Reign in Blood

Untitled

Reign in Blood  is an album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music) through Def Jam Records (later re-released on Rubin's Def American/American Recordings).

Reign in Blood was ranked number 29 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time, and is considered to be one of the best thrash metal albums ever to be recorded.[1]

Rumour has it the lyrics for the album were written by the band in the tour bus the night before they were to enter the studio.

Significance

The record is regarded by many critics as one of the most influential and extreme heavy metal albums of all time. The album's influence has been most pronounced on the American death metal scene which developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, though it is also a seminal album of the thrash metal genre.

The album's lyrics are almost unprecedented in their depictions of graphic violence and dark themes. The music is more abrasive and faster than any of the previous music that had been released by the band up to that point in time. Its release helped to push the gap between Thrash metal and its predecessor, Hardcore punk, even further than it had been before.

Production and marketing

Produced by Rick Rubin, Reign in Blood largely abandoned the prog-influenced stylings of Hell Awaits in favour of quick, aggressive rhythms. The total runtime of the album is just under half an hour.

Columbia Records refused to distribute the album but Geffen Records picked it up.

The album relies heavily upon the band's two guitarists, Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman to fill every moment of the album with rapid guitar playing and multiple solos right on top of one another. They switch roles frequently throughout the album, one playing lead and the other playing rhythm guitar. The two musicians create the 'dueling solos' effect almost effortlessly.

Reign in Blood peaked at #94 on Billboard's (North America) Billboard 200 albums chart. It was named as the "No. 1 Thrash Metal Album of All Time" by Kerrang! magazine. It was also ranked third in Guitar Player Magazine's top 20 metal guitar albums issue. In 2001 Q magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time. "Raining Blood" was covered by Tori Amos on 2001's Strange Little Girls , by Malevolent Creation in 2004 as well as by many other heavy metal bands. In 2005, Erik Hinds covered the entire album on solo H'arpeggione. Also in 2005, numerous Hardcore bands covered the entire album and called it Cover in Blood. Reign in Blood was named the best metal album of the last 20 years by Metal Hammer magazine in 2006. Reign in Blood is also considered as part of the Unholy Trinity of 1986, along with Kreator - Pleasure to Kill and Dark Angel - Darkness Descends, all these albums (including this album) have been a great influence to Death metal.

Track listing

1. "Angel of Death" (Hanneman) – 4:50
2. "Piece by Piece" (King) – 2:02
3. "Necrophobic" (Hanneman/King) – 1:38
4. "Altar of Sacrifice" (Hanneman/King) – 2:49
5. "Jesus Saves" (Hanneman/King) – 2:49
6. "Criminally Insane" (Hanneman/King) – 2:13
7. "Reborn" (Hanneman/King) – 2:20
8. "Epidemic" (Hanneman/King) – 2:12
9. "Postmortem" (Hanneman) – 2:44
10. "Raining Blood" (Hanneman/King) – 4:17

The re-issue added "Aggressive Perfector" and "Criminally Insane (Remix)". This version of "Aggressive Perfector" was shorter and had cleaner production than the version featured on the reissue of Haunting the Chapel.

Early CD pressings incorrectly set the beginning of track 10 to the blank pause in "Postmortem" and eventually leading into "Raining Blood". This was corrected on future releases, starting at the thunder clap.

Credits

• Tom Araya – Bass, Vocals
• Jeff Hanneman – Guitar
• Kerry King – Guitar
• Dave Lombardo – Drums

• Recorded in Los Angeles, California, USA
• Produced by Rick Rubin and Slayer
• Engineered by Andy Wallace
• Mixed at New Fresh, New York City, USA
• Mastered by Howie Weinburg
• Illustration by Larry W. Carroll

Chart position

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1987	The Billboard 200	94

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Position
1987	"Raining Blood"	UK Singles Chart	61