Slayer Week on Maidenfans (August 17-23, 2009)

SinisterMinisterX

SinisterMinisterX

Illuminatus
Staff member
HAIL SATAN!

It's Slayer Week! Though last week's poll was a tie, Slayer placed ahead in most of the earlier polls, so they win. Next week: Opeth.

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN, THIS WEEK ONLY.
The rules:
Bands must have released at least 5 studio albums, and be big enough that most of us will have the albums.
Any genre of rock is OK; it does not have to be metal.
Post your nomination in this thread. Let's keep it sane - say, 2 per person at most. If you post more, I'll pick my favorite 2.

As for Slayer... I'll start listening to the albums again soon. I haven't heard them in years. Certainly not since Christ Illusion came out. But as I recall, I didn't like much after South Of Heaven. The early albums, up to and including SOH, were pretty good. Reign In Blood is awesome when I'm in the right mood for it.

But I can't take much of them at once. They start sounding monotonous faster than any other band I've ever heard.
 
I'm now listening to the Show No Mercy album. Good but not great. They were innovating, creating new sounds, but still perfecting the formula. "Metal Storm / Face The Slayer" seems like the best song so far, though I'm not quite done.
 
I've been voting Slayer for the past few weeks and each time someone else gets the nod ahead of them. About time they got their week. :D

I would also like to nominate Kreator for a future week.

It has to be said that I could very well consider Slayer as my second best band - but Metallica just pips them. Yes, I do know why some people find them very monotonous and yes, they have hardly changed much over the years, but you've got to love them for their sheer brutality.

Currently, I'm listening to their first two albums as it has been yonks since I have played them. And from listening to them it really does make you realise just how influential Venom was. "Hell Awaits" (the track) is one the greats when it comes to intros.
 
This thread needs this pic:

god-listens-to-slayer.jpg
 
Nominations, eh?

I nominate Blaze and/or Saxon.

Edit: Right, Blaze have just released four albums. Meh.
 
I finished listening to the first 2 albums. Show No Mercy is good but doesn't really jump out at me. It sounds like average, if a bit primitive, Slayer. Hell Awaits is much better - a great thrash album. Grabs and doesn't let go, although the last few songs drag a bit. "Praise Of Death" is a fucking monster track.
 
The three albums that is Reign in Blood, South of Heaven and Season in the Abyss has to be their finest moment. I can't fault the first two but Seasons.. is a slight dip from its predecessors - but not by much.

I always had this notion that Reign in Blood is their best album, but when you look at the track listing of South of Heaven - it really does have the edge. Not only does it have the haunting "Spill the Blood" and the majestic "South of Heaven" it also has their best ever track - "Ghosts of War". What an album.

Divine Intervention for me was just not something I could get into but for some reason I do favour Diabolus Musica - but God Hates us All, is the pick of the bunch from the post Seasons.. stuff. The title track, "Bloodline", "Exile", all superb tracks. The album itself is their most consistent since South of Heaven.

However, as yet, I have not heard Christ Illusion.
 
Yesterday I checked out Reign In Blood and South Of Heaven. Both are extremely good, but I give the nod to RIB as slightly better.
 
Albie said:
... but when you look at the track listing of South of Heaven - it really does have the edge. Not only does it have the haunting "Spill the Blood" and the majestic "South of Heaven" it also has their best ever track - "Ghosts of War". What an album.
Click to expand...

Yes, I also regard "South of Heaven" as their best album and Ghosts of War as their best song. I remember reading an interview in which (I believe) King said that this was the only (or first) album for which they really prepared the songs well before entering the studio. It shows.

I particulary like the drum patterns (especially the breaks) by Lombardo. The sound is kind of dry but you hear everything really well. These drums are very prominent in the mix. They f**kin' move elephant butt.

I never gave the older albums many spins. Hell (awaits!), I don't even own them. But from what I remember (also from "Decade of Aggression") my favourite tracks from that era are Die By the Sword, Chemical Warfare (brilliant riffing, so tight with the drums!), Hell Awaits with its suspenseful intro, Necrophiliac, Angel of Death, Postmortem & Raining Blood (I don't care much for the other -somewhat monotone- tracks on "Reigning Blood").

Post "South of Heaven" songs I like are:
War Ensemble (Waaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr), Dead Skin Mask which has some intruiging "communicating" guitar lines, Hallowed Point & Seasons in the Abyss with another awesome intro.

I must confess that I haven't paid much attention to later Slayer. I own a studio album, and I can't even remember which one it is. :/

One thing about "Decade of Aggression": Did you guys notice how much louder Kerry King's guitar is in the mix compared to Hanneman? Pretty weird, I don't have a clue why they did that.
 
No. I was just really busy at the start of this past week, and completely forgot to start a new thread. So I decided to let it wait a week. We'll have a new one (Opeth) on Monday.
 
Anyway, Seasons In The Abyss for me as best LP, and the mighty Angel of Death from Reign In Blood as best song
-if I had to choose one song from thrash metal, I would have choose that one
Yet, I have to admit that I haven't listened to South Of Heaven for nearly 20 years, so I think I'm gonna give it a try
(regarding the opinions of Albie and Forostar, both people that I respect their taste)

Albie said:
It has to be said that I could very well consider Slayer as my second best band - but Metallica just pips them.
Click to expand...

I thought it was Maiden...
 
@Quetzalcotlus: I think he meant Metallica beats Slayer for second place, making Slayer his third favorite...although I could be mistaken.
 
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