5 Deep, Dark Cuts from Slayer’s Early Years

When Slayer first emerged on the metal scene in Los Angeles in 1981, they were a welcome breath of foul air, invoking Satanic blasphemies with their malevolent music and demonic imagery. Part of the original Big Four of thrash, their ferocious music even landed them a major label deal in 1986 for their third album Reign in Blood, on which they spiraled to even darker depths. What’s perhaps most surprising is they did not make the Parents Music Research Center’s infamous Filthy Fifteen list, despite having the lurid “Necrophiliac” under their belt. (Mercyful Fate and Venom made the cut.) Oh well, there’s no accounting for critical taste.

Slayer’s classic lineup—bassist/frontman Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and the late Jeff Hanneman, and drummer Dave Lombardo—unleashed a torrent of tumultuous sounds that sent listeners into moshing paroxysms. If there was a band for disciples to thrash out their demons to, this was certainly it, even though outsiders probably thought they were being possessed by them.

Many of the tunes from those first two Slayer albums are still played live today, while others reside in deep-cuts territory. Here are five Slayer tracks from that early period that hardcore fans know well, and others can become obsessed with.

“Evil Has No Boundaries” from Show No Mercy (1983)

This pulse-pounding thrasher kicks off Slayer’s debut with Araya’s blood-curdling scream and vicious riffing. As far as songs that encapsulate the satanic maelstrom of the band’s beginnings, this is one of the best. If you’ve never heard the band before, this barnstormer will surely burn its way into your brain fast. It’s a hellish blast of metallic power.

“Metal Storm/Face the Slayer” from Show No Mercy (1983)

This is the most notable of their early songs to open like a classic metal jam (aka “Metal Storm”)—ominous riffs and grandiose guitar harmonies with a darkly cinematic feel. This is possibly the most complex composition from Slayer’s first two albums. There’s a lot of buildup—Araya doesn’t jump in with his vocals until past the two-minute mark. Many bands might have split all this material into two songs, but the band wisely chose to cram it all in here for a more epic journey.

“Haunting the Chapel” from Haunting the Chapel (1984)

This multi-tempo stomper with a thrashing chorus has parts that feel like an early draft of the second half of the controversial “Angel of Death” from Reign in Blood. The rhythm and Araya’s vocal cadence are close to it. This EP title track is the reverse of that later song, opening slower and then busting into frenzied fury like a runaway train. This is a soundtrack for hauntings by ghosts with serious bones to pick. (Zombies too!)

“Kill Again” from Hell Awaits (1985)

Looking for a frenetic assault on your senses? Seeking a diabolical tune about serial-killer mayhem Slayer-style? Look no further than this five-minute juggernaut with its rapid fire riffs and Araya’s rabid delivery, especially his frenzied shrieks as he inhabits the homicidal maniac of the song. Lombardo’s tom work near the start will pound you into submission.

“Crypts of Eternity” from Hell Awaits (1985)

Like “At Dawn They Sleep” from the same release, this mid-tempo track adds more atmosphere to the album. But even when Slayer slow things down here, there’s a fierce undercurrent running throughout its six and a half minute running time, not to mention some cool rhythmic shifts. Like the other selections on this list, the lyrics draw from a well of demonic subject matter the band toned down a bit on their major label debut as they looked into more real-world horror.

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