Slayer
Reign In Blood

THE REVIEW

1986, a true rain of blood in the history of metal, in many respects. The genre at that time was taking over metalheads all over the globe, namely the beloved and cherished thrash. And how the hell can you talk about thrash metal without mentioning that furious hurricane that destroys everything and everyone, showing no mercy — the Slayer?

Simply impossible. And those four dear lads, King, Hanneman, Araya, and the legendary, unbeatable Lombardo, chose precisely '86 to release the most violent creation in metal up to that moment, that "Reign in Blood," which would inspire many bands in the future metal scene.

But let's move on to the album, in my opinion, diabolically divine, a true work of art, which should absolutely be in every metalhead's collection. The storm hits even before the listener realizes they've inserted the disc into the player, that is, that frightfully powerful riff, a hardness in sound never conceived before, "Angel Of Death." The title speaks for itself. Araya's initial scream, sharp as some hated elementary school gym teacher's whistle (don't get me wrong, Araya's scream is awesome), the four-handed solo by King and Hanneman, Lombardo's drumming, simply a god to all drummers in metal in general, make this song one of the best in the metal genre. And that is why I've spent so many words on this composition, so I hope you'll forgive me. The end of the first track is fast, it doesn't give a moment of respite, in fact it immediately resumes with "Piece By Piece," incredibly fast, pounding rhythm, secure your eardrums and if you're sitting while listening to this song, buckle up. Meanwhile, the album continues, it really seems like it doesn't need to breathe. We do, though, or at least most of us do.

It goes on dropping pieces on the ground, crawling towards the eye of the red cyclone, passing through "Necrophobic," "Altar Of Sacrifice," "Jesus Saves," "Criminally Insane," "Reborn," "Epidemic" (I’m not describing the songs one by one, it seems a bit trivial, you’ll understand my words once you listen to the album) to conclude beautifully with "Postmortem," and finally, one of the best on the record, "Reign In Blood." The initial storm heralds the arrival of something worse, something nonhuman, and you realize it immediately: the few notes of the initial riff, simple, but devastating (in every sense), the lyrics by Araya, and finally the confusing solo, again by the two masters, still astounding.

In conclusion, "Reign In Blood" is the masterpiece of its genre, a perfect album, but be warned, if you start and the first track is not to your liking, rest assured the others will meet the same fate in your judgment. \m/