March 22, 1985 - Hell Awaits

Happy New Year! It's been over six months since my last release, a very large gap indeed, but only a short nine months after their EP "Haunting The Chapel", Slayer released their second studio album "Hell Awaits" on March 22, 1985. This album continues the relentless thrash metal style of their last EP, but it also has some progressive influences as there are some much longer songs compared to their more standard furious, shorter tracks. I'm excited to finally hear Slayer's second full album, let's dive in!

The title track "Hell Awaits" kicks things off and it's over six minutes long. The album cover and name continues to show Slayer's fascination with hell and Satan and the first minute of this song is a slow fade-in that contains a hidden message if played backwards: the words "join us" repeated over and over in an evil voice. After a bit of distorted guitars they finally settle into a cool riff 1:30 in and it's a slower pace for Slayer but still a solid metal riff. Around three minutes in one of the guitars starts to pick up the pace and they move nicely into a more standard Slayer main riff that is played at a very fast pace. Tom Araya sings a really fast verse that is a little hard to understand he spits it out so fast! He's just trying to keep up with everyone else as the guitars and drums are both super fast and sound pretty good. We hear a demonic voice yell the name of the song in the lightning fast chorus then it's right into another furious verse. After this verse and another chorus it's finally solo time and although I'm not sure if it's Kerry King or Jeff Hanneman. Whoever it is delivers a great solo as you'd expect as he hits lots of crazy high and fast notes. They do not rest for sn instant as they storm right back into the main riff for a final verse and chorus before the other guitarist get's his turn to solo. We're treated to another wonderfully fast solo that melts off what's left of your face and Dave Lombardo wraps things up very suddenly with a nice drum fill. A slow start but this one sure got going! Track 2 is "Kill Again" and they play a cool slower opening by their standards but it's not long before they shift into another terribly fast, thrashing main riff. All four guys are so perfectly in tune as they all not only play some really fast music, but none of them is ever offbeat and out of line, which is pretty damn impressive considering the speeds they play at. After about a minute and a half of cool music they switch to a different riff that is just as fast and just as heavy and Araya finally begins the first verse, sung in a slower, clearer voice this time. The lyrics are from the point of view of a sadistic serial killer and this is just the kind of crazy shit Slayer is into. Araya returns to his spitfire vocals in the chorus as the relentless guitars continue and things sound very metal and pretty sweet to me. After another speedy verse and chorus one guitarist starts up a new backing riff that is pretty cool while the other guitarist solos overtop. It's a fantastic short solo and without missing a beat the two guitarists switch roles. The soloer perfectly takes over the furious backing riff while the rhythm man comes in for his own solo. This switch is done so seamlessly and solo #2 is just as good as the first one. They flip once again as solo #3 comes right up and the amazing guitar continues! They sound like they're moving back to the main riff, but it's a great mislead as we shortly hear solo #4! Out of nowhere we're treated to a final epic guitar solo and all of that was just awesome! Araya let's out his first high-pitched primal scream of the album and now they really do return to the main riff and play another great verse and chorus before Araya shrieks the name of the song one one last time to finish it. Side one is ending already as "At Dawn They Sleep" is another 6-plus minute song. They kick right into the main riff which is another slower one for Slayer but it still has some cool guitar work. You can hear Araya's bass clearer in this slow riff as we're reminded that he's playing some great music as well, even though the guitars usually bury him in the mix. Tom sings another solid verse in his one-of-a-kind voice and it leads right into a similar chorus as we hear lyrics about "bloodsucking creatures of the night" and the chorus is finished off with the name of the song. After another decent verse and chorus it's solo time and once again each guitarist gets a turn as they beautifully cover for each other. Both solos are great, but I like the second one a bit more and they show off a bit of prog with a really nice segue into a new riff. It's a thundering new riff that is heavy but also pretty catchy and has plenty more great guitars. Araya sings a solid slow verse overtop and again his bass stands out and sounds awesome! They do another excellent segue as this slow riff gradually speeds up and transforms into a new part entirely. Araya sings another new verse overtop this thrashing new riff and this sets the stage for another solo! It's just one guitarist this time, but he delivers a final fantastic solo. Everything else drops away but the drums as Lombardo plays a sweet mini drum solo and then they finish things off with a final epic guitar part. A relentless first side filled with great stuff! 

