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South of Heaven

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South of Heaven is the fourth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on July 5, 1988, the album was the band's second collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on Slayer's previous album Reign in Blood had helped the band's sound evolve.

South of Heaven was Slayer's second album to enter the Billboard 200 and the last Slayer album distributed via Def Jam Records; the release peaked at number 57, and in 1992 was awarded a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. In order to offset the pace of the group's previous album, Slayer deliberately slowed down the album's tempo. Undistorted guitars and toned-down vocal approaches were also prevalent, which had never been used on past albums. While some critics praised the musical shift, others more accustomed to the style of earlier releases were disappointed. Despite this, the songs "Mandatory Suicide" and the title track itself became permanent features of the band's live setlist.

Recording

South of Heaven was recorded in Los Angeles, California with Reign in Blood producer Rick Rubin. PopMatters reviewer Adrien Begrand commented that Rubin's production "shoves (Dave) Lombardo's drumming right up front in the mix."[1]

Guitarist Jeff Hanneman has since remarked that South of Heaven was the only album they discussed before penning the music.[2] Knowing they "couldn't top Reign in Blood and whatever they recorded would be compared to that album, he stressed they "had to slow down" which is something Slayer have never done on albums before or since.[2] Guitarist Kerry King cited the need to "keep people guessing" as another reason for the musical shift.[3] In order to contrast the aggressive assault put forth on Reign in Blood, Slayer consciously slowed down the tempo of the album as a whole. They also added elements like undistorted guitars and toned-down vocal styles not heard on previous albums."[4]

King has since been self-critical of his performance, dubbing it his "most lackluster".[2] King attributes this to the fact he had married and moved to Phoenix, Arizona at the time, describing himself as "probably the odd man out at that point", and "sure" that he "didn’t participate as much because of that."[2] Hanneman commented: "We go through dry spells sometimes, but the good thing about having two guitar players that can write music is that you are never gonna go without. I guess at that time, Kerry was hitting a dry spell."[2] King has also been critical of the album in general, dubbing it one of his least favorite Slayer albums.[2] He felt that vocalist Tom Araya backed away too much from his regular singing style and "added too much singing."[2] Drummer Dave Lombardo has since observed: "There was fire on all the records, but it started dimming when South of Heaven came into the picture. And that’s me personally. Again, I was probably wanting something else."[5]

The rendition of Judas Priest's "Dissident Aggressor" is the only cover version to appear on a Slayer studio album. This is due to the war-themed lyrics, with Hanneman describing the track as "more just like one of those odd songs that a lot of people didn’t know, but it was a favorite of Kerry and I, so we just picked that one."[6] Meanwhile, "Cleanse the Soul" has been heavily criticised by King who said that he hates the track: "That's one of the black marks in our history, in my book. I just fucking think it's horrible. [Laughs] I hate the opening riff. It's what we call a 'happy riff.' It's just like 'la-lala-la-la-la.' I can't see myself playing it, but after that, where it gets heavier, I like that section. If we ever did a medley, I'd put part of that in there."[7]

Photography and illustration

File:Slayer - south of heaven back.jpg
Back cover of South of Heaven, photographed by Glen E. Friedman

Artist Larry Carroll designed the cover artwork for South of Heaven, having designed the artwork for Slayer's previous album Reign in Blood.[2]

Photographer Glen E. Friedman took the promotional picture which surfaced as the back cover of South of Heaven around the time of 1986's Reign in Blood.[2] Lombardo felt it made Slayer seem as though they "had matured a little bit", while Friedman himself deemed it "a really cool back cover" and "one of the most classic shots of them [Slayer] ever."[2]

Reception

South of Heaven was released on July 5 1988 and became the final Slayer album distributed via Def Jam Records. When label co-founders Russell Simmons and Rubin parted ways, Slayer signed to Rubin's newly founded label Def American Recordings.[8] The album peaked at number 57 on the Billboard 200 album chart,[9] and on November 20 1992, became Slayer's second album to be certified gold in the United States.[10] Template:Sound sample box align right

"Dissident Aggressor"
Slayer covered Judas Priest's "Dissident Aggressor" due to its war themed lyrics, and being a favourite song of Slayer's two guitarists.[6]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Template:Sample box end

Slayer's official biography stated that "some critics praised the album as demonstrating Slayer's desire to grow musically and avoid repeating themselves".[4] Alex Henderson of All Music Guide cited the record as "disturbing and powerful",[8] whereas Joe Matera of Ultimate Guitar deemed the album as a slight departure, where the pace was slowed down, "yet didn't sacrifice any of the heaviness inherent in Slayer's music."[3] Reviewing 2003 Slayer box set Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, Adrien Begrand of PopMatters described the album as "their most underrated, and on this set, its five selections show how highly the band thinks of the record."[1] KNAC.com's Peter Atkinson was also positive, saying the album has a "grandiosity and imposing presence" which makes the record "so magnificent".[11] Grave's Ola Lindgren and Bolt Thrower's Karl Willetts both rate South of Heaven as amongst the top five albums of all time,[12][13] while Max Kolesne of Brazilian death metal group Krisiun remembers hearing the song "Silent Scream" for the first time: "It just blew me away. It was like fast double-bass, fast kicks during the whole song. That was very inspiring for me."[14]

However, Kim Neely of Rolling Stone dismissed the album as "genuinely offensive satanic drivel."[15] Slayer's official biography states: "The new sounds disappointed some of the band's fans who were more accustomed to the style of earlier releases."[2] Michael Roberts of Westworld Online said this was due to some of the numbers moving "at the sludgier speed of Black Sabbath."[16] Araya commented that the "album was a late bloomer—it wasn’t really received well, but it kind of grew on everybody later."[2]

