Metal Reviews

Newest and Best Metal Reviews!
FAQ :: Search :: Members :: Groups :: Register
Login
It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:58 am



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 53 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next   
Author Message
 Post subject: Slayer - Reign In Blood (#752)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 10:55 pm 
You're welcome to comment on:
Quote:
Image
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Thrash Metal
Quoted: 100 / 100


Click here to see the review.


Top
  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 12:19 pm 
Offline
Svartalfar
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2004 10:27 am
Posts: 5
Location: UK
I don't know the words to many songs... but I know all the words to this album ...
I got into Slayer in '84 ... bought haunting the chapel (good) then went back and bought Show no mercy ... fantasic ... and at the time it seemed like nothing could be heavier... but then the albums got heavier and heavier... until Reign In Blood... it stood head and shoulders above the competition ... and still does ... it took me years to notice that it was only half an hour long...

Standout songs ... well ... all of them ... personal favourites ...
Angel Of Death... they were not fucking about when they made this song .

Necrophobic...Strangulation, mutilation, cancer of the brain, Limb dissection, amputation, from a mind deranged... don't try that at home kids...

Reborn... 3 solo's ... 3 verses ... less than 2 mins long ... top stuff.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 12:07 am 
I've been a Metal fan for many years now, although it was only today that I went out and picked up my first Slayer album*, deciding. The type of Metal that I'm into fluctuates tremendously, although at the moment I'm very much into finding bands that have a very brutal, aggressive sound, yet steer away from the incoherent muffled dirge that I find most Death Metal bands to be. The only band in the Death Metal field of things that I really took a shine to was Opeth, and I suppose that was due to my love for classic progressive rock and prog metal, in particular Dream Theater.

I'm not a fan of Metallica or Pantera or any of these other supposed thrash bands (although there were phases when I liked them), although I've just had this CD on with the lyrics in front of me, and to call it anything less than amazing - there are plenty of albums in my collection which I love, yet feel as if a few inferior tracks could have been left off. If there were any 'filler contenders' for this album, they certainly were: it's 100% killer.

The two things that surprised me most about the CD were firstly how good the lyrics are for a Metal album, let alone a Thrash/Death Metal album! They actually document the typical themes of death and destruction in a particular context, which renders them all the more intruiging (I'm talking about songs like 'Angel Of Death' and 'Reborn'). 'Angel In Death' particularly is a standout for me. The only song that I haven't really looked at in too much depth lyrically yet is 'Raining Blood' because, quite frankly, I'm too busy headbanging to bother! (I felt a sudden compulsion to do so; something I've never really had before with any album.)

The second thing that surprised me is that the album's approaching its 20th anniversary, yet in terms of heaviness
it knocks the stuffing out of the majority of new Metal releases coming out today. I'm listening to the 'Expanded Edition', so presumably it has been remastered, but the production values on this CD are fantastic and nothing sounds out of place.

I thought it would be interesting to see how somebody more or less new to Slayer viewed what is widely considered to be their finest moment. Indeed, I thought it interesting to see what I personally thought of it. I may be a little hasty, only having had it for about a day, but already I'm loving it to bits. The only quibble I have about Slayer is that their albums never drop down in price so I'm going to have to savour this one for a while before I embark upon any more Slayer purchases!

*Slightly untrue: I picked up 'Divine Intervention' for £1 a few years ago and was extremely unimpressed, but I had very little patience for anything I wasn't particularly interested in, and what I was interested in at the time were bands like Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne.


Top
  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 9:36 am 
Yeah, this is the definition of "thrash metal".Although it took me a while to get into it, thinking of it as over rated when I first listened to it , I now think of it as the best thrash metal along with Sodom's "Persecution Mania". All the songs rule , no fillers indeed.


Top
  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 5:44 pm 
Offline
MetalReviews Staff
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 5:34 am
Posts: 1721
Location: Mexico City
And to think that these guys released this album in 1986; it's impressive; I mean it still is one of Thrash's most important albums, if not the most important one. Raining Blood and Angel of Death remain anthems till date. Amazing.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:50 pm 
I bought this when it first came out in '86 having never heard Slayer before and in fact having very main-stream metal tastes at the time ( Judas Priest etc.) on the strength of a review at the time in one of the metal mags. Needless to say the top of my head was blown off, my mind was pummelled and I devoted about 30 minutes of almost every day for the next few years blasting this through my system! An amazing way to wake up and start the day! It doesn't spend nearly as much time in my stereo now but on a road trip flying down the highway one of the tapes that MUST be played is Reign In Blood coupled with South of Heaven; very different albums in terms of intensity but must-haves for anyone that claims to be serious about heavy music! Masterpiece is an understatement!


