# Slayer

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
### Show No Mercy (1983)

* I am the antichrist It's what I was meant to be Your god left me behind And set my soul to be free
** The Antichrist, written by Jeff Hanneman
* Screams From a life I live Torment Is what I give Torture Is what I love The downfall Of heavens above
** The Antichrist
* Eternally my soul will rot
** The Antichrist
* Live by the sword and help to contain The helpless minds of you all
** Die By the Sword, written by Jeff Hanneman
* Die by the sword
** Die By the Sword
* Cursed Black magic night We've been struck down Down in this hell
** Black Magic, written by Kerry King
* Cast Under his spell Blinding my eyes Twisting my mind
** Black Magic
* Gods on the throne must be watching from hell Awaiting the mass genocide Soldiers defeated by death from a smell Bodies lie dormant no life Rising new souls on the lands where they fell Demons not ready to die Nothing to see where the sleeping souls lie Chemical warfare
** Chemical Warfare, written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King

### Hell Awaits (1985)

* The gates of hell lie waiting as you see There's no price to pay just follow me I can take your lost soul from the grave Jesus knows you soul cannot be saved
** Hell Awaits, written by Kerry King
* Crucify the so called lord He shall soon fall to me Your souls are damned your god has fell To slave for me eternally Hell awaits...
** Hell Awaits
* Now I shall have you deep inside my everlasting grasp The seven bloody gates of hell Is where you'll live your last
** Hell Awaits
* Warriors from hell's domain Will bring you to your death The flames of Hades burning strong Your soul shall never rest
** Hell Awaits
* Sacrifice the lives of all I know they soon shall die Their souls are damned to rot in hell And keep the fire growing deep inside Hell awaits...
** Hell Awaits

### Reign in Blood (1986)

* Auschwitz, the meaning of pain The way that I want you to die Slow death, immense decay Showers that cleanse you of your life
** Angel of Death, written by Jeff Hanneman
* Human mice, for the Angel of Death Four hundred thousand more to die Angel of Death Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
** Angel of Death
* Seas of blood, bury life Smell your death as it burns Deep inside of you
** Angel of Death
* Pathetic harmless victims Left to die Rancid Angel of Death Flying free
** Angel of Death
* Modulistic terror A vast sadistic feast The only way to exit Is going piece by piece
** Piece by Piece, written by Kerry King
* You have no choice of life or death My face you will not see I'll rip your flesh 'till there's no breath Dismembered destiny
** Piece by Piece
* Altar of sacrifice Curse of the damned Confronting the evil you dread Coalesce into one your shadow and soul Soon 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 today You praise the lord It's all you say Jesus saves
** Jesus Saves, written by Kerry King
* Listen to you pray You think you'll see the Pearly Gates When death takes you away
** Jesus Saves
* For all respect you cannot lust In an invisible man you place your trust Indirect dependency Eternal attempt at amnesty He will decide who lives and dies Depopulate Satanas rise You will be an accessory Irreverence and blasphemy Jesus Saves
** Jesus Saves
* No need to pray The gates of pearl have turned to gold It seems you've lost your way
** Jesus Saves
* The waves of blood are rushing near pounding at the walls of lies Turning of my sanity reaching back into my mind Non-rising body from the grave showing new reality What I am, what I want, I'm only after death
** Postmortem, written by Jeff Hanneman
* Trapped in Purgatory A lifeless object, alive Awaiting reprisal Death will be their acquisition
** Raining Blood
* The sky is turning red Return to power draws near Fall into me, the sky's crimson tears abolish the rules made of stone
** Raining Blood
* Raining blood From a lacerated sky Bleeding its horror Creating my structure Now I shall reign in blood!
** Raining Blood, written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King

