Slayer: Tom Araya (vocals, bass); Jeff Hannemann, Kerry King (guitar); Dave Lombardo (drums).

Recorded at Track Record, Los Angeles, California and Eldorado, Hollywood, California.

Digitally remastered by Eddy Schreyer (November 1993, Future Disc).

Personnel: Tom Araya (vocals); Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King (guitar); Dave Lombardo (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Eddy Schreyer.

Photographer: Harold O.

When it was released in 1985, Slayer's second full album, Hell Awaits, seemed to many a nearly impenetrable cacophony of sound. However, it proved to be incredibly ahead of its time instead, and has since been confirmed as a mandatory item in the band's remarkable discography. Why? Well, despite its many memorable tunes, the songwriting on Slayer's 1983 debut, Show No Mercy, was firmly entrenched in blues-based punk/metal, and it wasn't until the following year's more excessive Haunting the Chapel EP that the band began adding the unusual arrangements, varying tempos, and dissonant nuances that paved the way to a wholly distinctive sound all their own. These experiments (rooted in the at once ingenious and ingenuous innovations of Venom's early work) were fleshed out even further on Hell Awaits; starting with the terrifying title track, continuing through the mesmerizing "At Dawn They Sleep," and arguably pushed over the limit of reason by the corrosive "Hardening of the Arteries." Here, the listener is introduced to a far more technical, almost progressive, side of Slayer -- a side never heard before and rarely since, for that matter. Meanwhile, comparatively straightforward thrashers like "Kill Again" and "Necrophiliac" made it plain that the group's love of pure speed remained intact, even if here, their sharp-edged riffs were often buried in overwhelming distortion. And perhaps most crucial of all, the musical backdrops unleashed by all the above (as well as equally worthy entries "Praise of Death" and "Crypts of Eternity") actually managed to inflict a true sense of horror and fear on par with their lyrics -- therefore marking Hell Awaits as the first album unmistakable as coming from anyone else but Slayer. True, it was ultimately eclipsed by its peerless successor, Reign in Blood (still largely considered the greatest thrash metal album ever recorded), as 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. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

With their second album, co-produced by Metal Blade's headbanging head honcho Brian Slagel, Satanic thrashers Slayer upped the ante from their debut in every way. More graphic album art, breakneck tempos, gruesome lyrics, and proper production gave the band a punchier sound while retaining their native aggression. Whereas their debut sounded like a band flirting with the dark side, HELL AWAITS is where the band begins to sound truly sinister and evil. Dave Lombardo's famous double bass drumming strongly came into play here, further propelling the lightspeed riffing and twisted solos of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, who would help propagate a style of carpal tunnel-inducing axework for forthcoming generations of extreme metal bands. To accompany this metal maelstrom, bassist Tom Araya appropriately growled and barked out all manner of dark lyrics, exploring the mind of a serial killer ("Kill Again"), vampires (the slower, moodier "At Dawn They Sleep") and the demented lust of a "Necrophiliac." Wisely, the band knew when to mix up their tempos and keep things from sounding homogenized. HELL AWAITS is definitely one of the '80s high water marks for both black and thrash metal.