Chuck Eddy's review of Slayer's Reign In Blood in Stairway to Hell

http://www.metal-sludge.com/ExposedSlayer3.jpg

Further amusement here.

Chucks comment is pretty much a standard attitude from the "old" hard rock/heavy metal crowd who grew up with the blues-based approach to "heavy rock" (the Led Zeppelin-Sabbath-Priest-Maiden school) and missed the train when metal ditched the rock 'n roll, more romanticist natured 'classic metal' and took the spirit of DRI/Minor Threat/etc to go down a deconstructivist path instead: chromatic scales, a more percussive nature, the use of vocals as an (again, mostly percussive) instrument rather than melodic high-region acrobatics.

I would say that "Reign In Blood" is the pivotal point for this - it marries the elements from the older speed metal generation (the vocals, some riffs and melodies, the 'groove' in the rhythm section, the general catchiness of the songs) which made it palatable enough to be liked by a wide audience, with the hints of things that were to to come: the out-of-control solos, the nihilistic nature of lyrics and music, the chromatic riffing, the dense riff textures, the structuralism.

The lyrics to "Reign In Blood" work best when they take a descriptive form ("Angel Of Death") rather than outspoken opinion ("Jesus Saves"). Perhaps this is what Chuck criticizes, that they didn't take it to the logical extreme of writing *all* the lyrics from the point of cold observation. I haven't read Chuck Eddy's book, from what I've heard it mostly focuses on the older hard rock/heavy metal styles circa 1970-1985 which I'm not that big a fan of...but I think I should get my hands on it someday.

It seems weird that Chuck Eddy would be complaining about something like this, is what I'm saying. He doesn't strike me as somebody overly concerned w/ an artist's true beliefs.

THE WAVES OF BLOOD ARE RUSHING NEAR, POUNDING AT THE WALLS OF LIES
TURNING OFF MY SANITY,REACHING BACK INTO MY MIND
NON-RISING BODY FROM THE GRAVE SHOWING NEW REALITY
WHAT I AM WHAT I WANT, I"M ONLY AFTER DEATH

It would have been interesting had xhuxkx had responded...

don't feel like that review is hard to understand

it's not. i was 4 beers in and looking for a thread with Reign in Blood in the title!

Discussion was p interesting imo.

Popping 'em down with codeine in my cup
Bitch I'm rolling the rillo and burning the ounce
Creep through the ground
I don't hear a sound
Burying bodies all over the town
The Satanic killer
The gripper of triggers that haunts all the rivers

I remember having to get past the Satanism thing being a struggling Fundamentalist who was close to giving up on faith and falling in love with thrash and desperately wanted to listen to Slayer. found one interview from the 90s with Araya saying he was a Catholic or something and I used that as my excuse.

but I made myself start with albums that had less Satan-y stuff in them