Every Slayer song ranked (57-1)
Part 2 |
| 57 |  | Slayer
Diabolus in Musica
DESIRE.
i'd never expect horny Tom Araya to sound good but this love dedication to death works surprisingly well. A slow deranged piece that shows DiM most experimental side. |
| 56 |  | Slayer
Show No Mercy
DIE BY THE SWORD
The "seek and destroy" of slayer. I actually find it a bit overrated compared to other underappreciated songs from the debut, still it's an iconic vintage speed metal anthem. |
| 55 |  | Slayer
Reign in Blood
CRIMINALLY INSANE
A brief drum intro leads to a furious homicidal rampage that is this song. The vocals perfectly delivers the hatred of the lyrics. |
| 54 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
METAL STORM/FACE THE SLAYER
Nwobhm meets slayer's evil (even if still developing) sound. The intro may be their most melodic section yet. |
| 53 |  | Slayer
South of Heaven
SPILL THE BLOOD
The gloomy SoH closer is an apt conclusion at best. The acoustic intro, slow tempo, eerie atmosphere and lifeless vocals kinda make it an embryonic seasons in the abyss. |
| 52 |  | Slayer
Undisputed Attitude
GEMINI
The only original song on Undisputed attitude it's quite atypical for slayer, a very haunting sludgy first part leads to an aggressive second half with hardcore-punk roots. That snare sounds organic. |
| 51 | | Slayer
Diabolus in Musica
DEATH'S HEAD
The Diabolus song which combined the nu metal elements with Slayer sound at best. Some early Soad vibes surrounded by many tempo changes, grim atmosphere, great bass use, whispered and screamed vocals and distorted guitar effects. |
| 50 |  | Slayer
Christ Illusion
EYES OF THE INSANE
A tragic and effective portrayal of PTSD, the official video is terrific. |
| 49 |  | Slayer
World Painted Blood
PLAYING WITH DOLLS
Loudwire picked it as the worst Slayer song ever, but it's loudwire so...
Sure it's different but the clean vocals switching to raw screams and the transition from quieter verses to thrash chorus makes it the most original from WPB. |
| 48 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
THE FINAL COMMAND
The fastest on their debut and their first war song. Sounds like coming from Maiden's killers but on cocaine. |
| 47 | | Slayer
Christ Illusion
BLACK SERENADE
One of the most overlooked from the 2000s. Hideous riffs and grisly lyrics contributes to create a gruesome piece of music. The sudden change of riff during the chorus is an absolute highlight. |
| 46 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
EVIL HAS NO BOUNDARIES
The one that started it all. Proto-thrash loosely influenced by venom and lyrics about, well...Evil. Fun fact: Gene Hoglan is one of the guys screaming EVIL in the chorus. |
| 45 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
NECROPHOBIC
The shortest slayer song, therefore their fastest ever. |
| 44 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
REBORN
This one seems to be overshadowed from the rest of the album but it's actually a terrific esoteric song about a witch burnt at the stake, the relentless Lombardo's drumming is only matched by the incessant vocals that culminates in one epic "I WILL BE REBORN". |
| 43 |  | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
EXPENDABLE YOUTH
The rythm slows down and the guitar melodies becomes grim in this grievous depiction of street violence and young criminals killing eachothers. |
| 42 |  | Slayer
Haunting the Chapel
CAPTOR OF SIN
This would perfectly fill in hell awaits, satanic thematics, chaotic solos, raw production are some of the biggest influences this song brought to their sophomore work. |
| 41 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
TEMPTATION
Despite being on an highly praised album everyone seems to forget about temptation for some reason. The double vocals echoing beneath the mix really suggests the concept of voices in the head encouraged by the faustian lyrics, plus that breakdown near the end |
| 40 |  | Slayer
Divine Intervention
213
The title refers to Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment. This is one of the band's most disturbing songs. Musically the slow creepy intro leads to a distorted mid tempo, lyrically it projects the listener inside the mind of a depraved cannibal describing his murders, necrophilia and cannibalism but also his solitude. |
| 39 |  | Slayer
Hell Awaits
CRYPTS OF ETERNITY
Their longest song depicts a creepy hellish soundscape through horrorish atmospheres, wicked riffs, demonic lyrics and screeching vocals. |
| 38 | | Slayer
Divine Intervention
DITTOHEAD
The first verse may be the fastest Araya has ever sung.This time Slayer goes political with hardcore punk attitude that will set the base for Undisputed attitude. |
| 37 | | Slayer
Diabolus in Musica
IN THE NAME OF GOD
