Slayer – Biography, Songs, Albums, & Facts

Slayer Biography

American thrash metal group Slayer originated in Huntington Park, California. Guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo, and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya founded the group in 1981. Along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, Slayer is considered one of the “big four” thrash metal bands because of their rapid and ferocious musical style. Araya, King, drummer Paul Bostaph (who took Lombardo’s place in 1992 and again in 2013), and guitarist Gary Holt made up Slayer’s final lineup (who replaced Hanneman in 2011). The group also included drummer Jon Dette.

Slayer was asked to perform eight songs, including six covers, at the Woodstock Club in Anaheim, California in 1983 as the opening act for the band Bitch. Former music journalist Brian Slagel, who had just started Metal Blade Records, was the one who first saw the band. He met Slayer backstage after seeing them perform and requested that they record a new song for his upcoming Metal Massacre III compilation CD. The band accepted, and after releasing “Aggressive Perfector” in the middle of 1983, which generated attention in the music scene, Slagel offered the group a recording deal with Metal Blade.

The band had to self-finance its debut album because there was no recording budget. The band started recording in November 1983 using money borrowed from King’s father and funds from Araya, who worked as a respiratory therapist. Three weeks after the last track was finished, the album was pushed to market. The band gained popularity in the underground after the publication of Show No Mercy by Metal Blade Records in December 1983. To support the album, the quartet started a club tour of California. Show No Mercy eventually sold more than 20,000 copies in the US and another 20,000 copies globally thanks to the tour, which further increased the band’s popularity.

The band’s lyrics were written by King, Hanneman, and Araya in the original lineup, while King and Hanneman also composed all of the music. Album bans, delays, lawsuits, and criticism from religious organisations and sections of the general public have resulted from the band’s lyrics and album art, which discuss topics like murder, serial killers, torture, genocide, politics, theories, human subject research, organised crime, secret societies, mythology, occultism, Satanism, hate crimes, terrorism, religion or anti-religion, Nazism, fascism, racism, xenophobia, misanthropy The band’s third album, Reign in Blood (1986), has been hailed as one of the hardest and most influential thrash metal albums, and it has frequently been mentioned as an inspiration by other bands musically, graphically, and thematically.

Slayer produced 12 studio albums, 3 live albums, a box set, 6 music videos, 2 extended plays, and a cover album. In the US, four of the band’s studio albums have been certified as gold. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Slayer sold 5 million units domestically from 1991 to 2013 and over 20 million globally. The group was nominated for five Grammy Awards, winning two for the songs “Final Six” and “Eyes of the Insane,” both from the album Christ Illusion, in 2007 and 2008. (2006). Slayer announced in January 2018 that it would embark on a farewell tour after more than three decades of recording and performing; the tour ran from May 2018 to November 2019, after which the band disbanded.

Discography

Repentless
World Painted Blood
Christ Illusion
God Hates Us All
Diabolus in Musica
Undisputed Attitude
Divine Intervention
Seasons in the Abyss
South of Heaven
Reign in Blood
Hell Awaits
Show No Mercy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Slayer’S Best Selling Album?

Slayer’s best selling album is “Reign in Blood”. It was released in 1986 and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and features the singles “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death”.

What Was Slayer’S First Album?

Slayer’s first album was Show No Mercy, which was released in 1983. The album was met with positive reviews and helped put the band on the map. It is considered a classic of the thrash metal genre.

What Was Slayer Biggest Hit?

Slayer’s biggest hit was “Raining Blood” from the album Reign in Blood. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and remains one of the band’s most popular songs.

What Is Genre Of Slayer?

The Slayer genre is a type of metal music that is characterized by aggressive, fast-paced songs with heavy guitars and drums. The lyrics often deal with dark topics such as death, violence, and war. Some of the most popular Slayer songs include “Raining Blood,” “Angel of Death,” and “South of Heaven.

Most Searched For Slayer Songs

Raining BloodSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Angel Of DeathSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Black MagicSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
South Of HeavenSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Hell AwaitsSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Delusions Of SaviourSpotifyAppleYouTube
RepentlessSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon