Originating in Huntington Park, CA in 1981 as a cover band in the head-banging scene, Slayer has become one of the most important metal bands in rock history, commonly referred to in the Big 4 alongside Anthrax, Megadeath and Metallica. Their first two albums, 1983’s Show No Mercy and 1985’s Hell Awaits, were released on Metal Blade Records, before they signed to Rick Rubin’s Def Jam label in 1986. There they released their third album Reign in Blood, which caught mainstream attention and has proved to be a genre-defining thrash metal album, influencing countless bands as well as the subgenres of death metal and black metal. Tom Araya’s shouted vocals and graphic lyrics are thought-provoking and articulate, while their tight musical structures combining hardcore rock’s rhythms and speed metal’s frenzied pace generate fast and aggressive songs, intensified through the use of double bass drumming, and unconventional but engaging guitar riffs. This all-out rock offensive has been wowing ticket holders for over three decades, selling out concerts across the globe. Over the years, Slayer has been nominated for five Grammy awards, most recently 2009’s World Painted Blood, and continues to tour while working on new material.
