Raining Blood

"Raining Blood"
Song

"Raining Blood" is the final track from thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album, Reign in Blood, and is quite possibly their most famous song as it being their signature song. The song has become a live staple played at almost every Slayer show since its release, and is featured on every Slayer live album and DVD.

Appearances in media

The song was featured in the 127th South Park episode Die Hippie, Die aired on March 16, 2005. The plot centers on the town of South Park, which has been overrun by hippies. Eric Cartman states "Hippies can't stand death metal" and proceeds to hijack a hippie concert by drilling through the mass of hippies with a giant armoured drilling vehicle. He makes it onto the main stage to change the audio to "Raining Blood", in turn upsetting the hippies and making them flee. Slayer guitarist Kerry King found the episode humorous and expressed his interest in the show, mentioning it in an interview, saying "It was good to see the song being put to good use, if we can horrify some hippies we've done our job."

"Raining Blood" was also included in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in-game radio station V-Rock. "Raining Blood" is a playable song in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, where it is renowned for being one of the hardest songs in the Career Mode setlist. It is also featured in the skateboarding game Skate. "Raining Blood" has also become a staple at Pittsburgh Penguins games at Mellon Arena, as it was most recently played during game 2 of the Eastern Confrence semifinals against the New York Rangers.

Composition

Raining Blood is in actuality in the key of E Minor, yet is played tuned down a half step (although definite tonality is difficult to place on the song as the tonic note is used only as a starting point for different riffs, not chord progressions, like most metal in this genre). Also, like most metal of this type, there is no distinct vocal melody, instead relying on changing, varied riffs that are played as accompaniment to give tonal reimbursement to the song.

Covers

In 2001 the song was covered by Tori Amos on her album Strange Little Girls. King states the cover was odd; "It took me a minute and a half to find a spot in the song where I knew where she was. It's so weird. If she had never told us, we would have never known. You could have played it for us and we'd have been like, 'What's that?' Like a minute and a half through I heard a line and was like, 'I know where she's at!'" In response, Slayer sent some T-shirts back to Amos, which she said was appreciated. The song was also covered by Malevolent Creation, Chimaira, Vader, Diecast, and Erik Hinds, who covered the entire album on a H'arpeggione.

The guitar riffs from "Raining Blood" and "Mandatory Suicide" were sampled by rapper Lil Jon in the song "Stop Fuckin Wit' Me" from the album 2004 Crunk Juice. It was Rick Rubin's only collaboration with Lil Jon on the record, Jon wanted to attempt to create a black version of Suicidal Tendencies "Institutionalized".

• Reggie and the Full Effect had covered the song for an import EP, using a synthesizer to replace the lead guitar for an odd effect.

• Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames plays the song's intro riff in the middle of their performance of "Scorn" on their live album, The Tokyo Showdown.
• Dog Fashion Disco begin the song "Albino Rhino" with the riff from Raining Blood on their live album "The City Is Alive Tonight."

• No Reedeming Social Value recorded a live version of Raining Blood.

• Freaklabel has been known to play an instrumental version during live performances as part of a tribute to their influences.

• Asesino has played it live.

• Blood Has Been Shed also used parts of the riff for their song "Signs & Omens".

• Vader has put out a cover on their Live in Japan CD. They also recorded it the studio and released it as a bonus track for the Japanese version of Impressions In Blood.

• Powernoise band Terrorfakt has also done a hard industrial remix/cover of it.

• Dr. Wily and the Robot Masters have been known to include Raining Blood (occasionally in its entirety) in the middle of their song 'A Boy And His Blob' during live performances around North America during their 2003-2004 tours.

• Goregrind band Cuntgrinder released a song called "Dildo Megawatt (Slaytanic Version)" which is based on Raining Blood. Cuntgrinder combined the famous riff at the beginning of Raining Blood along with the entire intro, but the lyrics are not the same.

• Choking Victim uses the main riff briefly in a break down in the song "In My Grave" on their one and only album, No Gods, No Managers.

• Self-proclaimed dirty south punk rockers Whole Wheat Bread have been known to cover the song during live sets.

• Stormtroopers of Death played the first part of the song in the middle of their song Speak English or Die on their live album/DVD Live At Budokan/Speak English or Live.

• The Greenskeepers performed a cover called "Bloodclots" on their album Polo Club.

• Hardcore band Hatebreed occasionally play the first couple of riffs from the song in their live set.

• Prog rock band The Fall of Troy have used the opening riff of the song as a live intro to their song "Sledgehammer."

• Turisas have covered "Raining Blood" live.

• "Raining Blood" was covered by New Zealand Drum 'n' Bass Duo Concord Dawn on their 2003 Album "Uprising"

• J.B.O. have recorded a song on their 2007 album "Head Bang Boing" named "Raining Blood" that starts with the original intro, but instead of guitars the song takes up with a remake of The Weather Girls' It's Raining Men with new and funny lyrics.

• One of Saosin's guitarists covered the opening riff before their song while performing live in Philly

• Israeli Metalcore band Betzefer plays the opening riff of the song during almost every single concert.

• Lil' Jon used Raining Blood in one of his songs in the album Crunk Juice.

Personnel

• Jeff Hanneman - guitar
• Kerry King - guitar
• Tom Araya - bass, vocals
• Dave Lombardo - drums