Review Summary: I feel the urge the growing need, to fuck this sinful corpse
"The riff in 'Hell Awaits' has to be one of the heaviest riffs ever."
--Sebastian Bach from Skid Row
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Yes people, this is indeed yet another heavy installment from the world's most famous thrash metal band, Slayer. This was their second album right after the often overlooked
Show No Mercy. Just as you would expect, the album is loaded with very fast riffs and drumming, and Tom Araya's signature yelling vocals. This album is also often overlooked because most people would first buy
Reign in Blood or
Seasons in the Abyss. This is still a solid album worth checking out if you're a fan of Slayer or metal in general.
The band is:
Tom Araya - Bass and Vocals
Dave Lombardo - Drums
Kerry King - Guitar
Jeff Hannemann - Guitar
What was good about the album:
" For all you metal fans out there, this album is just plain evil. The lyrics may freak out some listeners if you"re not used to hearing songs about killing, rape, Satan, and the like. This might, however, make some listeners want to listen to this album even more. A noticeable moment of the band"s true evil are the lyrics to the song "Necrophiliac". You can guess what that song talks about.
" The riffs. King and Hannemann always come up with some of thrash"s best riffs, and this album is no exception. Like the review said at the beginning, Hell Awaits has one of the most diabolical riffs ever created. You can also find some really great riffs in songs like "At Dawn They Sleep" and "Praise of Death". You"ll be headbanging through all seven songs.
" The drumming. Dave Lombardo always gives a great performance on every Slayer record, and he lives up to that on this album. You"ll hear plenty of crazy double bass drumming and ride cymbal abuse. There are also some little breaks in songs where Lombardo will play a cool fill. Drummers should listen to Slayer"s drummer if they haven"t already because he"s been such a big influence on modern metal drummers.
What was bad about the album:
" The album only has seven songs. It"s very short, even for a Slayer record. The album will be over and you"ll want to hear more, but you"ve already heard everything the album has to offer. The band should have put more songs on here.
" Tom"s vocals. He"s done a great job on other albums (like the intro scream to Angel of Death), but this album just makes him look like a bad vocalist. I know plenty of people that complain about Slayer"s vocals and this the vocals on this album actually annoy me in some parts. If you"re picky and have to have really good vocals then this album won"t be your cup of tea.
" The guitar solos. They just sound like noise instead of shredding. King and Hannemann do better jobs writing riffs then they do solos. Some solos on this album are really hard to distinguish and it just sounds like one high note played over and over again.
Recommended Tracks:
Hell Awaits
At Dawn They Sleep
Praise of Death
This album is good for the most part, but there are definitely some set backs to it. Metal fans will enjoy this for its sheer agression and speed, but fans of other genres might think this album is rather sloppy in some parts. For people who have never listened to Slayer before, you'd be better off picking up their masterpiece
Reign in Blood.
Final Rating: 3/5
