Reign In Blood (studio album) by Slayer

From Cargusbralem 05/16/2023 01:21

Seems to me that everything from Piece by Piece to Epidemic are failed attempts at making another Angel of Death. The three songs outside this run are pretty good though.

After listening to this album a handful of times I have begun to love almost everything about it. Its fast paced, energetic and heavy, making it suit perfectly for the style of music they are going for. They literally don't even give you a second to breathe on here with loads of content being squeezed into the relatively short 30 minute run time but that means we are treated to all killer and no filler. Every song plays its role on here and combine to form the bigger picture. It flows brilliantly and is completely full of power which makes it such an enjoyable experience for the listener. However, there is room to improve on this album with their being an argument that it can be quite repetitive at times and some songs might be too similar to one another. Overall, an album that has its flaws but is still a lot of fun to listen to especially when played extremely loud and it has made me excited to look more into this genre.

Enjoyable classic thrash metal album, brutal lyrics with brutal riffs and very fast playing.
My favorite element of the record are definitely riffs and solos as I think they're fantastic, I typically don't enjoy this type of lyrics so I can't say I really like them. Definitely revolutionary album and I appreciate the sound.

Solid thrash record

I've been on an extreme metal kick and on the most recent spin of this, after over 18 years of listening to it, it finally FULLY hit me and hit me so hard. Not just the obvious classics on it but the "lesser" tracks as well. Death metal and even chaotic black metal are ear candy compared to this - its type of solos are more common in noise rock and I've grown to greatly appreciate noise rock. I remember thinking that the solos were kind of grating. I never fully appreciated someone just saying "fuck you" with their guitar, with that nails-on-chalkboard sound, b4 falling completely in love with Pixies, Big Black, and Velvet Underground. When I say that death is ear candy in comparison, it's not hyperbole - low tuned instruments are just easy to listen to, the speed is irrelevant. Reign in Blood pummels you and rarely lets up - never for long. I actually remember getting literal, serious headaches from listening to the full album.

I listened to this on the heels of tech death classics - Unknown Presence and Human to be specific, and this one actually hits harder. A LOT harder.

Released in 1986?! That's just insane. There is absolutely NO substitute for this. I have over 100 extreme metal records on vinyl and this scratches the itch like no other. It's more than the usual classic of this genre - technically impressive with great guitar and drumwork - this is also full of the same level of energy and attitude as the best punk or hardcore records (like Fun House or Damaged). If I want what this delivers, this is the only album in its genre. I could always listen to Songs About Fucking, sure, but no metal record will do it.

Slayer are unique. They have a sound unlike that of any other band. They are the definitive kings of thrash metal. 'Angel of Death' being in the top ten greatest metal songs of all time. This is the album which defined them. Very good but personally I prefer 'South of Heaven'.

This is an essential album for its genre (by the way, this, Peace Sells and Master of Puppets all came out in 1986, what a year that was!). My complaint would be that it is way too fast and most of the tracks don't stick with you.

Bought Reign the day it came out after class in 10th grade. There was lots of talk about this one amongst us metal kids. The thing is though now, Hell Awaits seems to have aged better and it has to do with old style production Metoyer and Slagel did with the album. Reign In Blood kind of has a nostalgia value to it, but we really played the shit out of this one 34 yrs ago every single day and we had the cassettes of this one where the whole recording was on both sides of the tape. Good memories.

Good album.

Favorites tracks: Angel Of Death, Raining Blood

B+

Here's the thing about this record - it's not about the songs, but the sound. Every single track sounds alike (and I don't mean just in general mood - I am an ACDC fan, after all - but the tracks are so goddamn fast that I can't distinguish any riffs/melodies from the craziness), but, as I said, it's not about the songs, but the sound.

This entire record sounds like nothing I've ever heard (and probably will ever hear). Almost every track is at breakneck speed, and sounds like it emerged straight from the pits of hell. This means that it works for very particular moods, but isn't something to really sit down and listen to.

For its sound, it enjoyable, but there are only two songs I really care for, and those are the two most obvious choices of Angel of Death and Raining Blood. They're characterized by being actual good songs over the good sound.

Now, look - I'm not saying the other songs are bad, but this is far from what I listen to everyday, so I'll stick with the highlights.

Overall, this record isn't for everyone, but if you want something loud, fast, and brutal, then this is for you.