@@raregrimebeats1352 just wrong, you could argue south of heaven is on par or better but realistically nothing is more raw thrash metal and more slayer than reign in blood
@@mollyesanborn Nice to know that! I love getting into new bands too, in fact I've been listening recently to Unwound and they're such a cool post-hardcore band, their development from album to album is quite great despite not being too complex, I'd suggest you give them a try at some point later; for now I'll enjoy how you discover more of Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode (some of my favs haha).
I love the comments about the guitar solos. People rag on them, but they fit the music perfectly. They're not just guitar solos, they're the cavernous howls of tormented and vengeful souls.
It's mainly because they're super chaotic and seem to have no form of melodic structure like guitar solos traditionally have, it just sounds like they're randomly moving up and down the fretboard in a chaotic fashion with a ton of random whammy bar. But I agree that the guitar solos match the music, they wouldn't sound right with a Master Of Puppets style of solo. It's the same thing with people ragging on Lars's drumming, Metallica wouldn't sound like Metallica if anyone but Lars was drumming.
The opening to "Jesus Saves" is one of my favorite parts of the album. I was playing it for a friend once and he said "when I hear this I feel like I'm in actual danger", and I can't disagree.
That's the feeling I get with "Criminally insane" and "213" (from the Divine Intervention album), it's just soo menacing that it gives you a sense of danger!
Yes! My favorite Slayer album. I can't wait to watch your reaction to this classic Thrash album. Loved your reaction to "Reign in Blood". Your expressions and descriptive words when you stopped songs to comment had me smiling. This is a great Thrash metal album, one of the top 3 every produced, along with "Rust in Peace" and "Master of Puppets". A few notes. The sound of this album is different than other Thrash metal of the period and many other types of metal albums because it was recorded without reverb. That is why the music is so in your face. Also, the average BPM (beats per minute) for "Reign in Blood" is nearly 220. The produce going forward from "Reign in Blood" is better than their first 2 releases.
I saw ex Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo as well as Scott Ian from Anthrax performing on stage when I went to see Mr Bungle a little while back,they started playing a Slayer song Hell Awaits which was so heavy it sounded like actually being in Hell, but then in typical Mr Bungle style it morphed into pop hit True by Spandau Ballet, it was hilarious
I had my reservations as to wheather they could pull off live what they do on their albums, but that was soon put to rest, they were great, I was thoroughly entertained
I'm more of a South of Heaven guy myself. Hell Awaits has some pretty special moments on it too. Seasons in the Abyss was the last album that had that "thing" for me, but there are admittedly great tracks on later albums.
Truly groundbreaking album...it changed my life back in the day and definitely set new standards for musical extremity. Top of the mountain for Slayer fersure!
I kinda get that, the whole album flew by when I listened to it and the tracks are all relatively short too. That combined with their fast pace does make it seem like one giant song in a way, they don't let you take a breather at all on this album!
In March 1986 Metallica released Master of Puppets which was the greatest thrash album ever…….for 7 months. Because in October Slayer released the greatest Thrash metal album ever REIGN IN BLOOD!
As a youth: Reign > Hell Awaits > Seasons > Heaven > Mercy Where I am now in life: Mercy > Heaven > Seasons > Reign > Hell Awaits Weird how tastes change.
Slayer has got so many classics in their decades long catalog. South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss are usually considered must listens by the fans but I have a soft spot for God Hates Us All (infamously released September 11, 2001) and Undisputed Attitude, which is a cover album of punk classics. I'd love to see your reaction to any of those!
Reign In Blood was SLAYER’s Apex Mountain. Basically, there was Metal before RIB, and Metal after RIB. And producer Rick Ruben was instrumental in changing the way Metal was recorded.
ah yes the big four 🤣 such an american idiocy: metallica self nominated them that and people were all like "ooooh, so they are the best!" a pity they forgot to mention exodus, overkill... not to mention the european killer bands, way more violent and faster, like destruction, sodom and kreator 😅 Metallica are the biggest scam. The only big in that tour were slayer, megadeth and anthrax so it's the big three, in the end
I was 15 back then, bro, and I heard their first albums before it came out. But I didn't expect such intensity, I thought it would barely possible to top out their elder albums! How it was blowing me away... WOW!!! Love and peace.
Reign is universally recognized as the hardest album of all time. Also, one of the most awesome albums covers ever. I was a teenager when it hit record stores and I loved it from the get-go. Still do. A masterpiece of an album. R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman.
Wow thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it, I had a blast listening to this album and they threw so many surprising moments on Reign In Blood. A fantastic introduction to Slayer's music, that's for sure.
You finally got to experience the most perfect half hour in thrash. They haven't done anything like this album before, or since. Every song is balls out heavy, fast, neck breaking and demonic. Yes, very different from Seasons in the Abyss.
Yep this record was fantastic! Such a jam packed album, so speedy and so many unexpected twists and turns. I had a lot of fun listening to it and am excited to hear more from Slayer now.
¡You are officially baptized as an extreme metal head! This album is unbeatable, i hope you listen it later full without pauses, i love it because is pure noise, catchy, without melodic solos, and the sound mix is so good even today. So great to see you reacting with the red dress, possessed by the speed and heaviness hehe. You will enjoy his Diabolus In Musica album, because its different and influenced by nu metal.
Yep I think I'm officially a metal fan now. There's no going back haha! Slayer really did a fantastic job on Reign In Blood, such a jam packed album filled with energy, and so many surprises caught me off guard to. I look forward to hearing more from them!
it's less than half an hour for the whole album, but the amount of energy I can spend on enjoying it feel like running a 3h marathon god I love this masterpiece so muuuuch
Without question one of the greatest metal albums ever. I remember the very instant I first heard it sometime way back in middle school in 1987. It was a paradigm shift for me. I was COMPLETELY blown away. I still am.
Slayer is one of a kind & their influence can’t be overstated. I love every record though many fans don’t care for some. Looking forward to more of your reactions & curious if you hear them all, which one would end up being your favorite.
I listened to this record every morning while I was getting ready to go to high school the year it came out. It got me through some dark times. This reaction was fantastic. Your facial expressions had me laughing out loud in places. This record is a perfect Thrash masterpiece. The flow of the songs, even the segues between some of them, it just all comes together the way it needs to. A bunch of artists have done covers of the song Raining Blood, ones you'd never expect to. I'm really glad you liked it so much, but I kind of figured you would.
