they all stand out individually with their own identity and keeps this album from becoming repetitive.

Admittedly, these songs are best heard live as the production is a bit lacking sometimes. The drumming doesn't seem to be have dynamics or intricacy as it comes off as a steady, unrelenting background noise that is only decent at best.

"Evil Has No Boundaries" starts off with a demented King Diamond like shriek from Araya before the voracious riffing kicks in to a steady drum beat. The guitar solo is actually better than the ones in "Reign in Blood". They're not excessively squealy and are a little more comprehensible. "The Antichrist" is another solid, but predictable thrasher. The main riff has a distinct 'upbeat' quality to it that Slayer further explored past this album. "Die By The Sword" dishes out more of the same, although the song is a bit more adventurous and offers more in terms of variety with some punishing mid-paced sections accompanying the chorus "Die by the sword!.." which is barked out with hostility by Araya.

"Fight Till Death" sounds like an early mid-paced Kreator song, The lyrics and song title does seem a bit immature but the riffing kicks ass, so no complaints overall. "Metal Storm/Face the Slayer" is the longest song, clocking in at a whopping 5 minutes by Slayer's usual standards. The track is a lethal mix of Venom-esque riffing and the old British 'gallop' made famous by Iron Maiden. The solos are fast but tend to be very much melodic in character, a bit like the ones from Metallica's debut. "Black Magic" is the best Slayer song ever and the definitive introduction to the genius of both Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. The intro of the song seems to slowly fade in and develops into one of the most memorable evil riffs crafted this side of "Raining Blood". Another memorable moment is the crunchy mid-paced groove that kicks in at around the 3-minute mark, reminding me a bit of Metallica's 'Four Horsemen'.

"Tormentor" sees more NWOBHM influenced speed metal from Slayer. Even the style of lyric-writing draws heavily from early Iron Maiden, more specifically the albums Iron Maiden and Killers. "Final Command" is more Priest influenced but definitely in the same mold as "Tormentor". Araya tries his hand at singing on "Crionics" and makes his best Rob Halford impersonation. The riffing sees more of that vintage Iron Maiden 'galloping' riffs. "Show No Mercy", the title track sees more of the same, by this time the approach gets a little redundant.

Reign in Blood may be my favorite album by this band like many fans, but Slayer's impressive debut is every bit as important in the development of this genre. It truly captures the aggression and hunger that the thrash metal scene had in its earliest days of existence. 1983 was the year that thrash metal truly started to distinguish itself from NWOBHM. No matter what they did later, they will forever be an integral part of the scene and for that, and they will forever have my respect.

“…see the sky burning, the gates are ablaze, Satan waits eager to merge…”

Of Slayer’s entire catalog, the three songs on Haunting the Chapel are perhaps their dirtiest, most unloving inventions. There’s a friendless, merciless singularity about the triad…some sibling bond that bestows a unique oneness in them, like three antichrists born of the same womb that have simultaneously risen where there were none for thousands of years. Any force thrown against it…Creeping Death, Fistful of Metal, Apocalyptic Raids, Sentence of Death…would just deflect off its impregnable field that was as mean and unforgiving as De Sade, black as slave hatred, and actively horrific as a live grenade rolling around the floor of a maternity ward.

By oneness I mean that if these were recorded years apart from each other, they would not hold the same import. They are one of the same mood concocted by the fiery-eyed foursome at their best. One is easily as cold-blooded and callous as the next, more so than any consecutive trio of Slayer tracks on any release, and I believe one speck of up-temponess anywhere on this would’ve destroyed the trilogy. 

YOU SEE ME LIFT THE AX,IT PLUNGES THROUGH YOUR SHIELD. YOU NOW BEGIN TO PANIC AS YOU SEE YOUR CHANCES GROW SLIM

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