Hell Awaits
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| Hell Awaits | |||||
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| Studio album by Slayer | |||||
| Released | September 1985 | ||||
| Recorded | 1985 Eldorado Studios, Hollywood, USA |
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| Genre | Thrash metal | ||||
| Length | 37:04 | ||||
| Label | Metal Blade | ||||
| Producer | Slayer, Brian Slagel | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Slayer chronology | |||||
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Hell Awaits is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer, released through Metal Blade Records in 1985. The band's previous release, Show No Mercy, became Metal Blade Records' highest selling release, which influenced producer Brian Slagel to want to release another album. Slagel financed a recording budget (Show No Mercy was self-financed by band members) and recruited several experienced producers to help in the studio.
Hell Awaits featured the band's most progressive and diverse work compared to their previous releases, having faster, thrash-oriented songs, and is cited as an influence by many extreme metal bands.[1] The album had several re-issues, including bonus tracks taken from the EP Haunting the Chapel.
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[edit] Recording
Slayer's previous album Show No Mercy became Metal Blade Records' highest selling release — 40,000 copies worldwide; making producer Brian Slagel want the band to release another record.[2] Slagel hired producer Ron Fair, who worked for Chrysalis Records, and had seen the band perform live and enjoyed their performance. On seeing Slayer in the studio Fair stated "Wow, these guys are really angry", as he was inexperienced working with heavy metal musicians.[3] Slagel financed the album, whereas Show No Mercy was financed by vocalist Tom Araya, using his earnings as a respiratory therapist and money borrowed from guitarist Kerry King's father.[3]
Drummer Dave Lombardo asserts the album was professionally done compared to their previous release, Show No Mercy: "I didn’t have to overdub the cymbals, and we had a really good engineer."[3] Lombardo's favorite song is "At Dawn They Sleep": "because it was kind of slow and grungy, but then it had that double-bass part in the middle."[3] While recording the track, neither guitarists King or Jeff Hanneman who wrote the lyrics were in the studio — only Araya and Slagel. On reading the lyrics there was a word, which was written incorrectly; Araya sang it how it was spelled, although it's not a real word.[3]
Bernie Grundman provided audio mastering, Eddy Schreyer worked on remastering and Bill Metoyer, who worked on the band's previous release, Haunting the Chapel, acted as sound engineer.[4] Lyrical themes on Hell Awaits included darker themes than Show No Mercy, such as Hell and Satan -[5] the intro to "Hell Awaits" is a backwards recording of a demonic-sounding voice repeating "Join us," ending with "Welcome back".[6] Araya asserts the album had poor production quality "Nowadays, production-wise, it's so under par. But for what it was at the time, those are amazing records to me. I guess we could go in and redo it. But why ruin it?"[7]
[edit] Touring
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."[3] Inside Venom's tour bus (the first time Slayer had been in one) the band members got drunk with Venom, while listening to Hell Awaits.[3]
Araya entered the bus "hammered out of his mind" according to Lombardo, saying "I gotta take a piss! Where’s the bathroom in this thing?"[3] Venom vocalist Conrad "Cronos" Lant said "Right here—right here in my mouth!" Araya took him literally and urinated on his hair. Cronos got up and punched him in the face, the two blamed each other all night, and Araya continued the tour with a black eye.[3]
[edit] Reception
Although it did not enter any charts, Hell Awaits was noted for being Slayer's most progressive recording, featuring much darker thrash orientated style, adding unusual arrangements such as varying tempos, and dissonant nuances that "Paved the way to a wholly distinctive sound all their own," according to All Music Guide reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia.[1] Rivadavia awarded the album four out of five stars, calling it an "irresistible force, but one could still make a confident point that Hell Awaits' uniquely daunting compositions arguably proved just as influential to future extreme metal acts."[1]
E.N.Death of the blackened death metal band The Deviant from Norway says the song "Hell Awaits" and Slayer's music in general has influenced him as a musician, ranking the album in his top five.[8] Lenzig Leal of the grindcore band Cephalic Carnage also ranked the album in his top five.[9] The band Cradle of Filth covered "Hell Awaits" and released it on the Japanese release of their album Dusk and Her Embrace, which featured three bonus covers, "Hell Awaits" being one of them.[10]
[edit] Track listing
- "Hell Awaits" (Lyrics: Kerry King) (Music: Jeff Hanneman, King) – 6:12
- "Kill Again" (Lyrics: King) (Music: Hanneman, King) – 4:53
- "At Dawn They Sleep" (Lyrics: Hanneman, King, Tom Araya) (Music: Hanneman) – 6:16
- "Praise of Death" (Lyrics: Hanneman) (Music: King) – 5:17
- "Necrophiliac" (Lyrics: Hanneman, King) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:43
- "Crypts of Eternity" (Lyrics: Hanneman, King, Araya) (Music: Hanneman, King) – 6:37
- "Hardening of the Arteries" (Hanneman) – 3:57
[edit] Personnel
- Tom Araya - Bass, Vocals
- Jeff Hanneman - Guitar
- Kerry King - Guitar
- Dave Lombardo - Drums
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Rivadavia, by Eduardo Rivadavia. Hell Awaits. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
- ^ German, Eric. Interview with Brian Slagel. Metalupdate.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i An exclusive oral history of Slayer. Decibel Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
- ^ Hell Awaits credits. All Muic Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Gargano, Paul. Slayer - Tom Araya - January 2007. Maximum Ink Music Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
- ^ Why They Rule - #6 Slayer. MTV. Retrieved on 2006-01-18.
- ^ La Briola, John (2004-07-22). Slay Ride. Westword.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Ansers (2006-03-08). The Deviant. Nocturnalhorde.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Mike. Interview with Lenzig of Cephalic Carnage. into-obscurity.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Torreano, Bradley. Dusk and Her Embrace (Japan Bonus Tracks). All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
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