I bought Hell Awaits in August 1986. I remember throwing this into my tape deck and absolutely thinking this was the most evil music I’d ever heard. From title track, Necrophiliac, Kill Again, Praise of Death to At Dawn They Sleep. The whole thing enraptured me. Then Reign In Blood came out a few weeks later and I knew I was in it for life. Good times.
Nothing quite has the twisted vibe of Hell Awaits. It is the most evil metal as far as I'm concerned, none of the death and black metal bands that followed made anything as rotten and grotesque.
I don't remember the exact timing, but damn, within a 3-4 year period you had these Slayer lp's coming out, the MONUMENTAL Kreator first albums coming out, Destruction, and the beyond description Possessed-Seven Gates album coming out. You cannot imagine how full my record player stayed, or at work how the tapes I made of these classics I jammed to at hyper velocity speed.
As a teenager I went to Liverpool penny Lane records to buy the record. I read all the lyrics and looked at all the art on the bus journey home when I then blasted it. Holy hell I couldn't believe how sinister it sounded. That was 32 years ago
I remember being 4 years old and looking at my dad's vinyl collection. Saw this album with the skull bleeding demons and was like fuck this is amazing. Made my dad put it on and ever since...well the rest is history. Btw that was South of heaven haha
Hell Awaits is an atmospheric masterpiece. Every song is so well written, when they're combined into a whole album it gives you an experience of being in a really good horror film through the listener's ears by horrific riffs and lyrics. In terms of atmosphere, only Seasons In The Abyss would come close to Hell Awaits' perfection.
Jeff didn't write all of Reign In Blood. Kerry co-wrote 7 songs on the album, and wrote one song entirely on his own. The only classic-era Slayer album where Jeff wrote most of the music was South Of Heaven.
Hell Awaits is one of the sickest, most evil, and wicked albums ever recorded. It stands alone. Along with Seven Churches it made '85 a groundbreaking year for extreme metal. Also Sodom, Bathory, Destruction, Kreator, Venom, Celtic Frost and many more helped take metal into uncharted territory.
What are you retarded? While not as good as the first 3 Possessed is still a very good album. And Venom has released good stuff throughout the years. It's sad that people are so close-minded. Just appreciate the music. We all have our favorites but just be grateful the scene is still strong.
I feel they changed a bit for divine intervention and undisputed attitude but they still played metal unlike Metallica going from thrash to metal to rock
these guys have defined and continue to re-define what classic and modern metal should be...they have the best live sound and stage presence that can not be copied .... Jeff H riffs are haunting and inspiring......RIP Jeff..
+BulletSpawn3000 the vibe on Hell Awaits was inspiring. It felt like the 9th circle of hell had come up through a crack in the surface. That was definitely Hanneman at work.
BulletSpawn3000 YOU ROCK \m/ was absolutely the MOST brutal and serious shit decades ago... before cell phone cameras could incriminate... a SLAYER show could decimate, assionate, and incinerate thy SOUL \m/
This “Live Intrusion” version here is the best take of this song ever played. So glad they recorded this shit. This absolutely smokes the album version. I wish they’d re-release this as a BluRay/CD set!
Definitely. There’s something about that whole period around Divine Intervention - irrespective of whether you rate the album or not - that had a really good vibe that suited Slayer.
I love the way they rip into the solos after the chorus at about 1:48 ....Apparitions from the pits of Hell Death plagues the streets in which they dwell Demented lust, the secrets they must keep Addicted to your blood At dawn they sleep"... I will never get sick of watching this video.
The '95 cell phones had only 1 use: TELEPHONE. Imagine a thrashing/moshing/crowdsurfing/stagediving Slayer-fan using a telephone to call....ehm....who exactly?!? :-p "Hey mom....umf....it's....gup....everything fine....splash....over here!" LOL
Arayas amazing on one side always smyling and down to earth guy but on the other side when he starts the "kill kill kill" part you know he takes no prisoners
Absolutely everything by Slayer before 1991 - Seasons is simply unforgettable metal superiority. Too bad about Jeff had to go sooo soon. RIP Metal Maniac...
@@Headbanger9000 good call! I would almost say HA is their most technical album (prog 🤣🤣…blasphemy, I know!) where RIB was pure hell fire speed, HA is breakneck, but like you said, the time signatures on that album are insane
Ojalá y lo sientan y entiendan en muchos idiomas......., esta canción de Slayer es y será por siempre lo más cercano a todo lo que represento la escena 80s en cuanto a crudeza, malicia, furia, pesadez, tiene todo lo que como metalero siempre seremos!! Saludos amigos.....