A slow pounding groove first minute and half leads to a thrashier bridge with distorted vocals just to suddenly end with a slower wicked riff. Somehow this song perfectly represent the album cover. |
| 36 | | Slayer
World Painted Blood
PSYCHOPATHY RED
Destructive thrasher with disturbing lyrics about Serial Killer Andrei Chikatilo. The acts of this monsters are portrayed through sick riffs, sadistic first person lyrics and tortured screaming vocals. That bass break too. |
| 35 | | Slayer
Christ Illusion
CULT
Christ illusion went pretty hard on religion but this one takes the cake (even if jihad is even worse), calling it a religion basher is an understatement. King takes shots on christianity in every way possible, some of the best riffs of the album collide in one rough immoral anti-christian thrash anthem. |
| 34 |  | Slayer
God Hates Us All
BLOODLINE
One of their most accessible songs, a sinister mid-tempo with cleaner vocal verses and catchy choruses. The whole song sets an haunting vibes and til the end flows into a more violent closure. |
| 33 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
TORMENTOR
Possibly their catchiest song, the band shows their Judas Priest influence and combines it with a more aggressive sound, harsh but somehow melodic vocals with some great high pitched notes and one of Hannemann's best solos ever. |
| 32 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
SKELETON OF SOCIETY
Bone chilling soundtrack to the apocalypse with clever songwriting (surprisingly it's a King song), and the slow creeping rythm capture the feeling of despair. The chorus with two simultaneous vocals (one singing and the other one lifeless speaking) adds a touch of dark vibe. |
| 31 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
JESUS SAVES
The first minute is a slow menacing building that explodes in a violent thrashing rampage against christian hypocrisy |
| 30 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
BLOOD RED
Another song from SitA that deserves more attention. Despite being the shortest in the album it sounds different from most slayer songs, a ghastly but very catchy melodic riff drives this captivating song with Araya's lyrics about communism, even without fast pace and gruesome lyrics still sounds evil |
| 29 | | Slayer
Divine Intervention
SERENITY IN MURDER
The title sums the song. The apathetic verses singing about taking a life for pleasure perfectly transpose psychopathy.
Alternated with these cold blood numb verses a furious chorus kicks in. |
| 28 | | Slayer
Hell Awaits
AT DAWN THEY SLEEP
For the most a mid paced horrorish (and somehow not cheesy) story about vampires, but the highlight is when the slow creeping bridge starts it's building with the "kill, kill" crescendo and culminates in a terrific final Lombardo's drum rush. |
| 27 | | Slayer
Haunting the Chapel
CHEMICAL WARFARE
The EP's gritty production and developing aggression makes this long thrasher shine for it's raw nature, pretty influential for most extreme 80s music. |
| 26 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
CRIONICS
That one Slayer song that least sounds like slayer. Never the band has been so close to actual nwobhm, plus the catchy nature of the song, sci-fi lyrics, galloping maidenish riffs and guitar melodies makes it one of a kind for them. |
| 25 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
ALTAR OF SACRIFICE
Another raging thrash anthem from reign in blood with memorable and ridicolously fast riffs, but when"enter the realm of satan" is said the song basically sinks in hell slower and heavier til it's dissolvence. |
| 24 | | Slayer
Hell Awaits
KILL AGAIN
Hell awaits has lots of horror and macabre subjects, a song about a schizophrenic serial killer could not miss. Plus it has some of the most aggressive and gritty combo of riffs/vocals by early Slayer. |
| 23 | | Slayer
God Hates Us All
PAYBACK
I don't think slayer has ever been so pissed
off like in payback. With 30 F-bombs, 3 minutes of unstopping brutal riffs, screamed insults this song is without any doubt their angriest song ever. |
| 22 | | Slayer
South of Heaven
SILENT SCREAM
Not only the fastest SoH(but still using the album's trademark gloomy but melodic riffs) but one of the fastest double bass from Lombardo. This time the band describes in the macabrest and most pessimitic way possible with pretty smart lyrics. Personally i don't see it as a pro-life song, i just think they wanted to add shock-value with this topic. |
| 21 | | Slayer
Divine Intervention
DIVINE INTERVENTION
Among the most atypical songs for Slayer, with a pretty unique sound. Mysterious vibes, cryptic lyrics (the title may suggest it but it actually could speak of alien abduction), tortured vocals and lots and lots of unique riffs |
| 20 | | Slayer
Diabolus in Musica
BITTER PEACE
Thrash as any of their older material but with a long downtuned menacing intro.
