Hell Awaits
Hell Awaits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 8, 1985[1] | |||
Studio | Eldorado (Los Angeles)[2] | |||
Genre | Thrash metal | |||
Length | 37:11 | |||
Label | Metal Blade | |||
Producer |
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Slayer chronology | ||||
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Hell Awaits is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on April 8, 1985, by Metal Blade Records. The band's 1983 debut Show No Mercy became Metal Blade Records' highest-selling release, and as a result, producer Brian Slagel desired to release a second Slayer album. To that end, Slagel financed a recording budget (Show No Mercy was paid for by band members) and recruited several experienced producers to help in the studio.
The lyrical themes on Hell Awaits include
Recording
Slayer's previous album,
The budget organized by Slagel allowed for professional assistance. Bernie Grundman provided
Drummer
Touring
To promote Hell Awaits, Slayer embarked on the Combat Tour with Venom and Exodus. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt commented, "We immediately bonded with the Slayer guys. It was two bands of friends playing with one band of heroes, you know? We were just star-struck."[7]
Inside Venom's tour bus (the first time Slayer had been in one) the band members got
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
Rock Hard | 9/10[14] |
Although it did not enter any charts, Hell Awaits was hailed upon its release as Slayer's most progressive recording, featuring much darker thrash-oriented style, with unusual arrangements such as varying tempos, and dissonant nuances that "paved the way to a wholly distinctive sound all their own", according to AllMusic reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia.[12] Rivadavia awarded the album four out of five stars, saying that it was "incredibly ahead of its time" and referred to it as "a mandatory item in the band's remarkable discography". It has sold over 1,000,000 records worldwide according to Brian Slagel.[12]
In the book Legends of Rock Guitar, Hell Awaits was defined as "a
Influence
Musicians such as singer
Defined as "influential to future extreme metal acts",
Track listing
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hell Awaits" | Kerry King |
| 6:16 |
2. | "Kill Again" | King |
| 4:56 |
3. | "At Dawn They Sleep" |
| Hanneman | 6:17 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
4. | "Praise of Death" | Hanneman | King | 5:21 |
5. | "Necrophiliac" |
| Hanneman | 3:46 |
6. | "Crypts of Eternity" |
|
| 6:40 |
7. | "Hardening of the Arteries" | Hanneman | Hanneman | 3:55 |
Total length: | 37:11 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "Haunting the Chapel" |
| 4:00 |
9. | "Captor of Sin" |
| 3:31 |
Total length: | 44:42 |
Personnel
- Slayer
- Tom Araya – bass, vocals
- Kerry King – guitars
- Jeff Hanneman – guitars
- Dave Lombardo – drums
- Production
- Carolyn Collins – assistant engineering
- Ron Fair – engineering
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Albert Cuellar – artwork
- Brian James – layout design
- Bill Metoyer – engineering
- Lowell Katz – photography
- Brian Slagel – production
- Slayer – production
Charts
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 41 |
24 |
References
- ^ "FMBQ - March 29, 1985" (PDF). FMBQ. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "Kerry King letter Slipped Disc Records". Slipped Disc Records. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
- ^ Gargano, Paul. "Slayer – Tom Araya – January 2007". Maximum Ink Music Magazine. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
- ^ "Kerry King interviewed by Metal Hammer". YouTube. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
- ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Post Mortem: The Tribute to Slayer – Review". AllMusic. Macrovision. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
- ^ German, Eric. "Interview with Brian Slagel". Metalupdate.com. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "An exclusive oral history of Slayer". Decibel Magazine. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2006.
- ^ "Hell Awaits credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
- ^ "Why They Rule – #6 Slayer". MTV. Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2006.
- ^ La Briola, John (July 22, 2004). "Slay Ride". Westword.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
- ^ "A Folk Devil Talking: Slayer's Tom Araya Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Macrovision. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz. "Rock Hard". Issue 11. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-7935-4042-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8264-2909-4.
- ^ Anders (March 8, 2006). "Interview with The Deviant". Nocturnal Horde. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
- ^ Jeff Kitts (November 14, 2013). "Prime Cuts: Dimebag Darrell Chooses His 12 Favorite Tunes in 1993 Guitar World Feature". Guitar World (published March 1993). Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Slatanic Slaughter, Vol. 2". AllMusic. Macrovision. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
- ^ "Gateway to Hell, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Slayer". AllMusic. Macrovision. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.