SLAYER South of Heaven LP 1988 thrash heavy metal death Def Jam Brazil megadeth

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104

ARTIST: SLAYER
TITLE: SOUTH OF HEAVEN

LABEL: Geffen Records – 670.4208, Geffen Records – 00465, Def Jam Recordings – 670.4208, Def Jam Recordings – 00465

RECORD GRADING: G+ SLEEVE GRADING: VG+


NOTES: Brazilian pressing from 1988. Official. Includes insert. See pics ____
All records ship both domestically (USPS Media Mail) and Internationally (USPS), and will be packed/protected like a pro with experience. 
Released on July 5, 1988, South of Heaven is the fourth studio album by the American thrash metal titans, Slayer. Following the blistering, breakneck speed and relentless aggression of their seminal 1986 album, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven represented a deliberate and conscious shift in the band's musical direction. While still unmistakably Slayer, they intentionally slowed down the overall tempo of many tracks, incorporated more undistorted guitar passages, and utilized a slightly more toned-down vocal approach from Tom Araya.
This decision was a bold move by the band, aiming to "keep people guessing" and avoid simply trying to outdo the ferocity of Reign in Blood. The result is an album that trades some of the raw, unhinged speed for a darker, more ominous, and atmospheric evil. Songs like the title track, "Mandatory Suicide," and "Spill the Blood" showcase a more methodical approach to brutality, characterized by menacing riffs, sinister melodies, and lyrical themes that delve deeper into the horrors of war, suicide, and psychological torment.
Produced by Rick Rubin, South of Heaven was initially met with a mixed reception from some fans who craved more of Reign in Blood's intensity. However, over time, it has come to be recognized as a pivotal and influential album in Slayer's discography and within the thrash metal genre itself. It solidified Slayer's position as masters of darkness and heavy aggression, proving their ability to evolve and create impactful music without relying solely on velocity. It remains a fan favorite and a staple of their live performances.
50 Similar Artists/Albums:
If you appreciate Slayer's South of Heaven, you're likely drawn to aggressive, dark, and often technically proficient thrash metal, death metal, and some of the more extreme ends of heavy metal. You enjoy powerful riffs, intense vocals, and themes of violence, war, death, and social commentary.
Slayer - Reign in Blood (Their preceding, faster album, a must-know comparison) Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss (Often seen as a stylistic continuation of South of Heaven) Metallica - ...And Justice for All (Complex, dark thrash from the same year) Megadeth - Rust in Peace (Technical and aggressive thrash) Anthrax - Among the Living (Classic thrash with a different vocal style) Sepultura - Beneath the Remains (Early, raw, and aggressive death/thrash) Sepultura - Arise (Further refinement of their death/thrash sound) Exodus - Bonded by Blood (Pioneering and aggressive thrash) Testament - The New Order (Technical thrash with powerful vocals) Kreator - Pleasure to Kill (Raw and intense German thrash) Kreator - Extreme Aggression Sodom - Agent Orange (More black/thrash elements, but classic German sound) Destruction - Infernal Overkill (Early, aggressive German thrash) Dark Angel - Darkness Descends (Extremely fast and brutal thrash) Overkill - The Years of Decay (Diverse thrash with a distinctive vocalist) Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence (Youthful, energetic thrash) Sacred Reich - Ignorance (Politically charged thrash) Voivod - Dimension Hatröss (More progressive and experimental, but still heavy thrash) Pantera - Cowboys from Hell (Groove metal with thrash roots) Exhorder - Slaughter in the Vatican (Often cited as a precursor to groove metal) Coroner - Punishment for Decadence (Highly technical thrash from Switzerland) Possessed - Seven Churches (Early death metal, influential on Slayer) Death - Scream Bloody Gore (Foundational death metal) Obituary - Cause of Death (Heavy, sludgy death metal) Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (Technical and dark death metal) Cannibal Corpse - Eaten Back to Life (Early, brutal death metal) Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten (Technical death metal) At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul (Melodic death metal with thrash influence) Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane (Melodic black/death metal) Venom - Black Metal (Early black/thrash influence) Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (Pioneering black metal with thrash elements) Mercyful Fate - Melissa (Classic heavy metal with dark, occult themes) King Diamond - Abigail (Storytelling horror metal from the Mercyful Fate frontman) Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (Influential extreme metal) Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids (Raw, primitive extreme metal) Nuclear Assault - Game Over (Fast, often politically charged thrash) Destruction - Release from Agony Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence (Brutal and underrated thrash) Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare (Aggressive Bay Area thrash) Forbidden - Forbidden Evil (Technical and melodic thrash) Havok - Conformicide (Modern thrash, heavily influenced by the classics) Power Trip - Manifest Decimation (Modern thrash that captures the old-school feel) Warbringer - Waking into Nightmares (Modern thrash with old-school aggression) Municipal Waste - The Art of Partying (Crossover thrash, fast and fun) Enforced - Kill Grid (Aggressive crossover thrash, often compared to Slayer) High Command - Beyond the Wall of Desolation (Modern band with a classic thrash sound) Deathrow - Deception Ignored (German thrash, later became more technical) Annihilator - Alice in Hell (Technical Canadian thrash) Razor - Evil Invaders (Fast and raw Canadian thrash) Whiplash - Power and Pain (Early, influential East Coast thrash)