Musically , the album features the band 's most progressive and diverse work compared to their previous releases , and according to Kerry King , he and Jeff Hanneman were very into Mercyful Fate at the time , which then led to the longer and more progressive songs .
`` Hell Awaits '' features Slayer 's most progressive and diverse work compared to their older releases . According to guitarist Kerry King , he and Jeff Hanneman were into Mercyful Fate at that time and that led them to do longer and more progressive songs .