Awesome comment! This album was exceptional, it certainly brought quite the punch of energy. I love how it flows so well, like you said how they connect everything together is just perfect. I'm very excited to continue with Slayer on the channel and hear more of their albums.
@@mollyesanborn One of the weird things about this record. Slayer had just signed to Def Jam records, which at the time was the label that all the big Rap bands were on. So you had this monster Thrash record come out as one of the flagship records for a Rap label. Rick Rubin had a way of thinking outside the box and making things happen that you maybe wouldn't have though of doing. But it worked. In the context of the times, this was radical. Thrash was being ignored by record labels and that caused people to form them just to get this stuff out there. So like Megaforce, Combat, Steam Hammer and others came into being just to get Thrash to the market. Then Slayer signs on with the biggest Rap label out there. It might not seem weird today. But at the time it was revolutionary.
"His vocal delivery is so unique...it's almost like really intense spoken word..." Spot on comment! It's like thrash rap!? +1 for a South Of Heaven listen.
@@mollyesanborn the other albums are brilliant especially seasons in the abyss which is my second favorite slayer album which trust me you’ll like it because it is such a brilliant album.
When I first got into Slayer, I started with Decade of Aggression, the double live album. More muscular in sound, but the precision of the playing is crazy.
Yeah on Reign In Blood that precision is fantastic, it's so impressive how quick their music is but on a technical level it's masterfully executed. I'll have to give Decade Of Aggression a listen at some point too, I'd love to hear it.
For a change in the band’s progression definitely listen to the South of Heaven album. 3rd album should definitely be Show No Mercy to see how it all began.
I saw Slayer in concert once, and never seen a happier guy; coming out the pit after they played Angel of Death so happy, despite a bloody face and broken nose. Good times, I'll always remember that moment.
I’ve always loved Tom Anaya’s interactions with the crowds. He’s always so chill and telling people to look out for each other and if someone falls to pick them up.
@@freddiemossberg7204 I mean, during the sex pistols tour tom had pulled funny faces to everyone, then someone in the crowd had done something (I don't know what, probably endangered people in the moshpit) and he had looked at him with a face so angry... so angry... never seen such anger, he had fire eyes! And he had the guy climb on stage and sit on a corner for the rest of the show 🤪 Man... that was wild
Killer Reaction! When I listen to Post Mortem, at the part of the song you called steady , the image of 1970’s Las Vegas dancers linking arms and performing synchronized high kicks to the beat comes to mind . Gotta lay off the Peyote …
I got to see Slayer live 6 times, the last time was in Brisbane on a stormy night, as they started Raining Blood the heavens opened, I will never forget it. Cheers for the in-depth review, very enjoyable.
I was 14 when a kid first gave me a tape with songs from slayer, metallica, megadeth and ratos de porao... and listening to raining blood at night, the walkman on my nightdesk, in the dark of my room, was scary and fun as hell can be
That's awesome! Yeah Raining Blood is the perfect nighttime track, that atmospheric start with the rain and thunder sets such an amazing tone for the song.
As a teenager in the midwest in the 80's when Reign came out and I finally got the nerve to buy it I thought I was going straight to Hell the first time I played Altar of Sacrifice lol. And maybe I will but Slayer is my favorite band to this day.
@@Shagrath71 yes it's ncredible how today very little has the same power to strike our souls, not even death metal... reign in blood has been a real bomb
Another great choice! I spent a massive amount of money when I was younger on cd's as I loved nothing more than discovering new music. I don't regret it at all! Music is the best.
Thanks for watching! I completely agree music is the best. Doing these videos has completely opened up my world of music, I've discovered so many fantastic bands through this channel and I am so grateful for that!
You’re seriously in for a treat. I’ve gone through 13albums,cassette’s and cd’s of this one album. Ppl think you can’t wear out cd’s. I beg to differ 🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽
You can't wear out CDs. If you don't handle them properly, they'll get damaged. I still have my original cassette, cd, & vinyl of Reign in Blood and they're all in pristine condition.
Great review! Like how you analysed this album from the key moments of each song! You have got your Slayer badge of respect! Welcome to the Slayer Club!👹👹👹👹👹👹
@@mollyesanborn Reign In Blood was my first Slayer album, and totally blew me away! A friend from college did me a copy on cassette and when I bought my first record player I went out to buy their first album Show No Mercy! After that I never looked back!😉👹
Every week I check my notifications hoping you've finally checked out Ne Obliviscaris. Yesterday May 7th was their debut album's 12th birthday. So this is week 1 of asking you to check them out, specifically their debut album 'Portal of I'.
So I know I recommned that you check out Tori Amos' discorpahy at some point, well one of her albums "Strange Litttle Girls" consists of 12 cover songs where Tori, a woman (obviosuly)covers 12 songs orignaly written and/or performed by men, and one of the songs she covers is "Raining Blood" and while Slayer's version is super heavy and intense, her version is a soft somber piano ballad...and somehow it works!
@@mollyesanborn As a Slayer fan who went so far as to get the bands logo tattooed on my arm, I LOVE Tori Amos. Incredible artist, haunting and beautiful.
I absolutely love chugging on Postmortem, it's solid..if I'd just robbed a bank I'd be playing this album, the speedy tempos and wailing guitars would make great getaway music
The weird thing for me about this album is that it is bookended by two of the most iconic thrash songs ever recorded, and as a result I find the "filler" 8 tracks kinda boring even though the album as a whole is a masterpiece and when it was released no one had heard anything like it
The fast-paced tempo and aggressive delivery create an incredible sense of energy. At the moment I'm loving Nick Thurl Mavromatis' new song, you should definitely react to it!
Not even the first minute of Angel of Death and she goes "It's like we're entering the depths of hell". Yup! That's Slayer in a nutshell. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian once said "Slayer is the music you hear on your way to hell...that or Ricky Martin!"
The more I listen to this album over the years, the more of a masterpiece I think it is. Bands have come along and tried to do louder or faster but they then don’t have the changing dynamics of this album. Others will do the growly vocals but why write lyrics if they can’t be heard… considering the intensity of this album, the vocals are generally very clear. With the changes in tempo, the riffs, the insane drumming, this album has it all. It’s the peak of thrash metal in my opinion
"Reign of Blood" is for me the best album of all time, the second album is "Master of Puppets" from Metallica and the third is "Altars of Madness" from Morbid Angel.
