Slayer

thumb|Gary Holt, Paul Bostaph, Tom Araya and Kerry King (2012) Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, and drummer Dave Lombardo. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. The band's lyrics and album art, which cover topics such as serial killers, occultism, terrorism, religion fascism, racism and war, have generated album bans, delays, lawsuits and criticism from religious groups. However, its music has been highly influential, being cited by many bands as an influence musically, visually and lyrically; the band's third album, Reign in Blood (1986), has been described as one of the heaviest and most influential thrash metal albums. Song lyrics thumb|I am the antichristIt's what I was meant to beYour god left me behindAnd set my soul to be free Show No Mercy (1983) I am the antichristIt's what I was meant to beYour god left me behindAnd set my soul to be free The Antichrist, written by Jeff Hanneman ScreamsFrom a life I liveTormentIs what I giveTortureIs what I loveThe downfallOf heavens above The Antichrist Eternally my soul will rot The Antichrist Live by the sword and help to containThe helpless minds of you all Die By the Sword, written by Jeff Hanneman Die by the sword Die By the Sword CursedBlack magic nightWe've been struck downDown in this hell Black Magic, written by Kerry King CastUnder his spellBlinding my eyesTwisting my mind Black Magic Gods on the throne must be watching from hellAwaiting the mass genocideSoldiers defeated by death from a smellBodies lie dormant no lifeRising new souls on the lands where they fellDemons not ready to dieNothing to see where the sleeping souls lieChemical warfare Chemical Warfare, written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King Hell Awaits (1985) The gates of hell lie waiting as you seeThere's no price to pay just follow meI can take your lost soul from the graveJesus knows you soul cannot be saved Hell Awaits, written by Kerry King Crucify the so called lordHe shall soon fall to meYour souls are damned your god has fellTo slave for me eternallyHell awaits... Hell Awaits Now I shall have you deep inside my everlasting graspThe seven bloody gates of hellIs where you'll live your last Hell Awaits Warriors from hell's domainWill bring you to your deathThe flames of Hades burning strongYour soul shall never rest Hell Awaits Sacrifice the lives of all I know they soon shall dieTheir souls are damned to rot in hellAnd keep the fire growing deep insideHell awaits... Hell Awaits Reign in Blood (1986) Auschwitz, the meaning of painThe way that I want you to dieSlow death, immense decayShowers that cleanse you of your life Angel of Death, written by Jeff Hanneman Human mice, for the Angel of DeathFour hundred thousand more to dieAngel of DeathMonarch to the kingdom of the dead Angel of Death Seas of blood, bury lifeSmell your death as it burnsDeep inside of you Angel of Death Pathetic harmless victimsLeft to dieRancid Angel of DeathFlying free Angel of Death Modulistic terrorA vast sadistic feastThe only way to exitIs going piece by piece Piece by Piece, written by Kerry King You have no choice of life or deathMy face you will not seeI'll rip your flesh 'till there's no breathDismembered destiny Piece by Piece Altar of sacrificeCurse of the damnedConfronting the evil you dreadCoalesce into one your shadow and soulSoon you will meet the undead Altar of Sacrifice, written by Kerry King Enter to the realm of Satan! Altar of Sacrifice You think the world will end todayYou praise the lordIt's all you sayJesus saves Jesus Saves, written by Kerry King Listen to you prayYou think you'll see the Pearly GatesWhen death takes you away Jesus Saves For all respect you cannot lustIn an invisible man you place your trustIndirect dependencyEternal attempt at amnestyHe will decide who lives and diesDepopulate Satanas riseYou will be an accessoryIrreverence and blasphemyJesus Saves Jesus Saves No need to prayThe gates of pearl have turned to goldIt seems you've lost your way Jesus Saves The waves of blood are rushing near pounding at the walls of liesTurning of my sanity reaching back into my mindNon-rising body from the grave showing new realityWhat I am, what I want, I'm only after death Postmortem, written by Jeff Hanneman Trapped in PurgatoryA lifeless object, aliveAwaiting reprisalDeath will be their acquisition Raining Blood The sky is turning redReturn to power draws nearFall into me, the sky's crimson tearsabolish the rules made of stone Raining Blood thumb|Raining bloodFrom a lacerated skyBleeding its horrorCreating my structureNow I shall reign in blood! Raining bloodFrom a lacerated skyBleeding its horrorCreating my structureNow I shall reign in blood! Raining Blood, written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King South of Heaven (1988) An unforeseen future nestled somewhere in timeUnsuspecting victims no warnings, no signsJudgement day the second coming arrivesBefore you see the light you must die South of Heaven, written by Tom Araya Bastard sons begat your cunting daughtersPromiscuous mothers with incestuous fathersEngreat souls condemned for all eternitySustained by immoral observance a domineering deity South of Heaven Chaos rampantAn age of distrustConfrontationsImpulsive sabbath South of Heaven On and on, south of heaven South of Heaven The root of all evil is the heart of a black soulA force that has lived all eternityA never ending search for a truth never toldThe loss of all hope and your dignity South of Heaven Silent screamBury the unwanted childBeaten and tornSacrifice the unborn Silent Scream, written by Tom Araya Holes burn deep in your chestRaked by machine gun fireScreaming skull sent out to dieLiving mandatory suicideSuicide Mandatory Suicide, written by Tom Araya Memories can't ignoreAnguish of beforeSatisfy the scornRise ghosts of war Ghosts of War, written by Kerry King Body that rests before meWith every dying breathSpellbound and gaggedI commence your flesh to dirt Cleanse the Soul, written by Kerry King and Tom Araya Body that lay before meIn everlasting deathEntombed in abscessTo rot and lie stinking in the earth Cleanse the Soul Seasons in the Abyss (1990) Propaganda death ensembleBurial to beCorpses rotting through the nightIn blood laced misery War Ensemble, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman Sport the war, war supportThe