Despite being one of my favorite band's "Repentless" and "Hell Awaits" are the only two Slayer albums I've reviewed here, so now it's time to review the rest in chronological order, since Slayer is the most influential band on the death metal genre. This 1983 album was perhaps not as ahead of it's time as we think it was, as listening back I can hear where the pieces fit. Tom Araya has claimed to have not listened to a ton of metal before joining the band, and I am not sure I am buying it, as he was trying to capture the falsetto sound of the NWOBHM bands right from the get-go on the band's debut full-length, The opening track has more of a punk thing going than "Antichrist" or what might be one of the band's best songs "Die By The Sword" though this was the first Slayer songs I have heard so I might have an attachment to it for that reason, but listening back it sounds pretty awesome, as the main riff is just killer. It's also darker than the other thrash bands.
"Fight Til Death' has more of a punk feel to it. Perhaps this is why it always was more of a fast-forward classic for me, though listening back, it's decent enough. 'Metal Storm/ Face the Slayer" sounds more like Judas Priest. The difference is that there is none of Priest's anthemic celebrations, as it's a darker, more aggressive vibe. Not a song I've listened to the most on the album, but it works better than I remembered. "Aggressive Perfector' is another one of my favorite Slayer songs. It shows how Dave Lombardo progressed as a drummer, as his playing has more in common with traditional metal here.
'Black Magic" is also another iconic Slayer song. Listening back, you can hear how this one was influenced by Mercyful Fate. It does launch into more of a rapid-fire thrashing. The darker vibe is cool and offsets the punk moments. The gallop it locks into is one of the album's best moments. 'Tormentor' is a more traditional metal song, but listening back, it's better than I remembered. "Final Command" feels like it's more Motorhead influenced as it's almost punk, but the guitar structure is very rock n roll. I think Tom sounds best on "Crionics," which is an underrated Slayer song. "Show No Mercy' shows how they were heading in the heavier direction they arrived with "Hell Awaits". I will round this up to a 10 as there are no songs that don't work on this albun and the ones I don't like as much as the others are balanced out by the fact a few of these are some of my favorite Slayer songs and this album has the first Slayer song I ever heard on it.
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