Hell Awaits [Import]

Wowww! what a progression from the previous album show no mercy. Mercy was a great first album but slayer was still green and hadnt quite found their signature sound yet. With Hell Awaits they created the sound that would make them metal kings all through the 80s and into the 90s. After reading other customer reviews of this album i disagree with many of their statements. First off this album is not a bridge or a warm-up to Reign in Blood. This apart from Reign in Blood is a metal classic. This is slayer is their purest rawest form. This album is a must for any hardcore slayer fan. Secondly the production does not ruin this album. This was made in 1985. Listen to any thrash album made in 85 and you will experience similar if not worse production. It is actually produced 10x better than megadeth-killings my business and metallica- killem all. Also the album has been remastered, i know my copy is. and whats the big deal about necrophyillac. Why is everyone whining about the crude lyrics, this is slayer not elton john. plus the song absolutely rips a king and hanneman classic. Easily one of the best early thrash albums and it remains a timeless classic. Just as underated and unfairly judged as South of Heaven. i dont see any reason to give a slayer album from Hell Awaits through Seasons in the Abyss less than 5 stars. they are all classics. long live the thrash kings Hail slayer!!!!!!!!!!

If you like Slayer, do not even think about missing this CD. Same goes for any thrash fan. This has some of Slayer's best songs - Hell Awaits, Kill Again, At Dawn they Sleep, Necrophiliac and some of their most inventive riffs period. Reign in blood was more of a "lets' be the heaviest band in the world" record, while this has Slayer trying to get creative, and actually use a few different sounds (Crypts of eternity - the back and forth singing of Tom, etc etc) There's no filler on the album, unlike on Reign, because Reign had a more monotnous sound, too "kerry king" heavy. This more "heavy" crunch approach on Reign has led them to lose the "evil" charm displayed perfectly on Hell Awaits. The lyrics aren't that ridiculously dumb on this CD either...a few of the lines on Hell Awaits actually had me thinking of how Kerry could possibly come up with that (Kerry!). The amount of riffs per song is quite impressive compared to RIB, and they're all such great Slayer, and thrash-defining riffs. The riffs were not as downtuned, so you could hear the bass, they were not burrowed or lifted from previous songs (in RIB you can hear the Hell Awaits riffs) , they were not as simple, and also were evil and very memorable. 1985 was the time when Slayer was still young, when their material was at the most creative state for their time. This is a masterpiece, and RIB was also great, but this is better imo. If they re-produced it , everyone would probably notice what I'm saying - but don't let the production fool you one bit! (it's not bad anyway)

I will never understand why this album is always rated as one of SLayer's lesser efforts. Along with the Haunting The Chapel EP, this was where Slayer began to truly find their own sound. They touched up their standard thrash formula with dissonance and sinister-sounding melodies, then expanded song lengths and increased the musicianship to progressive rock heights. The result is a very cool sounding version of Slayer that no other record of theirs really showcases. The stunning title track sounds like youre going to Hell, and when you get there its a Slayer concert. "Kill Again" is some good thrash peppered with fantastic drumming, while "Necrophilliac" is a dissonant work of metal art. The more complex musical side of Slayer is evident on the odd time signatures, screaming solos, and mind-boggling drum fill that show up on the beautiful "At Dawn They Sleep" and the excellent "Crypts Of Eternity". Although the production is a little stiff and 80's sounding, you can hear the bass loud and clear - a rarity on a Slayer record. And while Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman give their usual great performances, it's the phenomenal Dave Lombardo who steals the moment, proving himself to be one of the absolute best drummers in heavy metal. All in all, a should-be classic. Highly recommended.