Slayer Information Continued
Slayer (along with Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and others) are often credited with creating American thrash
metal by speeding up the sound of NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden. Slayer
also drew from hardcore punk influences like Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys
and The Misfits; borrowing some of that music's emphasis on extremely
quick tempos in many of their songs. Some of Slayer's music can be quite
progressive, as they often change tempos and arrangements multiple times
through the course of a single track.
1986's Reign In Blood, has been called a "thrash metal masterpiece"
and even credited with almost single-handedly inspiring the entire death
metal genre, at least in North America. Kerrang! described Reign In Blood as "the
heaviest album of all time". In 2003, Slayer played the album in its
entirety throughout their full tour. A DVD of one of these performances
was released with the title Still Reigning. The "Reign in Blood" portion
of the show concluded with the band being drenched in a rain of fake
blood.
Slayer received their first Grammy nomination for "Best Metal
Performance" on January 8, 2002. They will be touring extensively in 2006 including multiple appearances with the band Lamb of God.