I love seeing people go back to my childhood music I was 15 when this came out and and had to buy another copy with in a year cause I wore out the tape lol.
"Reign In Blood" surely is the best thrash metal album of all time, many ranked this to be their best album. But for me "Show No Mercy" stands out more, perhaps because it was their debut album, it was introducing me into a never heard before new musical realm! I absolutely love every note of it!!! I enjoyed this video very much, thank you Molly! Love and peace.
If you want to discover what those guys can do when slowing down just a little bit, try the Seasons in the Abyss album. Also, South of Heaven comes to mind. But it seems to me that you don't mind the speed ;)
Yeah I love the speed! The slowed down stuff is just as good though, heavy but in a different way. I'll definitely have to give Seasons In The Abyss and South Of Heaven both a listen and see how I'll like a slower Slayer.
Thanks! This album really grows from every consecutive listenning. You noticed every important point. Except how extremely evil some of the guitar riffs on this album are, for example the riff ending the album. Idk what to recommend to listen next by Slayer, but my second favourite (the best is reign in blood) is Hell Awaits
I was 11 years old when it was released and was just getting into metal like Anthrax, Megadeth, Kreator and Metallica but this album changed everything. The intensity - it almost felt dangerous or forbidden to listen to it. I would recommend doing South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss next. Those 3 albums are Slayer at their absolute peak.
I saw them live for the first time in 2009 i wanna say? At the rockstar mayhem fest and i swear i was drained afterward..."a stream roller over you" yep. Thats how it feels live. I feel like i had been ran over. Lol.
You should try God Hates Us All - it's their best album with second drummer Paul Bostaph, and also nooone on UA-cam ever reacted to full album playthrough. :)
Really appreciate that even though this isnt your type of music you didnt just hate on it. Gave it a shot and appreciated the craft. What more can you ask for.
Absolutely, I love discovering new music! Slayer is such a talented band and they poured so much energy onto this record. I'm excited to hear more from them 🤘
Watched Slayer headlining Clash Of The Titans with Megadeth, Testament and Suicidal Tendencies. Dave Lombardo's drums was like an extra headbeat outside your body. Phenomenal. Testament was great as well while the vocal sounds for Megadeth was terrible. Mustaine's voice was cutting through your ears. Check out the first Slayer album Show No Mercy
Yeah the drums were killer on this record, just a whirlwind of energy from start to finish! I'm sure hearing them live must've been incredible. And I'd love to hear Show No Mercy as well!
In the top 2 thrash metal Albums with Megadeths Rust in Peace for me. Slayer purists will tell you that they have made even better albums like Hell Awaits! You pointed out the structure which gives it a real groove! Awesome album. Have a nice week. I've not commented for a while but this album needs a comment!
Haha, thanks so much for the comment and for checking out the reaction! Slayer is amazing, I can see why so many people wanted me to check their music out. That groove they've got going is so fantastic, even though they punch you in the face with the energy it's still catchy as hell.
Great album, it was produced by Rick Rubin which surprised a lot of people at the time. I would recommend going on to their next album, South Of Heaven. I can't predict what you would like better, but those first two albums are pretty different and not as representative of the bulk of their career.
Yassssssssssssss, glad you reviewed this one, and glad you really liked it. Given what I've seen you review and listened to before on here, I was kind of curious how you would feel about it! Like mentioned below, you should definitely line up South of Heaven, as it's still Slayer but more progressive yet still thrashy. Keep the good stuff coming, Molly! ❤
Favorite rock or metal album of all time! In the running for number 1 all time (Gillian Welch and Bob Dylan are jockeying for number 1) So glad you liked it
My first Slayer album was God Hates us All, and I absolutely couldn't believe what I was hearing! I subsequently went and bought an album from them every month or so till I was caught up :)
FYI, the opening track Angel of Death is about Dr. Joseph Mengele aka The Angel of Death. A Nazi that performed horrific experiments on twins and the disabled during The Holocaust.
Another great reaction as usual, Molly! Check out the album God Hates Us All which was released on 9/11/2001. And yes the release date was just a crazy coincidence.
Oh nice. Slayer is great. Angel Of Death, Postmortem, and Raining Blood are my favorites on this album. I say either do South Of Heaven or Seasons In The Abyss next.
Yeah this album is loaded with fantastic tracks, it's hard to pick a favorite. I do love that breakdown in Raining Blood though, just absolutely epic! I'll definitely plan reactions for Seasons in the Abyss and South Of Heaven as well.
I'm a kind of weird Slayer fan in that my favourite albums are Divine Intervention and Diabolus in Musica. DiM is a very different sounding Slayer imo. Well, for an admittedly narrow band of "different".
Slayer's "Reign in blood" was their iconic album that set a new benchmark for aggression and speed in extreme metal... but 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) is their most successful record to date. "Reign"... 'South of Heaven' (1988) and 'Seasons' r considered the trifecta of Slayer's best records, and they are so different in terms of approach while still completely Slayer. Slayer started out very young as teens... (late) guitarist Jeff Hanneman was briefly obsessed w/ hardcore punk in the early 80's and brought that genre's speed and aggression to Slayer's original music (which is why Slayer has a punk rock fanbase) They saw Metallica in the L.A. clubs in 1982 and wanted to emulate them... Initially, they wore black eyeliner and leather costumes but that changed in 1984 when they began touring for their debut album 'Show no mercy'... They dropped the makeup and theatrics and blended in perfectly w/ the Cali thrash metal scene... Their 2nd album 'Hell awaits' in 1985 was similar - themes of horror and satanism... but Slayer were still struggling. In 1986, producer Rick Rubin signed Slayer to his Def Jam label and worked to produce 'Reign in blood'... The band wanted to push the envelope and embraced a full-on fast record w/ controversial themes of real-life horrors. One of the things Rubin did was take out the reverb from Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's guitars in the studio - the band was shocked that they sounded better that way and kept that sound for the rest of their career... It was only 30 minutes long in the end, despite consisting of 10 songs. However, distributors refused to release 'Reign in blood'... due to the track 'Angel of death' being about nazi doctor Mengele... Rubin had to release the record w/ independent distributors as Slayer toured relentlessly and the record created such a buzz that it eventually went gold. Going into the next album 'South of Heaven' in 1988 as the thrash metal scene was starting to take off, Slayer decided to focus on songwriting and the album was not as fast-paced as 'Reign in blood' and songs like 'South of Heaven' and 'Mandatory suicide' were closer to Black Sabbath's heavy grooves... Fans complained initially, but 'South of Heaven' actually outsold 'Reign in blood' by 1989. 'Seasons in the Abyss' captured Slayer at a peak creatively... the band was a high profile band now and one of the 'Big 4' of thrash metal... Another gold selling success, Slayer toured w/ a vengeance for years on that record. Unfortunately, things happen... Dave Lombardo (drums) was fired in 1992... Producer Rick Rubin stopped working w/ the band ... Despite another gold selling album in 1994 ('Divine intervention') w/ drummer Paul Bostaph joining, Slayer felt the record was problematic and not up to standard... Slayer's popularity in the 90's dropped unexpectedly after the release of a punk covers album 'Undisputed attitude' in 1996 and their 1998 album 'Diabolus in musica' was a commercial disappointment. Slayer decided to go back to 'Reign in blood' to redeem themselves in 2001 w/ 'God hates us all'... a record w/ aggression from start to finish and it worked for the most part, pushing Slayer's popularity up again by 2004.