Lo único que tiene malo está canción es que termina. Una canción demoledora, de la mejor banda de metal de todos los tiempos. Viva SLAYER, Tom Araya y Chile 🇨🇱.... CTM
Back in the day when the great Tom Araya could headbang whilst performing, unfortunately due to neck surgery back in 2010, he's unable to do that now. All the best on the final world tour Slayer, see you's in November in England.
You might assume Tom being the frontman he writes the majority of the lyrics but it's Kerry and Jeff who wrote most of the songs. Tom has written some and so has Dave but mostly it's Kerry and Jeff.
Who thinks that Slayer should just keep making new music and keep touring until they can't stand up??!! Even then I think they would still do a better job sitting down than most other bands! The CROWD will still frickin move!!!🤘🤘😈
BRUTAL!! My favorite Slayer song by far! Yes, Angel of Death and all their other popular hits destroy, but there's something surreal about this song that gets me every time!
Помню VHS кассету в Москве купил c этим концертом в 96-м году купил, круто было!!! Эта вещь особенно зацепила! По-моему живое исполнение At dawn they sleep лучше, чем студийное.
Jeff Hanneman always reminded me of Kane in the WWF you never saw his face and he represents pure evil, Jeff wrote the most evil and badass Slayer songs!
Mesa Amplitheatre , I remember going to this concert. Mesa , Az. back in the day. Maybe 1995, my guess.This song was so beautiful. There were chics trying to draw blood off of dudes by biting them... Such a trip that night....
Glad that I was a teenager/young enough to appreciate/live through most of Slayer's prime years..their early/old school jams are f'n untouchable! Also glad I got to see them live back in the day..and a little more currently.LONG LIVE OLD SCHOOL SLAYER!!!!! \m/
A concert and fan of music story to share: My husband and I have "devirginized" each other to less familiar or wholly unfamiliar artists over the years. Sometimes via recorded material, sometimes going to live shows. While we both dig artists across several if not most genres, he is a funk fan at heart, while I am a metalhead. I had never seen George Clinton live. 10 years ago, I went to my first show. All I can say is DAMN. He and his crew put on some of the best shows I've ever seen. Consistently. Been to 3 more shows since. No, no Mothership landings or grand stage setups anymore, but they continue to kill it onstage. And dude is 77 years old! I unfortunately cannot say the same for Slayer. I originally saw them in 1994. AWESOMENESS! Made me more of a fan and I bought most of their music. Husband and I went to see them in 2017. Mind you, I'm old school with their lineup. To me, no Lombardo OR Hahnemann was a tough sell as it was. But we still went because who knows when waiting until next time results in there BEING no next time. Right? Unfortunately, even Tom's smirking crassness could save things from feeling like they'd become something closer to a parody of themselves. No discredit to the newer members in any way, shape or form mind you. They are fine musicians. But my ear is trained to the original lineup's playing styles. The core sound, while I love Tom, needs power drumming as part of its core sound. Paul is more nuance and finesse, IMHO. Still had a good time, but I did not feel like I walked away having listened to Slayer. Does that make any sense? At the Slayer show, the other bands were Lamb of God and Behemoth. I hadn't really heard much at all from the other bands prior to the show, but we tried to study up! I most surprised and impressed by Behemoth. I surprised myself by buying THEIR tee shirt at the show. And I have appreciated them the more I listen to them. So far, Evangelion is my fave!
Your second to last paragraph made perfect sense. You probably went for the same reason i have. You never know when you'll get to see them live again, and you wanna hear the classics you grew up loving one last time. It doesn't matter who's in the band. They still put on one helluva show. Ii'm going to see them Nov. 11th with my brother.
The best line-up. The best times. How I miss Hanneman!! I'm a lucky man 'cos my brother and I met him in that year!! And the Araya's headbanging energy. Bostaph RULES!! He's THE BEST drummer in Slayer, EVER!! ✋🏻🧔🏻🇪🇸
Tom left California twenty years ago and moved him and his family to Texas. He moved to Buffalo, Texas. Population about 500. He purchased 100 acres which is something he could not have done in LA.
I have always thought HELL AWAITS was their best album, the most violent, vicious, sadistic, and evilest I love this version of AT DAWN THEY SLEEP (Kill. Kill, Kill, Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, Kill!!!), not to mention KILL AGAIN, PRAISE OF DEATH, (my all-time favorite song) NECROPHILLIAC, CRYPTS OF ETERNITY, HARDENING OF THE ARTERIES the list goes on.
Sinister and fucking heavy as hell brilliant song, why it never caught on and became a top tier song for Slayer I have no fucking clue. It damn sure should have, cheers to Black Frasd, you are right, it is by far their most underrated song.
