If you were to take the vinyl of “Hell Awaits” and spin it backward, the intro track would beckon the listener with the refrain, “Join us.” On their sophomore LP, Slayer invites, or rather, damns you to hell with a darker and more refined version of their thrasher formula. It sets Black Sabbath on fire featuring sludgy fat guitar riffs at lightning-fast speed. Despite being criticized for its poor production quality, the album's hellish themes and sound inspired many artists to create their own brand of weird metal.
The harbingers of satan, doom calling the end of all before the might of hell itself, Slayer built an empire in thrash metal only to be equal to Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. The California band was able to make cross-appeal among punk and hip-hop fans as well as get metal heads into the aforementioned genres with their covers and style. Their influence also helped create extreme metal genres like death, black and grind. Beyond all of that, they’ve risen to the mainstream with the constant controversy stirred by their “Don’t give a f*ck” attitude.