sport is war, total warWhen victory's a massacreThe final swing is not a drillIt's how many people I can kill War Ensemble Gun down cold on a raw dealHome turf my battlefieldIn no one's way caught in a crossfireStray bullets can kill Expendable Youth, written by Tom Araya Expendable youthsFighting for possessionHaving control the principle obsessionRivalry and retributionDeath the only solution Expendable Youth Expendable youth fighting for possessionViolence is only a friend Expendable Youth Dance with the dead in my dreamsListen to their hallowed screamsThe dead have taken my soulTemptation's lost all control Dead Skin Mask, written by Tom Araya Prince of all darkness initiationRitually baptized in flamesNext to the throne my abominationSpreads horror throughout the domainMaster the art that controls the impureInherit the infamous keysThousands of centuries I will endureTyrant of all the prophecies Born of Fire, written by Kerry King Some have called me Satan's sonA name I cannot denyWielding fury that's second to noneFar to vile to confineBorn of fire Born of Fire Close your eyesLook deep in your soulStep outside yourselfAnd let your mind goFrozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die Seasons in the Abyss, written by Tom Araya Divine Intervention (1994) Clashing with the public's frameI'm the one that's place in fameLegislature sets the stageSocial slaves caught in my rage Dittohead, written by Kerry King Awaken in a web like hell, How did I reach this place, Why are they haunting me, I cannot look at God's face. "Divine Intervention." Diabolus in Musica (1998) I want toInvite youWelcome youTo my hateTo my scornTo myselfSaturate youInfest youBetray youStimulate youSo eager for my liesFor my lies... LiesLies in the name of God In the Name of God, written by Kerry King God Hates Us All (2001) thumb|We hold these truths to bepainfully self-evidentAll men are not created equalOnly the strong will prosperOnly the strong will conquerOnly in the darkness of Christhave I realizedGod Hates Us All We hold these truths to be painfully self-evidentAll men are not created equalOnly the strong will prosperOnly the strong will conquerOnly in the darkness of Christ have I realizedGod Hates Us All Darkness of Christ, written by Kerry King I'll instigate I'll free your mindI'll show you what I've known all this timeGod Hates Us All, God Hates Us AllYou know it's true God hates this placeYou know it's true he hates this race Disciple, written by Kerry King I never said I wanted to be God's discipleI'll never be the one to blindly followI'll never be the one to bear the cross, disciple! Disciple I hate everyone equallyYou can't tear that out of meNo segregation -separationJust me in my world of enemies Disciple I am the first not the lastCondemned by a single kissBetrayed eternally I'll rip inside your soulContaminating the worldDefying god and sonBlack heart that brings your deathLiving in infamy Bloodline, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman Christ Illusion (2006) thumb|I am the culminationThe fucking Standard that all will followI live it every dayDon't know another way Bring on the competitionYour pessimism only makes my strongerI am the culminationThe fucking Standard that all will follow<p>I live it every dayDon't know another way Catalyst, written by Kerry King The eyes of the insaneOn a demented campaignFlashbacksPanic attacksDeath raising it's ugly face at me! Eyes of the Insane, written by Tom Araya God won't judge what I've doneHe crawls upon my feetA privileged painBeneath buried are your deadOn splintered bones I walkSifting through the bloodBesieged to fearAwait the coming of the God! Jihad, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman World Painted Blood (2009) Disease spreading deathEntire population diesDead before you're bornMassive suicideVicious game of fearIt's all extermination nowPoison in your veinsGlobal genocide World Painted Blood, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman World painted bloodNo sanctuary World Painted Blood My scars insane, my life profaneI deny, defy, and spread a little hate, worldwide! Hate Worldwide, written by Kerry King thumb|I'm a godless hereticNot a god-fearing lunatic I'm a godless hereticNot a god-fearing lunatic Hate Worldwide Religious doubt, I instigateFrom what the bible demonstratesDoes it document creation?Or just hopeless insufliction Hate Worldwide You call him the messiah, I see a reckless fashion based on mental slavery Not of This God, written by Kerry King Quotes about Slayer The furious, aggressive double assault of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman can best be described as relentless. If there is such a thing as a musical brawl, the Slayer sound was it. King and Hanneman were a big reason for that. [...] The lasting greatness of the King/Hanneman duo will live on through some of the greatest thrash music of all time. Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker (February 2025) In 1982, while most L.A. metal bands were spending as much time on hair care as music, Slayer guitarists Hanneman and King perfected a style of hyperspeed, muted double picking and catchy minor-key riffing that remains hugely influential nearly 40 years later. Jeff Kitts of Guitar World (December 9, 2020) With its leaden rhythms, King and Hanneman’s bludgeoning riffery and some of the most morbid images this side of Friday the 13th films, [Reign in Blood] raised the bar for thrash, announcing loudly – and proudly – that Slayer had arrived as a leader of the form, on par with the more highly touted metal peers such as Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. Jeff Kitts of Guitar World (December 9, 2020) Slayer riffs are easy to learn but hard to master. Joe Smith-Engelhardt of Alternative Press (April 18, 2020) Back when metal was veiled in mystery, the Satanic image was the most mysterious and unnerving of all. Fans only got to see what was printed in interviews and promo shots and a band like Slayer represented pure evil incarnate. Steadily increasing in aggression from their humble NWOBHM roots, the thrash legends made their boldest declaration in 1986 with the genre-defining, boundary-pushing nightmare, ‘Reign in Blood.’ External links Slayer Official website Category:American bands Category:Thrash metal Category:Heavy metal bands