Live

Two songs taken from the album ("Mandatory Suicide" and "South of Heaven") became nearly constant fixtures in the band's live setlist,[4] notching up appearances on the following; the live DVDs Live Intrusion,[17] War at the Warfield,[18] the bonus DVD disc to Still Reigning,[19] Soundtrack to the Apocalypse's deluxe edition’s bonus live disc[20] and the live double album Decade of Aggression.[21] Lombardo guested with Finnish cellist group Apocalyptica on a live medley of the two tracks at 1998’s Headbanger’s Heaven festival in Holland.[22] Adrien Begrand of Popmatters described "South of Heaven" as "an unorthodox set opener in theory", noting "the song went over like a megaton bomb detonating the place: dozens of inverted crosses projected behind the high drum riser, the sinewy opening notes kicked in, followed by an overture of bass, cymbal crashes, and tom fills, leading up to the slowly building crescendo" in a concert review.[23] Lombardo remembers listening to a live rendition of "South of Heaven" and thinking "Man!" There’s just so much groove in that song. To my kids I was saying, "Listen to that! Listen to how groovy that is!" And it’s heavy."[5] A rare live version of the track featured on the 'JÄGERMUSIC Rarities 2004' promotional CD, given away to attendees at the Spring 2004 Jägermeister Music Tour.[24]

"Behind the Crooked Cross" is rarely played live as Hanneman hates the track, though King has always wanted to play it "because it’s got a cool intro" despite it not being his favourite song.[2] King said "that’s fine" when speaking of the situation, noting "there are songs that he wants to play that I always shoot down."[2] "Ghosts of War" isn’t King’s favourite song either, which he attests "everybody always wants to hear" performed live.[25] He confessed; "I like the ending, you know, I like the big heavy part and I always say, "Let’s put the heavy ending at the end of "Chemical Warfare" and just do the last half." But I could never make that fly."[25]

Slayer has toyed with the idea of creating a live set mixed with selections from the album and 1990's Seasons in the Abyss, though Hanneman has said it's something which hasn't been "seriously considered."[26] Metal Maniacs asked Slayer in a 2006 interview whether they'd consider playing South of Heaven in the footsteps of the Still Reigning tour, to which Araya replied "It's becoming a trendy thing now. I don't know. We have some really cool albums, but I don't think we'll ever do that again."[7] King was equally unsure, commenting ""Probably not. And I just don't like enough songs off South of Heaven."[7]

Track listing

  1. "South of Heaven" (Lyrics: Araya) (Music: Hanneman) – 5:00
  2. "Silent Scream" (Lyrics: Araya) (Music: Hanneman/King) – 3:13
  3. "Live Undead" (Lyrics: Araya/King)(Music: Hanneman) – 3:58
  4. "Behind the Crooked Cross" (Lyrics & Music: Hanneman) – 3:12
  5. "Mandatory Suicide" (Lyrics: Araya) (Music: Hanneman/King) – 4:03
  6. "Ghosts of War" (Lyrics: King) (Music: Hanneman/King) – 4:00
  7. "Read between the Lies" (Lyrics: Araya/King) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:21
  8. "Cleanse the Soul" (Lyrics: Araya/King) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:01
  9. "Dissident Aggressor" (Judas Priest) – 2:34
  10. "Spill the Blood" (Lyrics & Music: Hanneman) – 4:48

References

  1. ^ a b Begrand, Adrien (2004-01-23). "The Devil in Music". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "An exclusive oral history of Slayer". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
  3. ^ a b Matera, Joe (2006-08-04). "Slayer's Kerry King: The Art Of Writing Songs That Nobody Else Can Write". UltimateGuitar.com. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "KingUltimateGuitar" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c "About". Slayer.net. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  5. ^ a b Baronas, Mike (2006-08-09). ""DAVE SAVES"". GASPetc.com. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b Davis, Brian. "A Rare Interview With Slayer Shredder Hanneman, Gripping Firmly onto the Reigns of Metal". Knac.com. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  7. ^ a b c "SLAYER's TOM ARAYA Wants To Sue DEMIRICOUS For Plagiarism". Blabbermouth.net. 2006-08-15. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "South of Heaven". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  9. ^ "Slayer's album chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  10. ^ "RIAA - Artist Slayer". RIAA.com. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  11. ^ Atkinson, Peter (2006-07-24). "KNAC Review - Christ Illusion". KNAC.com. Retrieved 2007-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Top 5 Albums". Live 4 Metal. 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  13. ^ "Bolt Thrower". Nocturnal Horde. 2005-12-13. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Krisiun". Metal Update. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  15. ^ Neely, Kim. "Slayer - Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
  16. ^ Roberts, Michael (2000-08). "Westworld Online interview with Kerry King". Slayersaves.com. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Live Intrusion". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  18. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "War at the Warfield". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  19. ^ "Still Reigning". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  20. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (Deluxe Edition)". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  21. ^ Rivadavia, Ed. "Decade of Aggression - Live". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  22. ^ "APOCALYPTICA Name New Album". Blabbermouth.net. 2004-11-28. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Begrand, Adrien (2006-08-15). "BLOOD AND THUNDER: Postmortem". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "'JÄGERMUSIC Rarities 2004' Promotional CD To Include Cuts From SLAYER, SLIPKNOT". Blabbermouth.net. 2004-03-05. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ a b Davis, Brian (2004-11-10). "Exclusive! Interview With Slayer Guitarist Kerry King". Knac.com. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Lahtinen, Luxi (2006-12-18). "SLAYER - Jeff Hanneman". Metal-rules.com. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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