without a doubt the best thrash metal album ever, fight me Metallica fans. fight me.
For me it's peace sells,but I hear ya
It’s not even slayers best
@@raregrimebeats1352 just wrong, you could argue south of heaven is on par or better but realistically nothing is more raw thrash metal and more slayer than reign in blood
I shall not fight you, sir. Agreed, the step up from hell awaits was monumental but had much to do with Rick rubin 🙂
I am a big 4 fan. Or 5, 6, maybe big 7. Testament, death angel, exodus. Any way. No I am not gonna fight ya. The best trash album of all time
She did it! She did it again! How is this level of consistency possible folks?
Haha thanks! I love making these videos and discovering all of these amazing bands and albums.
@@mollyesanborn Nice to know that! I love getting into new bands too, in fact I've been listening recently to Unwound and they're such a cool post-hardcore band, their development from album to album is quite great despite not being too complex, I'd suggest you give them a try at some point later; for now I'll enjoy how you discover more of Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode (some of my favs haha).
@@danpereyra2165 I'll be sure to look into Unwound, and I hope you enjoy the Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode reactions :)
She is good at reacting?
@@mollyesanborn New Plastic Ideas by Unwound is an amazing classic album of the 90s!
I always say that first scream in Angel of Death sounds like someone falling down into the pits of hell while going through an accelerated puberty
Accurate 😂
ahahahahah that was... like she said!
This is the perfect description for that scream lol
It's also fitting for the beginning of an album that sounds like an audio tour in hell
Rumour has it someone left some Lego in the studio...
Surely "an accelerated puberty" IS "falling down into the pits of hell"?
I love the comments about the guitar solos. People rag on them, but they fit the music perfectly. They're not just guitar solos, they're the cavernous howls of tormented and vengeful souls.
Obviously anyone who rags on their solos doesn’t know how to play guitar. Those boys can play! Kerry just likes the whammy bar a little too much.
It's mainly because they're super chaotic and seem to have no form of melodic structure like guitar solos traditionally have, it just sounds like they're randomly moving up and down the fretboard in a chaotic fashion with a ton of random whammy bar.
But I agree that the guitar solos match the music, they wouldn't sound right with a Master Of Puppets style of solo. It's the same thing with people ragging on Lars's drumming, Metallica wouldn't sound like Metallica if anyone but Lars was drumming.
Well said man, i love all the solos, this album is a masterpiece.
Their solos are chaotic and painful and it fits the music and lyrics perfectly. Slayer is one band I don't want to have melodic and pretty solos.
That was Rick Ruben asking Kerry and Jeff to do more guitar solos
The opening to "Jesus Saves" is one of my favorite parts of the album. I was playing it for a friend once and he said "when I hear this I feel like I'm in actual danger", and I can't disagree.
“The gates of pearl have turned to gold, it seems you lost your way” is the best line in metal history.
That's the feeling I get with "Criminally insane" and "213" (from the Divine Intervention album), it's just soo menacing that it gives you a sense of danger!
Money saves😇😇
Yes! My favorite Slayer album. I can't wait to watch your reaction to this classic Thrash album.
Loved your reaction to "Reign in Blood". Your expressions and descriptive words when you stopped songs to comment had me smiling. This is a great Thrash metal album, one of the top 3 every produced, along with "Rust in Peace" and "Master of Puppets". A few notes. The sound of this album is different than other Thrash metal of the period and many other types of metal albums because it was recorded without reverb. That is why the music is so in your face. Also, the average BPM (beats per minute) for "Reign in Blood" is nearly 220. The produce going forward from "Reign in Blood" is better than their first 2 releases.
This album is fantastic! I never knew what to expect. Hope you enjoy the reaction :)
I saw ex Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo as well as Scott Ian from Anthrax performing on stage when I went to see Mr Bungle a little while back,they started playing a Slayer song Hell Awaits which was so heavy it sounded like actually being in Hell, but then in typical Mr Bungle style it morphed into pop hit True by Spandau Ballet, it was hilarious
Going to see them in a couple of weeks, can't f'n wait!
I had my reservations as to wheather they could pull off live what they do on their albums, but that was soon put to rest, they were great, I was thoroughly entertained
Haha, that sounds like an awesome time! Slayer + Mr Bungle is a wild combo, two bands that absolutely bring it with the energy.
Fun fact: this was released on the hip-hop label, Def Jam alongside Public Enemy & The Beastie Boys - (certified hood classic indeed)
This is some heavy hip-hop... lol. Cool fact, thanks for sharing!
I'm more of a South of Heaven guy myself. Hell Awaits has some pretty special moments on it too. Seasons in the Abyss was the last album that had that "thing" for me, but there are admittedly great tracks on later albums.
I'll definitely be checking out more of their albums now, I'm excited to hear them!
Slayer is such a great and important band. They were a great introduction to extreme metal and remain as my favorite thrash band!
They're so talented, and Reign In Blood was a fantastic introduction to their music!
First deaththrash band?
I hope you do 'South of Heaven' next. It was such a change-up for Slayer at the time. It's slowed down a lot, but loses none of it's "Slayerness."
I'm very excited to hear it, I'll definitely have to plan a South Of Heaven reaction soon :)
time for a south of heaven reaction 😈🤘🏾
Definitely, I'm excited to hear it!
AGREE!
