SLAYER: Reign In Blood (THRASH): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

'Reign In Blood' is one of those paroxysmal masterpieces about which everything has already been said. But in the event that you return from an extended stay on Pluto, let's discuss the case of this demonstration.

Following the success of 'Hell Awaits', Brian Slagel, owner of Metal Blade and then producer/manager of the band, felt that Slayer was now able to move up a gear, both musically and commercially. Aware that his means in either field are very limited, he undertook to negotiate a contract for his protégés with big houses. Rick Rubin, a young hip-hop producer and co-founder of Def Jam Records, is one of the first to come forward. He will eventually win the deal after months of tortuous negotiations (and thanks to the help of Dave Lombardo, among others, who will contact him directly to speed up the process). Slagel, reluctant at first (do you think: a HIP-HOP label!) will finally recognize Rubin's interest and passion. However, he had not anticipated that the arrival in his stable of a band with such an unmanageable image would generate so many problems. He will first be forced to find a distributor, Columbia refusing to advertise himself directly or indirectly with Slayer (the album will be released via Geffen); then to found his own label, American Recordings, following insoluble differences with his partner Russel Simmons.

This dedication between the band and its new producer will also manifest itself artistically, as this is Rubin's first foray into the metal world, and his unusual factual approach will transform Californian music. For the first time, a truly external opinion was imposed on Slayer, a monster who had until then been indomitable and who had fished in excess of savagery. A savagery that Rubin will contain and refine. The result: 10 tracks in 28 minutes, songs with a systematic, immediate impact, with a surprisingly clear sound, which are in radical contrast with previous productions. Gone are the vagrancy of 'Hell Awaits' and the crackling of 'Show No Mercy'. Each riff escapes from the speakers like a fierce beast to the rhythm of Lombardo's lashes. A rhythm of a totally extraterrestrial intensity for the time, the average of the album being 210 BPM... Of these 10 tracks, only hits, only intended to become audience favourites; the most famous of all is certainly the latest, "Raining Blood", with a riff known throughout the universe.

Without any radio promotion, Reign In Blood crashes into the Billboard 200; it's the beginning of the legend. Out of its underground enclave, the Beast reveals itself to the eyes of the world, and the deal changes forever. A few years later, in November 1992, the album was certified Gold Disc in the United States. The thrash is no longer a subgenre, a movement, a whim; but the ugly little duck of mainstream music, whose pundits, despite all their efforts, will never be able to stop the progress. The influence of this record on the small world of extreme metal will be considerable, and death metal as a whole owes everything to "Angel Of Death". Unanimously hailed by critics around the world as one of the, if not THE best metal album of all time, 'Reign In Blood' is an absolute myth, the very definition of a genre and probably its most obvious masterpiece. It will have the honour of being played in its entirety during a tour; one of these crazy performances, with a blood shower on stage for the finale, is on the 'Still Reigning' DVD, the perfect complement to the studio version. Eternal, and simply indispensable.... - Official website

SLAYER

REIGN IN BLOOD

DEF JAM RECORDINGS

THRASH