Owing my fondness for Thrash music in general to SLAYER I was left with no choice but to follow the band religiously. Hell Awaits hit the stores and was swallowed up in huge droves by salivating fans worldwide. Thrash music was still an emerging phenom and I was one of the first in line upon seeing the album displayed at my local record store. The albums's intro alone was enough to remind me that SLAYER were a dark and brooding bunch.
The album opens with the title track which is one of the best SLAYER tunes of all time. But I'll levy my criticism right now since I homed in on it as soon as the strumming began. The production. Oh dear, the beginnings of Rick Rubin syndrome were perfectly set in motion. Now most of you who have been interested in this type of music for as long as I have will undoubtedly know what I'm talking about. It needs little mention. Those guitars....just how did SLAYER go from those heavy and clean scathing guitars to these muddy, sick sounding things? It was clear after Haunting The Chapel that something was happening in the production department but how did they let this happen? I won't harp in excess about this because the material itself is solid but it did effect my final rating. Some of the classics are found right on this album. From the awesome opener to "Kill Again" to "Praise of Death", Hell Awaits is one searing album. If it weren't for the poor efforts of Rick Rubin (who would later produce a much better follow up album) this might have been as good as anything the band has ever done. I think the final track leaves a little something to be desired but again, the production didn't help a whole lot either. Still, an album I play from time to time.
Available at: Amazon.com
