Slayer - where to get started?

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings' started by purr1n, Nov 28, 2018.

  1. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Reign in Blood is my recommendation for starting out with Slayer. It's one of my all-time favorite metal albums.

    When I listen to any kind of metal/rock these days my mind focuses on the drums. It's one of the main reasons I love progressive metal so much.
     
  2. PTS

    PTS Friend

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    You can't go wrong with the classic trifecta of Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss. I never got into the other Slayer albums, but plan on picking 'em up.

    I saw them back in '92 with their original lineup, and again this year with their current lineup and final tour. Amazing both times!

    Also, check out YOB and Elder for contemporary metal bands. Both are of the stoner/doom variety, occasionally branching out into prog/psych territory.



     
  3. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I saw them back in '06 at the Cobo arena in Detroit with Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Mastodon. LoG is a hard act to follow but Slayer killed it.
     
  4. k1arg

    k1arg Facebook Friend

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    Totally agree about the Slayer albums suggested so far, though I'm also very partial to Seasons in the Abyss. Note that you're probably better off finding used original CDs with something like DR 12 than the newly pressed ones (I don't know how new/old LPs compare). Also, Kreator would be good to check out, something like Coma of Souls. And, especially if you're feeling like trying something modern, check out Vektor, e.g. Outer Isolation.
     
  5. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    Last edited: Nov 29, 2018
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Keep it going guys. This is good atuff. I have a practice of listening to an album x10, well at least x5 over (if I initially hate it) before I make any personal judgements on it. I often find that the best stuff takes repeated listenings appreciate.

    On a side note, is nu-metal finally dead?
     
  7. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    A man can hope.
     
  8. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    *checks when the last Disturbed album came out
    >2018
    Sometimes humanity gets what it deserves guys
     
  9. bobboxbody

    bobboxbody Friend

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    I think South of Heaven should get more credit, it's the first slower album, and has some great songs. Reign in Blood and Seasons of the Abyss of course, plus another vote for Decade of Aggression. On a side note if you find yourself in Osaka, there's a great Slayer themed curry lunch spot, Calayer, food is awesome and he plays live Slayer recordings.
    http://calayer.web.fc2.com
     
  10. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    This metal announcement of a metal band break up:
    Read it all the way through.
     

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    Last edited: Nov 29, 2018
  11. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    So apparently my copy of Seasons is a shiite remaster. Took the advice here and bought an original issue Decade of Aggression from Discogs.
     
  12. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I have a 2002 "expanded edition" Reign in Blood that I bought back in 2004. The CD is completely thrashed from being kept in a sun visor sleeve in multiple different cars until I got an ipod in 2007. I might try to get an original copy at some point.
     
  13. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    Any listening yet? Or is this more of a report back later
    Slayer's vinyl releases are generally of very high quality if you're interested
     
  14. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
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    @purr1n Motorhead and Iron Maiden if you love 70s stuff. Everything from the original lineup of Motorhead (Lemmy, Eddie, Phil is cool. I recommend Overkill and Ace of Spades. Who cares about the master as it's Motorhead and it all sounds like it was recorded in a public restroom by dudes on drugs.


    For Maiden, Killers and Piece of Mind. The original 80s and early 90s CDs and LPs are okay but Piece of Mind is weightless and Killers has some vocal distortion. The 1998 Remasters denoised and have clipping but have low end and aren't bad for the first four albums. The new 2018 CDs are more visceral, have more detail due to better conversion, and are better for "experiencing" Maiden than the dull originals meant for "dissecting the mix". They are slightly muddy though. The compression doesn't matter that much since it just nerfs the cymbals that can prevent you from cranking it anyway and gets rid of the annoying depth mixed into some of the vocals and Marshall leads. These aren't great recording


    Slayer, Show No Mercy is the best. Has the most good ideas and riffs. It's also the closest to Maiden and Priest. Hell Awaits is the most well-written but lacks the sheer creativity of the debut. Reign in Blood is dumbed down and just fast. Then everything gets dumber until it starts getting boring on Seasons in the Abyss and then becomes awful in the 90s. All the 86-1990 stuff still manhandles whatever other American thrash bands were doing but it just can't compete with the groups influenced by early Slayer like Sepultura and Deicide.

    The 80s thrash being recced here is mostly good but stuff not from Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Germans (Sodom, Kreator, Destruction), and the Brazilians (80s Sepultura and Sarcofago) can get quite boring. All those bands, including Slayer, wanted to become mainstream rock bands in the early 90s and failed horrifically while mocking death metal bands like Death and Morbid Angel (who toured with Motorhead), who were just way better than them in the early 90s, before they also sold out and tried to become mainstream rock bands.

    Most LPs of this stuff will either be collectors items, crappy represses, or beat to shit. The 2014 Maiden black repressings have great sound quality but were from the mixdown tapes (like the OG CDs) and lack mojo Martin Birch meant to be added back in mastering and it's vinyl so your twin guitar harmonies will never be as detailed. Many of the Maiden mix tapes actually have suggested EQs written on the labels and most of the mastering engineers ignored it so there are level issues on most of the pre 1998 stuff. The British and Japan CDs worth $$$ of Killers have tape issues the USA CDs from the 80s don't. A lot of the 80s LPs were pressed too hot too and have inner groove distortion. Then there's stuff like Powerslave being too long for LP and the US/UK cds lacking any weight so the only version that actually sounds good is the punch boosted Toshiba Black Triangle meme CD. The 98 remaster has decent EQ but messed up the intros.

    Just get whatever you can easily get, crank it, and headbang. Don't get into sniping wars with metal collectors for random crap.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Just two listens through Reign in Blood and one through Rust in Peace. The Megadeth album is definitely more recognizable to me. They take what's been done before and synthesize into something that is distinctly them. There is a bit of corniness, but it's smart corniness. The Slayer album is raw. They aren't as tight, but this seems intentional. All that's needed to seal the deal is trash can lids and recording on a four-track with regular cassette tapes.

    Definitely. Too easy to forget them.

    Interesting. Will check out.

    Exactly. Kids and I are headbanging in the car, to the chagrin of the wife.
     
  16. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    Re: Motorhead, No Sleep til Hammersmith is a must have for me. They were a ferocious live band. My ears were ringing for three days.
     
  17. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
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    Great recording. Up there with Unleashed in the East, Metallica 80s boots and soundboard tapes, Mortal Way of Live (the VHS rip on youtube is sweet), and When Satan Lives
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
  18. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Sodom were cool. Except this is when they stopped singing about Satan. If you sing about Satan and are good but then stop singing about Satan, Satan will make you suck.
     
  19. zonto

    zonto Friend

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  20. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    Make it stop. The horror.
     

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