### South of Heaven (1988)

* An unforeseen future nestled somewhere in time Unsuspecting victims no warnings, no signs Judgement day the second coming arrives Before you see the light you must die
** South of Heaven, written by Tom Araya
* Bastard sons begat your cunting daughters Promiscuous mothers with incestuous fathers Engreat souls condemned for all eternity Sustained by immoral observance a domineering deity
** South of Heaven
* Chaos rampant An age of distrust Confrontations Impulsive sabbath
** South of Heaven
* On and on, south of heaven
** South of Heaven
* The root of all evil is the heart of a black soul A force that has lived all eternity A never ending search for a truth never told The loss of all hope and your dignity
** South of Heaven
* Silent scream Bury the unwanted child Beaten and torn Sacrifice the unborn
** Silent Scream, written by Tom Araya
* Holes burn deep in your chest Raked by machine gun fire Screaming skull sent out to die Living mandatory suicide Suicide
** Mandatory Suicide, written by Tom Araya
* Memories can't ignore Anguish of before Satisfy the scorn Rise ghosts of war
** Ghosts of War, written by Kerry King
* Body that rests before me With every dying breath Spellbound and gagged I commence your flesh to dirt
** Cleanse the Soul, written by Kerry King and Tom Araya
* Body that lay before me In everlasting death Entombed in abscess To rot and lie stinking in the earth
** Cleanse the Soul

### Seasons in the Abyss (1990)

* Propaganda death ensemble Burial to be Corpses rotting through the night In blood laced misery
** War Ensemble, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman
* Sport the war, war support The sport is war, total war When victory's a massacre The final swing is not a drill It's how many people I can kill
** War Ensemble
* Gun down cold on a raw deal Home turf my battlefield In no one's way caught in a crossfire Stray bullets can kill
** Expendable Youth, written by Tom Araya
* Expendable youths Fighting for possession Having control the principle obsession Rivalry and retribution Death the only solution
** Expendable Youth
* Expendable youth fighting for possession Violence is only a friend
** Expendable Youth
* Dance with the dead in my dreams Listen to their hallowed screams The dead have taken my soul Temptation's lost all control
** Dead Skin Mask, written by Tom Araya
* Prince of all darkness initiation Ritually baptized in flames Next to the throne my abomination Spreads horror throughout the domain Master the art that controls the impure Inherit the infamous keys Thousands of centuries I will endure Tyrant of all the prophecies
** Born of Fire, written by Kerry King
* Some have called me Satan's son A name I cannot deny Wielding fury that's second to none Far to vile to confine Born of fire
** Born of Fire
* Close your eyes Look deep in your soul Step outside yourself And let your mind go Frozen 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 frame I'm the one that's place in fame Legislature sets the stage Social 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 to Invite you Welcome you To my hate To my scorn To myself Saturate you Infest you Betray you Stimulate you So eager for my lies For my lies... Lies Lies in the name of God
** In the Name of God, written by Kerry King

### God Hates Us All (2001)

* We hold these truths to be painfully self-evident All men are not created equal Only the strong will prosper Only the strong will conquer Only in the darkness of Christ have I realized God Hates Us All
** Darkness of Christ, written by Kerry King
* I'll instigate I'll free your mind I'll show you what I've known all this time God Hates Us All, God Hates Us All You know it's true God hates this place You know it's true he hates this race
** Disciple, written by Kerry King
* I never said I wanted to be God's disciple I'll never be the one to blindly follow I'll never be the one to bear the cross, disciple!
** Disciple
* I hate everyone equally You can't tear that out of me No segregation -separation Just me in my world of enemies
** Disciple
* I am the first not the last Condemned by a single kiss Betrayed eternally I'll rip inside your soul Contaminating the world Defying god and son Black heart that brings your death Living in infamy
** Bloodline, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman

### Christ Illusion (2006)

* Bring on the competition Your pessimism only makes my stronger I am the culmination The fucking Standard that all will followI live it every day Don't know another way
** Catalyst, written by Kerry King
* The eyes of the insane On a demented campaign Flashbacks Panic attacks Death raising it's ugly face at me!
** Eyes of the Insane, written by Tom Araya
* God won't judge what I've done He crawls upon my feet A privileged pain Beneath buried are your dead On splintered bones I walk Sifting through the blood Besieged to fear Await the coming of the God!
** Jihad, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman

### World Painted Blood (2009)

* Disease spreading death Entire population dies Dead before you're born Massive suicide Vicious game of fear It's all extermination now Poison in your veins Global genocide
** World Painted Blood, written by Tom Araya and Jeff Hanneman
* World painted blood No sanctuary
** World Painted Blood
* My scars insane, my life profane I deny, defy, and spread a little hate, worldwide!
** Hate Worldwide, written by Kerry King
* I'm a godless heretic Not a god-fearing lunatic
** Hate Worldwide
* Religious doubt, I instigate From what the bible demonstrates Does 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

* Official website