Live Undead the EP also
Great doom thrash album
So slowed down Reign in Blood?
absolute classic
What an album! This was such a wild listen.
This album is truly all killer no filler.
Dave Lombardo's performance on this album is ridiculous, an incredible drummer.
Dave is THE thrash drummer. He was heading into mach 5 on this album
Truly groundbreaking album...it changed my life back in the day and definitely set new standards for musical extremity. Top of the mountain for Slayer fersure!
Yes such a great album, and a fantastic introduction to Slayer's music!
one of the things i love about this album is that all the songs are very similar it makes the whole album like one giant song in a way
I kinda get that, the whole album flew by when I listened to it and the tracks are all relatively short too. That combined with their fast pace does make it seem like one giant song in a way, they don't let you take a breather at all on this album!
Yea what a song…. Angel of Death intro and Raining blood Outro whilst the the middle just shreds your soul with hells fingernails
In March 1986 Metallica released Master of Puppets which was the greatest thrash album ever…….for 7 months. Because in October Slayer released the greatest Thrash metal album ever REIGN IN BLOOD!
Those genuine smiles of joy when a gnarly blast beat starts playing are exactly why I subscribed to this channel for
:)
As a youth: Reign > Hell Awaits > Seasons > Heaven > Mercy
Where I am now in life: Mercy > Heaven > Seasons > Reign > Hell Awaits
Weird how tastes change.
As a youth: Hell Awaits
As a old head: Hell Awaits.
Show no mercy over reign in blood is criminally insane
Slayer has got so many classics in their decades long catalog. South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss are usually considered must listens by the fans but I have a soft spot for God Hates Us All (infamously released September 11, 2001) and Undisputed Attitude, which is a cover album of punk classics. I'd love to see your reaction to any of those!
Absolutely, I'd love to hear all of those! I'll certainly plan on more Slayer videos here on the channel :)
Definitely try Seasons In The Abyss
OMG Molly I can't emphasize enough how happy this makes me! I will EAT this video.
😃Hope you enjoy it, I'll definitely have to do some more Slayer reactions on the channel!
Reign In Blood was SLAYER’s Apex Mountain.
Basically, there was Metal before RIB, and Metal after RIB. And producer Rick Ruben was instrumental in changing the way Metal was recorded.
Reign in Blood!! One of the big four. Super impressed with the choice, and a great review, as always, Molly!
Yes what an amazing album, I loved hearing this one. I'll definitely have to plan on doing more Slayer here on the channel.
ah yes the big four 🤣 such an american idiocy: metallica self nominated them that and people were all like "ooooh, so they are the best!" a pity they forgot to mention exodus, overkill... not to mention the european killer bands, way more violent and faster, like destruction, sodom and kreator 😅 Metallica are the biggest scam. The only big in that tour were slayer, megadeth and anthrax so it's the big three, in the end
Beyond iconic, it blew my brains instantly when I first heard it at the age of 14 back in the day. That album literally changed my life forever.
I was 15 back then, bro, and I heard their first albums before it came out.
But I didn't expect such intensity, I thought it would barely possible to top out their elder albums!
How it was blowing me away... WOW!!!
Love and peace.
Bad ass album!!
Glad you liked it Molly.
You rock!
Yeah I absolutely loved this album! A great introduction to the amazing music of Slayer🤘
Reign is universally recognized as the hardest album of all time. Also, one of the most awesome albums covers ever. I was a teenager when it hit record stores and I loved it from the get-go. Still do. A masterpiece of an album. R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman.
This is your best reaction. Genuine and honest. What an amazing album. 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Wow thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it, I had a blast listening to this album and they threw so many surprising moments on Reign In Blood. A fantastic introduction to Slayer's music, that's for sure.
You finally got to experience the most perfect half hour in thrash. They haven't done anything like this album before, or since. Every song is balls out heavy, fast, neck breaking and demonic. Yes, very different from Seasons in the Abyss.
Yep this record was fantastic! Such a jam packed album, so speedy and so many unexpected twists and turns. I had a lot of fun listening to it and am excited to hear more from Slayer now.
Hell Awaits.
We're waiting)
Noted, I'll definitely plan on a Hell Awaits reaction as well :)
Were already there.
@@mollyesanborn their best imo cheers!
@@mollyesanborn Don't forget "Show No Mercy" as well, Molly!
Love and peace.
@@demigog8245dude 😎,
It's a reference 😁 to the album 😁 of that name 📛 😹
¡You are officially baptized as an extreme metal head! This album is unbeatable, i hope you listen it later full without pauses, i love it because is pure noise, catchy, without melodic solos, and the sound mix is so good even today. So great to see you reacting with the red dress, possessed by the speed and heaviness hehe. You will enjoy his Diabolus In Musica album, because its different and influenced by nu metal.
Yep I think I'm officially a metal fan now. There's no going back haha! Slayer really did a fantastic job on Reign In Blood, such a jam packed album filled with energy, and so many surprises caught me off guard to. I look forward to hearing more from them!
14:11 your face 🤣 you really felt that double stroke on the snare, that hits everyone the first time
That part really caught me off guard! 😆
Two kick drums with double pedels equals 64th notes on kick drums. Speed Drumming.
it's less than half an hour for the whole album, but the amount of energy I can spend on enjoying it feel like running a 3h marathon
god I love this masterpiece so muuuuch
South of Heaven is my favorite Slayer album. Can't wait for you to check it out.
I'm excited to hear it! :)
Without question one of the greatest metal albums ever. I remember the very instant I first heard it sometime way back in middle school in 1987. It was a paradigm shift for me. I was COMPLETELY blown away. I still am.
Slayer is one of a kind & their influence can’t be overstated. I love every record though many fans don’t care for some. Looking forward to more of your reactions & curious if you hear them all, which one would end up being your favorite.
Yeah I'll definitely have to plan on doing more Slayer here on the channel, I look forward to hearing more of their albums.
I really love your objectivity to your reactions. This albums is one of my favorites
Thanks so much! Yeah this album was fantastic, a great introduction to Slayer.
I listened to this record every morning while I was getting ready to go to high school the year it came out. It got me through some dark times. This reaction was fantastic. Your facial expressions had me laughing out loud in places. This record is a perfect Thrash masterpiece. The flow of the songs, even the segues between some of them, it just all comes together the way it needs to. A bunch of artists have done covers of the song Raining Blood, ones you'd never expect to. I'm really glad you liked it so much, but I kind of figured you would.