The production surely help to make the whole song heavier. |
| 19 | | Slayer
South of Heaven
MANDATORY SUICIDE
Starting with one of their most threatening riffs ever, this anti-war song keeps a slow constant tempo and lyrics about the horrors of war, the darkest part is the lifeless spoken outro with dreadful battle sounds in the background. |
| 18 | | Slayer
God Hates Us All
GOD SEND DEATH
A sadistic song that perfectly combines traditional Slayer with a more modern approach. Classic thrash verses surrounded by distortions and great sound effects, the chorus feels more modern with double vocals followed by a slow creepy bridge. |
| 17 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
THE ANTICHRIST
Inspired by the omen, this heavy metal piece (memorable riff aside) has one of the best Hannemann solos ever. |
| 16 | | Slayer
Christ Illusion
FLESH STORM
With this devastating opener Slayer wanted to clarify that their thrash roots were definitely back. That last chorus is one of the best moments in any 2000s slayer works. Plus this is the best King song, both for musical aspect and more mature lyrics depicting a violent society. |
| 15 | | Slayer
Hell Awaits
NECROPHILIAC
In terms of shock value they surely hit the mark with this. The disgusting lyrics match the demented riffs, gritty production and overall infernal sound. |
| 14 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
SPIRIT IN BLACK
Among their most complex pieces, lots of changes of tempo that progressively increase in speed and ends almost as if sinking in hell, perfectly portraying the mephistophelic lyrics. Plus the first solo is their most melodic since the debut. |
| 13 | | Slayer
South of Heaven
LIVE UNDEAD
Horror atmospheres portrayed by lyrics about a living dead's perspective, a macabre riff and terrific vocal performance (one of my favorite Araya screams is here). The last third becomes thrashier with Lombardo being an absolute monster. |
| 12 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
POSTMORTEM
Hannemann gave birth to a dark poetry.
From the epic intro, through the slower powerful first half with bone chilling riffs to the violent ending. The fact that this precedes raining blood makes it even more powerful. |
| 11 | | Slayer
Show No Mercy
BLACK MAGIC
The one from the debut with the closest sound to the later slayer that we all know. From the very first second the listener is captured by one of the best Hannemann riffs ever. |
| 10 | | Slayer
Hell Awaits
HELL AWAITS
The most evil opening of the 80s.The most chaotic, ghoulish, evil depiction of hell in thrash metal history......su nioJ... |
| 9 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
WAR ENSEMBLE
Best Thrash metal song about war? Possibly.
The systematic violence of the lyrics aptly describe the atrocities of war, the soldier march during the chorus empowers it perfectly, Lombardo's drumming is top notch and that final scream ends it in the best way possible. |
| 8 | | Slayer
World Painted Blood
WORLD PAINTED BLOOD
Basically the song that made me a fan when i was 12. Still remember when i heard that apocalyptic intro for the first time. The whole song has a fantastic dystopic soundscape that reach it's peak with that ominous bridge. |
| 7 | | Slayer
Christ Illusion
JIHAD
The one that went too far. If the aim was leading to controversy they achieved it. Lombardo's performance may be his most technical ever, the riff changes sounds threatening and catchy at the same time, Araya doesn't even breath in these ridicolously fast verses. The outro is the perfect ending for such controversial piece |
| 6 | | Slayer
South of Heaven
SOUTH OF HEAVEN
One of the most iconic riffs ever begins this spooky pessimistic slow burner about a grey post-apocalyptic and not so far future.
After RiB they wanted to show that there's no need for fast pace to sound evil. |
| 5 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
DEAD SKIN MASK
Along with 213 this song is the band's most terrifying work. Eerie decadent riffs and a lifeless spoken part opens this song about Ed Gein. The lyrics are smart enough to not focus only on Gein's atrocities but also on his broken psyche, loneliness and how his neighbours viewed him. One of their best chorus ever. |
| 4 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
ANGEL OF DEATH
The quintessential slayer tune. Possibly their most controversial lyrics about third reich doctor J.Mengele displays pretty depraved imagery. Araya shouts his most iconic scream ever, the brutal fast riffs are matched by the slow wicked middle section. Not to mention Lombardo's double bass. |
| 3 | | Slayer
God Hates Us All
DISCIPLE
Divided in 3 main sections, the first one focuses on vicious aggressive sound with terrific guitar wailing while the album title is screamed til Araya's chords tears out, the second is the classic thrasher with Bostaph giving his best performance ever and the final one slow the whole thing down with a menacing bass riff and a heavy as hell ending |
| 2 | | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
SEASONS IN THE ABYSS
The haunting closer for their best album features some of the most interesting and diverse guitar work by Hannemann, from the eerie opening and the distorted acoustic to the iconic main riffs and even a great solo. Araya's "dead" vocals perfectly displays the concept of insanity and detatchment from reality, expecially during the chorus where screamed vocals are buried below lifeless ones. |
| 1 | | Slayer
Reign in Blood
RAINING BLOOD
The perfect closer. From the raining sounds with the drum beats, the demonic atmosphere, the iconic opening, the fast riff that switch to the even faster one, the breakdown (before breakdowns were even a thing) luciferian lyrics and the sudden chaotic ending. A timeless masterpiece. |
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