SLAYER

Slayer (1983)

Not to be confused with the San Antonio,Texas-based band of the same name, this Slayer hail from Southern California and are acclaimed as being the United States’ heaviest metal band, and after hearing their three-track demo I’m not going to doubt that for one moment!

A four-piece band, Slayer have been in existence for just over 18 months and consist of Tom Araya (vocals / bass), Kerry King (guitar), Jeff Hanneman (guitar) and Dave Lombardo (drums). The band first came to light when they appeared on the Metal Massacre III compilation album.

Slayer combine the speed and enthusiasm of Metallica with the Satanism of Venom to produce a barrage of black metallic death, most evident on the track ‘Fight Till Death’; a truly frenzied attack of mayhem from beginning to end. This track together with the demo’s other two cuts, ‘Black Magic’ and ‘The Antichrist’, will be included on the band’s forthcoming debut album, Show No Mercy, which is soon to be released on Metal Blade Records; an album I’m certainly looking forward to.

Bernard Doe

Review taken from Metal Forces, Issue 2 (1983)