Awesome comment! This album was exceptional, it certainly brought quite the punch of energy. I love how it flows so well, like you said how they connect everything together is just perfect. I'm very excited to continue with Slayer on the channel and hear more of their albums.
@@mollyesanborn One of the weird things about this record. Slayer had just signed to Def Jam records, which at the time was the label that all the big Rap bands were on. So you had this monster Thrash record come out as one of the flagship records for a Rap label. Rick Rubin had a way of thinking outside the box and making things happen that you maybe wouldn't have though of doing. But it worked. In the context of the times, this was radical. Thrash was being ignored by record labels and that caused people to form them just to get this stuff out there. So like Megaforce, Combat, Steam Hammer and others came into being just to get Thrash to the market. Then Slayer signs on with the biggest Rap label out there. It might not seem weird today. But at the time it was revolutionary.
"His vocal delivery is so unique...it's almost like really intense spoken word..." Spot on comment! It's like thrash rap!? +1 for a South Of Heaven listen.
I am glad you finally heard this thrash metal masterpiece by one of my favorite metal bands of all time.
I'm so glad that I've heard it as well! A fantastic introduction to Slayer's discography.
@@mollyesanborn the other albums are brilliant especially seasons in the abyss which is my second favorite slayer album which trust me you’ll like it because it is such a brilliant album.
@@AntonPayne-q4f I look forward to hearing that album as well! :)
The guitar break transition reaction.... A+
When I first got into Slayer, I started with Decade of Aggression, the double live album. More muscular in sound, but the precision of the playing is crazy.
Yeah on Reign In Blood that precision is fantastic, it's so impressive how quick their music is but on a technical level it's masterfully executed. I'll have to give Decade Of Aggression a listen at some point too, I'd love to hear it.
For a change in the band’s progression definitely listen to the South of Heaven album. 3rd album should definitely be Show No Mercy to see how it all began.
Slaaaaaaaaaayer! You picked a great one!🤘🏽🤘🏽
Thanks! Yeah Slayer is fantastic, this album was a great introduction to their music.
I saw Slayer in concert once, and never seen a happier guy; coming out the pit after they played Angel of Death so happy, despite a bloody face and broken nose. Good times, I'll always remember that moment.
I broke my lip at the first song by kreator, 93 tour
I’ve always loved Tom Anaya’s interactions with the crowds. He’s always so chill and telling people to look out for each other and if someone falls to pick them up.
@@freddiemossberg7204 I mean, during the sex pistols tour tom had pulled funny faces to everyone, then someone in the crowd had done something (I don't know what, probably endangered people in the moshpit) and he had looked at him with a face so angry... so angry... never seen such anger, he had fire eyes! And he had the guy climb on stage and sit on a corner for the rest of the show 🤪 Man... that was wild
@@freddiemossberg7204 filthy lucre sex pistols tour 96 in milan, everyone there can confirm this
@@3Clod 😅 legend
"Raining Blood".... that is all. Loved playing that one on drums!
Killer Reaction! When I listen to Post Mortem, at the part of the song you called steady , the image of 1970’s Las Vegas dancers linking arms and performing synchronized high kicks to the beat comes to mind . Gotta lay off the Peyote …
This may be the best piece of music ever written. Those guitars sound so iconic.
The guitars sound amazing on this record! I don't know how they do it playing them so quickly like that, it sure is impressive though.
I got to see Slayer live 6 times, the last time was in Brisbane on a stormy night, as they started Raining Blood the heavens opened, I will never forget it.
Cheers for the in-depth review, very enjoyable.
Way more thoughtful and well-spoken then I see from a lot of other reaction channels, very good.
Thanks so much, I appreciate it! :)
The 1st album SHOW NO MERCY, I prefer that album.
That's my fav slayer album. I also like Seasons in the Abyss and God Hate Us All.
I'll definitely have to check out more of Slayer's albums!
I was 14 when a kid first gave me a tape with songs from slayer, metallica, megadeth and ratos de porao... and listening to raining blood at night, the walkman on my nightdesk, in the dark of my room, was scary and fun as hell can be
That's awesome! Yeah Raining Blood is the perfect nighttime track, that atmospheric start with the rain and thunder sets such an amazing tone for the song.
As a teenager in the midwest in the 80's when Reign came out and I finally got the nerve to buy it I thought I was going straight to Hell the first time I played Altar of Sacrifice lol. And maybe I will but Slayer is my favorite band to this day.
@@Shagrath71 yes it's ncredible how today very little has the same power to strike our souls, not even death metal... reign in blood has been a real bomb
I underline it: it was scary
Another great choice! I spent a massive amount of money when I was younger on cd's as I loved nothing more than discovering new music. I don't regret it at all! Music is the best.
Thanks for watching! I completely agree music is the best. Doing these videos has completely opened up my world of music, I've discovered so many fantastic bands through this channel and I am so grateful for that!
You’re seriously in for a treat. I’ve gone through 13albums,cassette’s and cd’s of this one album. Ppl think you can’t wear out cd’s. I beg to differ 🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽
You can't wear out CDs. If you don't handle them properly, they'll get damaged. I still have my original cassette, cd, & vinyl of Reign in Blood and they're all in pristine condition.
@@Keith_from_LBC well now, aren’t you the special one.
@@billyc6678 Not really. I just take care of my media. Try it. It's super easy & satisfying. 🤘😈🤘
Great review! Like how you analysed this album from the key moments of each song!
You have got your Slayer badge of respect!
Welcome to the Slayer Club!👹👹👹👹👹👹
Thanks so much! I will wear my Slayer badge with honor, haha. I absolutely loved this record and am very excited to hear more of their discography :)
@@mollyesanborn Reign In Blood was my first Slayer album, and totally blew me away!
A friend from college did me a copy on cassette and when I bought my first record player I went out to buy their first album Show No Mercy!
After that I never looked back!😉👹
Every week I check my notifications hoping you've finally checked out Ne Obliviscaris.
Yesterday May 7th was their debut album's 12th birthday.
So this is week 1 of asking you to check them out, specifically their debut album 'Portal of I'.
I will make sure that Ne Obliviscaris is on my list, thank you for the suggestion! :)
Every slayer album is great, you cant go wrong with which one you listen to next
Yeah I'm excited to dive into their music further!
lady they are pretty heavy. I really like your reaction to heavy metal I'm looking forward to see the rest of your videos greetings from Chicago
Definitely check out Seasons in the Abyss too, it's probably my second favorite Slayer album just below this one. Show No Mercy is also a great album.