Top
  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2004 9:05 pm 
Offline
Karma Whore
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 8:56 pm
Posts: 3561
I definitely think that this is one of the most overrated thrash LPs ever. Sure, it has a few incredible songs (Angel of Death, Reign in Blood, Altar of Sacrifice) but most of the songs are completely under-developed and quite mediocre. This album is destroyed by other thrash albums from 1986, such as Darkness Descends, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? and Pleasure to Kill, as well as by later Slayer albums (South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, Hell Awaits, etc..), and by hundreds of other thrash LPs in general. Its not a bad album, but I do believe that it is wrongly hailed as one of the greatest thrash albums.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2004 9:43 pm 
The last post looks like it was put up just to evoke a response so I'll take the bait. Peace sells? Come on, I mean it's a fairly good album but not even in the same galaxy as far as intensity and the effect of being totally ass-kicked and woken up by a sound that is as much a dividing point and influence as past records like "never mind the bullocks" and "nevermind" were in their respective times. Almost everything that came out after "Reign" was changed just a little bit. Mainstream things like sports broadcast opening music to video-game music and just about anything that needed an extra punch now had a blast of intense thrash sound that always made me think of this record. The bands that made those other records have all but disappeared whereas Slayer is arguably bigger than they've ever been. This alone is proof that this record deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it not to mention what an influence it was on countless bands that have admitted that this was the record that made them decide to get into the business.


Top
  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:32 am 
Offline
Karma Whore
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 8:56 pm
Posts: 3561
RAMSTAD wrote:
The last post looks like it was put up just to evoke a response so I'll take the bait. Peace sells? Come on, I mean it's a fairly good album but not even in the same galaxy as far as intensity and the effect of being totally ass-kicked and woken up by a sound that is as much a dividing point and influence as past records like "never mind the bullocks" and "nevermind" were in their respective times. Almost everything that came out after "Reign" was changed just a little bit. Mainstream things like sports broadcast opening music to video-game music and just about anything that needed an extra punch now had a blast of intense thrash sound that always made me think of this record. The bands that made those other records have all but disappeared whereas Slayer is arguably bigger than they've ever been. This alone is proof that this record deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it not to mention what an influence it was on countless bands that have admitted that this was the record that made them decide to get into the business.


No, my post was not created just to make a response. My post was made because I believe what I am saying. The point of Peace Sells wasn't to be ultra-brutal: It was to be melodic thrash with a shitload of solos. And it worked and was amazing. And are you suggesting that commercial success is the basis for how good a band is? True, you don't hear about Dark Angel anymore (possibly because their last album was released in the 80s?). That doesn't stop Darkness Descends from being a super-brutal riff fest of greater proportions than Reign in Blood. Kreator is still around and kicking ass, about to release a new album (Enemy of God) which is incredibly awesome, especially in comparison to Slayer's last album (God Hates Us All=terrible). Another misconception is that Slayer was the only band releasing brutal shit. This is completely false, as I have said. Bands like Dark Angel, Kreator, Possessed, Sodom, and older Sepultura all match the intensity of this album, and in my opinion are infinitely better written.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 7:08 pm 
Offline
Svartalfar
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 6:35 pm
Posts: 8
Location: Poland
for me - classic
Definitely the best stuff in whole Slayer carrier,angel of death,jesus saves, mhyh... at least this is what i think, strong insurance for all opinions that Slayer was top of his condition recording this album.
Besides, Araya sounds here like true professionalist,powerful piece of band. Such extreme like messiah : "extreme cold weather".Hard to say something bad about it.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:10 pm 
Offline
Karma Whore
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:46 pm
Posts: 4316
Location: England
man, i love this cd!
every time i listen to it i just cant believe that this was made way back in the 80s!
necrephobic is possibly the fastest song ive ever heard, except maybe for something by s.o.d!
:twisted:


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:19 pm 
Offline
Metal King
User avatar

Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 12:41 am
Posts: 1088
Location: poser's paradise(france)
Brahm_K wrote:
I definitely think that this is one of the most overrated thrash LPs ever. Sure, it has a few incredible songs (Angel of Death, Reign in Blood, Altar of Sacrifice) but most of the songs are completely under-developed and quite mediocre. This album is destroyed by other thrash albums from 1986, such as Darkness Descends, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? and Pleasure to Kill, as well as by later Slayer albums (South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, Hell Awaits, etc..), and by hundreds of other thrash LPs in general. Its not a bad album, but I do believe that it is wrongly hailed as one of the greatest thrash albums.
I think every single song on Reign in Blood is brilliant.The fact that many of them are so short doesn't mean they're under-developed;to me they're simply perfect.It's the best Slayer album for me;Seasons comes very close(even if it's not breathtaking all the way)and South of Heaven is great even if i must skip Dissident agressor (prefer the Priest original) almost every time.Now ,i agree with you that Peace Sells is great and the same goes for Pleasure to Kill;i also agree that God hates us All is undoubtly the worst Slayer album ever;i don't know Darkness Descends yet,but i have Leave Scars and it's not that good; about Sepultura it's hard to compare,because they sound so immature and amateurish on Morbid Visions and even Schizophrenia (compared with Reign in blood)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:15 pm 
Offline
Metal Lord

Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 8:44 pm
Posts: 422
Location: where you are not
reign is blood is so beautiful, i love this cd so much. i can't believe the cd is just under 30 min long. I just started getting into slayer a year ago, this cd is a classic with out a doubt


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:21 pm 
Offline
Metal King

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:10 pm
Posts: 1552
Location: HELLsinki, Finland
Half an hour of thrash metal perfection. Love it.

Too bad Slayer didn't release anything nearly as good after this one. The next two records were ok, but after that they lost the magic. Diabolus in Musica and God Hates Us All both sucked big time.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:45 pm 
Offline
Metal King
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:19 am
Posts: 960
I agree with Brahm, this album is one of the more overrated peices of Metal history. And the misconception that Slayer is somehow the most brutal thing to surface at the time is also absurd, they may have been a little scarier than Metallica and Iron fucking Maiden but all the bands he mentioned, with the notable addition of the florida death metal scene that was running well before this album, at the very least run head-to-head with RIB and if not they surpass it in terms of sheer aggression. Plus, most of them had better riffs, and pretty much all of them had better solos and vocals.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 11:15 pm 
Offline
Metal King

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:10 pm
Posts: 1552
Location: HELLsinki, Finland
Yeah, i can most definitely agree that Slayer are overrated as hell. That doesn't mean they ain't any good.
And i think Slayer's guitar solos fit Slayer perfectly. Kerry and Jeff never tried to create memorable, soulful melodies or show off their chops. Just to create some chaotic noise to go along with the high-speed thrashing.

This isn't coming from some Slayer fanboy either. I think Reign in Blood was pretty much the last album of theirs worth buying.

Music can be about many things. Competition is not one of them.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 11:19 pm 
Offline
Metal Lord
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:23 pm
Posts: 558
Location: In The Shadow Of The Horns
Radical Cut wrote:
I agree with Brahm, this album is one of the more overrated peices of Metal history. And the misconception that Slayer is somehow the most brutal thing to surface at the time is also absurd, they may have been a little scarier than Metallica and Iron fucking Maiden but all the bands he mentioned, with the notable addition of the florida death metal scene that was running well before this album, at the very least run head-to-head with RIB and if not they surpass it in terms of sheer aggression. Plus, most of them had better riffs, and pretty much all of them had better solos and vocals.


I agree with you here... this is one of the most overrated albums ever.
I prefer Hell Awaits, or hell. even Show No Mercy; for me faster is not necessarilly better... and Possessed's Seven Churches totally dominates this in sheer heavines, and musicianship... not to mention Scream Bloody Gore (I know, '87), Pleasure To Kill, etc...
ahhh, opinions.
V.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 8:33 pm 
Offline
Metal Lord
User avatar

Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:58 pm
Posts: 477
Location: Netherlands
First Slayer CD I ever bought was Seasons in the Abyss and for some kind of reason I like it way better than this one.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:25 pm 
Offline
Einherjar

Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 9:49 pm
Posts: 2507
Location: Michigan
I'm gona have to agree with Brahm on this one. This album is great, but totally overrated. I think SHow No Mercy is way better.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:14 pm 
Offline
Metal Lord

Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 2:23 am
Posts: 641
Location: Australia
i'm more fond of Show No Mercy/Hell Awaits myself

Raining Blood still remains as one of my most fav thrash songs


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 53 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next   


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group