Side two begins with "Praise Of Death" and they kick right into another terribly fast main riff and words don't do justice to all the cool different riffs they play. I say over and over that everyone plays not only super fast but perfectly in time with one another and you really just have to listen to it to fully understand. When I say Araya sings a quick verse overtop this furious riff, it sounds like every other song Slayer have made, but they continue to come up with new thrashing riffs and if they have something in common, it's that they're all pretty sweet! After the first chorus Lombardo plays a lightning fast drum fill before they return to the main riff. After they speed through another verse and chorus one guitarist does a brilliant segue to a new part with some great stuff and the other guitarist begins to solo overtop. It's absolute madness as usual and things sound pretty awesome as usual as well. After this short solo Araya sings a brief new verse before we hit real solo time! We are once again treated to wicked dueling guitar solos as both King and Hanneman play some phenomenal stuff! I know I've said it several times already, but it continues to impress me how well the two guitarists switch off and take over the rhythm section. After several wonderful short solos Lombardo uses another nice drum fill to move things into a slower, but still nice and heavy new riff. This becomes the backdrop for another solo and although it's just one guitarist this time, he plays yet another fantastic, longer solo and this song is jam-packed with phenomenal guitar solos! This latest one ends with a final note that he holds and distorts for several seconds before the rest of the band comes thundering in to resume the speedy main riff. They storm through a final verse and chorus and there's even one more guitar solo as they end the song with a final short and blistering solo. I think my face is sufficiently melted, and we've only just begun the side! Track 5 is "Necrophiliac", another subject that King found fascinating despite it's grossness. They come roaring out of the gates once again with another furiously fast riff and Lombardo plays one hell of a fast drum fill that sounds awesome before Araya comes in to sing the verse. It's another standard Slayer main riff with everyone playing and/or yelling at a blistering pace but it's yet another unique new riff that sounds just as brutal as the rest. The verse and chorus run right together and it turns out we hear a fantastic drum fill before the start of every go round! The headbanging never stops and after another quick verse and chorus it's right into the song's first solo. Words continue to not do justice as we hear another speedy and cool solo and Lombardo is so perfect with these awesome drum fills! It would seem like we're back at the main riff but they take things in a different direction and play a slightly slower but still pretty fast new riff. It's a bit tamer and less in your face than most Slayer but still solid as Araya sings a new verse. After this solid verse they speed things up to "normal" again and go right into a guitar solo that as you'd expect is pretty great and end the song shortly thereafter. Up next is "Crypts Of Eternity", the longest song on the album at 6:40. An epic slower riff starts things off and sounds great and it's not long before we hear the first solo. It's a pretty epic solo to match that sounds awesome as well and the end of it leads beautifully into this catchy main riff. It's somehow very intricate, very heavy, and also pretty catchy! Their usual insanity is great, but it's nice to have a change of pace and this song delivers that while still remaining nice and heavy metal. After a couple cool verses and choruses they slow things down even more and King and Hanneman harmonize for some really cool melodic guitars. This slower, melodic, but still heavy and cool part reminds me more of their genre-mates Metallica but Slayer show that when they want to they too can play some cool melodic stuff. They just don't want to most of the time! They show that by speeding things up after a little bit and a solo swiftly follows. It's a short one but it's pretty good and Araya sings a brief new bridge with Lombardo going to town on his drums, playing some great fills. Araya finishes this bridge off with an excellent primal yell and it seems briefly like they're gonna bring it back to the beginning, but instead they shift to a typical lightning fast riff. Araya alternates with the guitar in a sweet verse/solo/verse/solo bit and they finish things off with an epic metal flourish ending that has plenty more excellent drumming by Lombardo. The hits keep on rolling if this is what you're into and I'm into it! The album wraps up with "Hardening Of The Arteries" and they finish things off back in their comfort zone: playing an unbelievably fast main riff. I don't know how all their arms don't just fall off! The guitars, bass and drums are all so much faster than anything else anyone was playing at this time period, it really is quite a feat how unrelenting it is. There's never a moment's rest and the guitars are just everywhere, doing lots of amazing things. After an insane first two minutes they slow things down immensely and shift to a new riff that sounds cool still but it's very slow and simple for Slayer. They jam this riff out quite uneventfully for the final two minutes of the song as one guitar plays some slow distorted stuff overtop until things slowly fade to close out the album. An uncharacteristic ending, but the first two minutes, and the rest of this album, were quite great.

That is the end of "Hell Awaits" and I thought it was another awesome thrash metal album! Their EP "Haunting The Chapel" was a stepping stone between their less crazy first album and this absolutely insane album. All four members play some incredibly fast music and I really like this more progressive, longer style that they adopted on this album. Slayer just keep getting better and better as I think this easily surpasses "Show No Mercy", and that was pretty awesome as well! I can't wait to hear what else these crazy metalheads have in store!