I'll definitely plan on doing some more Slayer here on the channel :)
So I know I recommned that you check out Tori Amos' discorpahy at some point, well one of her albums "Strange Litttle Girls" consists of 12 cover songs where Tori, a woman
(obviosuly)covers 12 songs orignaly written and/or performed by men, and one of the songs she covers is "Raining Blood" and while Slayer's version is super heavy and intense, her version is a soft somber piano ballad...and somehow it works!
I wanted to recommend that too, it's a totally new song by tori
That cover would be very interesting to hear, I'll have to plan on checking out Tori Amos' discography soon. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@mollyesanborn As a Slayer fan who went so far as to get the bands logo tattooed on my arm, I LOVE Tori Amos. Incredible artist, haunting and beautiful.
Eh, that cover is ok but I highly recommend her album "Under the Pink". It's a masterpiece.
@@Gary_M My favorite as well.
You need to do "Haunting The Chapel" such an amazing underrated gen.
I'd love to hear it! :)
God, this album...
Just 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
I absolutely love chugging on Postmortem, it's solid..if I'd just robbed a bank I'd be playing this album, the speedy tempos and wailing guitars would make great getaway music
Haha, absolutely top tier bank-robbing music for sure!
I absolutely loved your reaction to this album....great job!!!!FUCKING SLAYER!!?!!!
Thanks so much! Yeah Slayer is amazing, I loved this album.
I've seen them so many times live. They're one of my favorite bands,in fact I have their logo tattooed on my right forearm.
Gut punch of an album. I remember first listening to it when I was about 13 and felt actually, physically affected by it. And I loved it!!
The weird thing for me about this album is that it is bookended by two of the most iconic thrash songs ever recorded, and as a result I find the "filler" 8 tracks kinda boring even though the album as a whole is a masterpiece and when it was released no one had heard anything like it
only venom would be capable of something like this
then death metal came and changed the table but these classics remain terrifying
The fast-paced tempo and aggressive delivery create an incredible sense of energy. At the moment I'm loving Nick Thurl Mavromatis' new song, you should definitely react to it!
Yes, so much energy across this album! And thanks for the song suggestion, I'll have to give it a listen.
The bass drum rolls on angel of death is the best
Not even the first minute of Angel of Death and she goes "It's like we're entering the depths of hell". Yup! That's Slayer in a nutshell. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian once said "Slayer is the music you hear on your way to hell...that or Ricky Martin!"
The more I listen to this album over the years, the more of a masterpiece I think it is. Bands have come along and tried to do louder or faster but they then don’t have the changing dynamics of this album. Others will do the growly vocals but why write lyrics if they can’t be heard… considering the intensity of this album, the vocals are generally very clear. With the changes in tempo, the riffs, the insane drumming, this album has it all. It’s the peak of thrash metal in my opinion
She has been slayed... there's no going back XD
Yes, Slayer has officially got me in their chokehold. I need to hear more 😆
"Reign of Blood" is for me the best album of all time, the second album is "Master of Puppets" from Metallica and the third is "Altars of Madness" from Morbid Angel.
So many "stank face moments" ❤ I wish I could hear RIB for the first time again.
I love seeing people go back to my childhood music I was 15 when this came out and and had to buy another copy with in a year cause I wore out the tape lol.
"Reign In Blood" surely is the best thrash metal album of all time, many ranked this to be their best album.
But for me "Show No Mercy" stands out more, perhaps because it was their debut album, it was introducing me into a never heard before new musical realm! I absolutely love every note of it!!!
I enjoyed this video very much, thank you Molly!
Love and peace.
Thanks so much for checking out the reaction! I'll definitely plan on doing a video for Show No Mercy as well, I'm excited to hear it.
@@mollyesanborn Great! I'm looking forward!
Love and peace.
If you want to discover what those guys can do when slowing down just a little bit, try the Seasons in the Abyss album. Also, South of Heaven comes to mind. But it seems to me that you don't mind the speed ;)
Yeah I love the speed! The slowed down stuff is just as good though, heavy but in a different way. I'll definitely have to give Seasons In The Abyss and South Of Heaven both a listen and see how I'll like a slower Slayer.
Thanks! This album really grows from every consecutive listenning. You noticed every important point. Except how extremely evil some of the guitar riffs on this album are, for example the riff ending the album.
Idk what to recommend to listen next by Slayer, but my second favourite (the best is reign in blood) is Hell Awaits
I was 11 years old when it was released and was just getting into metal like Anthrax, Megadeth, Kreator and Metallica but this album changed everything. The intensity - it almost felt dangerous or forbidden to listen to it. I would recommend doing South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss next. Those 3 albums are Slayer at their absolute peak.
Yeah the energy they pack into this album is insane! I'll definitely plan on doing more of Slayer's albums here on the channel :)
I saw them live for the first time in 2009 i wanna say? At the rockstar mayhem fest and i swear i was drained afterward..."a stream roller over you" yep. Thats how it feels live. I feel like i had been ran over. Lol.
Haha, that must've been amazing to see them live! They bring so much energy to this album I can imagine their performances must be absolutely wild.
I really like how you break the songs down analytically. Back in the day ẁe would slap the cassette into the boombox and mosh!
Haha, I'm definitely going to be listening to this record again and just headbang to it the entire time 😂
You should try God Hates Us All - it's their best album with second drummer Paul Bostaph, and also nooone on UA-cam ever reacted to full album playthrough. :)
I really hope you will check out Slayers first album Show No Mercy from 1983.Very influenctial to early extreme music
I'd love to hear that one too, I'll definitely think about doing a reaction to it as well :)
This album makes me wanna cozy up with my lover and enjoy a nice snuggling sesh.
Angel of Death. My favorite Slayer song of all time and a great way to kick off the album.
Yeah, what an amazing opening track it is! Brings so much energy to start the album off.
Really appreciate that even though this isnt your type of music you didnt just hate on it. Gave it a shot and appreciated the craft. What more can you ask for.
Absolutely, I love discovering new music! Slayer is such a talented band and they poured so much energy onto this record. I'm excited to hear more from them 🤘
Watched Slayer headlining Clash Of The Titans with Megadeth, Testament and Suicidal Tendencies. Dave Lombardo's drums was like an extra headbeat outside your body. Phenomenal. Testament was great as well while the vocal sounds for Megadeth was terrible. Mustaine's voice was cutting through your ears.
