No, Slayer is not black metal. This isn't to say that they can't be considered an influence upon the sub-genre. They are most certainly part of its history, but are not black metal themselves. According to most sources , the first wave of black metal began with Venom's 1982 release of Welcome To Hell . Other early releases considered part of the first wave are Hellhammer's Apocalyptic Raids EP, Mercyful Fate's Melissa EP, and Bathory's The Return....