Check out the first Slayer album Show No Mercy
Yeah the drums were killer on this record, just a whirlwind of energy from start to finish! I'm sure hearing them live must've been incredible. And I'd love to hear Show No Mercy as well!
In the top 2 thrash metal Albums with Megadeths Rust in Peace for me. Slayer purists will tell you that they have made even better albums like Hell Awaits! You pointed out the structure which gives it a real groove! Awesome album. Have a nice week. I've not commented for a while but this album needs a comment!
Haha, thanks so much for the comment and for checking out the reaction! Slayer is amazing, I can see why so many people wanted me to check their music out. That groove they've got going is so fantastic, even though they punch you in the face with the energy it's still catchy as hell.
0:57 Legend has it that Tom (the vocalist) stepped on a Lego :p
Great album, it was produced by Rick Rubin which surprised a lot of people at the time. I would recommend going on to their next album, South Of Heaven. I can't predict what you would like better, but those first two albums are pretty different and not as representative of the bulk of their career.
I'll definitely plan on giving South Of Heaven a listen as well, I'm looking forward to hearing it!
Yassssssssssssss, glad you reviewed this one, and glad you really liked it. Given what I've seen you review and listened to before on here, I was kind of curious how you would feel about it! Like mentioned below, you should definitely line up South of Heaven, as it's still Slayer but more progressive yet still thrashy.
Keep the good stuff coming, Molly! ❤
Favorite rock or metal album of all time! In the running for number 1 all time (Gillian Welch and Bob Dylan are jockeying for number 1) So glad you liked it
I recommend you go through their entire catalog
I'd love to, this album was so wild and I'm very intrigued to hear more of Slayer's music!
Agreed. She HAS to hear God Hates Us All & South Of Heaven.
Nawww you can't stop at Seasons In The Abyss. Thats enough Slayer for one person 😂
My first Slayer album was God Hates us All, and I absolutely couldn't believe what I was hearing! I subsequently went and bought an album from them every month or so till I was caught up :)
I enjoyed Molly’s confused looks, slight headbanging and stank faces in this video 😂
Molly back with another banger vid
Thanks for watching! :)
The masterpiece of masterpieces
FYI, the opening track Angel of Death is about Dr. Joseph Mengele aka The Angel of Death. A Nazi that performed horrific experiments on twins and the disabled during The Holocaust.
Interesting, I was not aware. Thanks for the info
Another great reaction as usual, Molly! Check out the album God Hates Us All which was released on 9/11/2001. And yes the release date was just a crazy coincidence.
Oh nice. Slayer is great. Angel Of Death, Postmortem, and Raining Blood are my favorites on this album. I say either do South Of Heaven or Seasons In The Abyss next.
Yeah this album is loaded with fantastic tracks, it's hard to pick a favorite. I do love that breakdown in Raining Blood though, just absolutely epic! I'll definitely plan reactions for Seasons in the Abyss and South Of Heaven as well.
I'm a kind of weird Slayer fan in that my favourite albums are Divine Intervention and Diabolus in Musica. DiM is a very different sounding Slayer imo. Well, for an admittedly narrow band of "different".
I look forward to hearing both of those albums as well!
Slayer's "Reign in blood" was their iconic album that set a new benchmark for aggression and speed in extreme metal... but 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) is their most successful record to date. "Reign"... 'South of Heaven' (1988) and 'Seasons' r considered the trifecta of Slayer's best records, and they are so different in terms of approach while still completely Slayer.
Slayer started out very young as teens... (late) guitarist Jeff Hanneman was briefly obsessed w/ hardcore punk in the early 80's and brought that genre's speed and aggression to Slayer's original music (which is why Slayer has a punk rock fanbase) They saw Metallica in the L.A. clubs in 1982 and wanted to emulate them... Initially, they wore black eyeliner and leather costumes but that changed in 1984 when they began touring for their debut album 'Show no mercy'... They dropped the makeup and theatrics and blended in perfectly w/ the Cali thrash metal scene... Their 2nd album 'Hell awaits' in 1985 was similar - themes of horror and satanism... but Slayer were still struggling.
In 1986, producer Rick Rubin signed Slayer to his Def Jam label and worked to produce 'Reign in blood'... The band wanted to push the envelope and embraced a full-on fast record w/ controversial themes of real-life horrors. One of the things Rubin did was take out the reverb from Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's guitars in the studio - the band was shocked that they sounded better that way and kept that sound for the rest of their career... It was only 30 minutes long in the end, despite consisting of 10 songs.
However, distributors refused to release 'Reign in blood'... due to the track 'Angel of death' being about nazi doctor Mengele... Rubin had to release the record w/ independent distributors as Slayer toured relentlessly and the record created such a buzz that it eventually went gold.
Going into the next album 'South of Heaven' in 1988 as the thrash metal scene was starting to take off, Slayer decided to focus on songwriting and the album was not as fast-paced as 'Reign in blood' and songs like 'South of Heaven' and 'Mandatory suicide' were closer to Black Sabbath's heavy grooves... Fans complained initially, but 'South of Heaven' actually outsold 'Reign in blood' by 1989.
'Seasons in the Abyss' captured Slayer at a peak creatively... the band was a high profile band now and one of the 'Big 4' of thrash metal... Another gold selling success, Slayer toured w/ a vengeance for years on that record.
Unfortunately, things happen... Dave Lombardo (drums) was fired in 1992... Producer Rick Rubin stopped working w/ the band ... Despite another gold selling album in 1994 ('Divine intervention') w/ drummer Paul Bostaph joining, Slayer felt the record was problematic and not up to standard... Slayer's popularity in the 90's dropped unexpectedly after the release of a punk covers album 'Undisputed attitude' in 1996 and their 1998 album 'Diabolus in musica' was a commercial disappointment.
Slayer decided to go back to 'Reign in blood' to redeem themselves in 2001 w/ 'God hates us all'... a record w/ aggression from start to finish and it worked for the most part, pushing Slayer's popularity up again by 2004.
Thank you for the insightful comment! They sure seem like an interesting band, and I'm looking forward to hearing more of Slayer's albums.
If I may suggest Fear Factory - Demanufacture as another seminal metal album and is completely different. I think you'd like it.
I'd love to hear it, I've had that album on my list for a while now.