Over the course of a career spanning nearly 35 years Slayer have re-sculpted metal.

The band formed in 1981 and quickly gained a cult following before exploding into the wider consciousness with their 1986 album Reign In Blood. With a penchant for extreme lyrical content and aggressively loud, unfeasibly fast songs they inspired a generation of bands.

Through a string of exceptional, groundbreaking releases the band have torn their way into the metal zeitgeist. They’ve become a by-word for extreme music, a pop-culture phenomenon existing firmly outside of what most would consider pop.

Courting controversy with their punishing sonic assault and winning over the ears of some of music’s most fastidious critics all in the same breath. Their musicality is a result of a relationship defined by loyalty, precision and perfectionism. You can read more about their committed working relationship in our recent cover feature.

This kinship of the band’s core members is central to their continuing success and their latest album Repentless continues their steadfast legacy as, perhaps, the most iconic extreme metal band of all time.

Here, we recount the vital recordings that brought Slayer to Repentless.

Aggressive Perfector from Metal Massacre III

1983

When Metal Blade Records’ Bob Slagel saw Slayer performing cover versions at a local bar, he asked the band to contribute to his upcoming Metal Massacre III compilation. This raw, hastily-recorded offering exemplifies the band’s baby steps.

Angel Of Death from Reign In Blood

1986

The opening salvo of the greatest metal album of all time: Hanneman’s chilling imagery, Araya’s harrowing scream and a double-bass fill from Lombardo which changed the way drummers approached their instrument. Untouchable.

War Ensemble from Seasons In The Abyss

1990

While Seasons In The Abyss’s creeping title track became a Slayer staple, the opener is one of their most ferociously powerful constructions, complete with an unerringly told narrative which surmised the horrors of the first Gulf War.

213 from Divine Intervention

1994

Nestled amongst the embittered Divine Intervention album was what Araya described as that most unlikely of things: a Slayer ‘love song’; it was, in fact, a tale of fatal lust written from the perspective of prolific serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Bloodline from God Hates Us All

2001

As close as you’ll get to a Slayer ‘hit’, this single came with a sinister but memorable chorus and relatively slick video – featuring the band doused in blood, of course – introducing Slayer’s confrontational front to a new generation.

Jihad from Christ Illusion

2006

A zenith in Slayer’s mission statement to inhabit humanity at its most uninhabitable, Jihad approached the 9/11 bombings through the eyes of the bombers. An intriguing exercise in creative expression, it unsurprisingly caused shockwaves.

Chasing Death from Repentless

2015

As Slayer emerge from a period of brutal turmoil, Chasing Death is Kerry King’s embittered open letter to his lost bandmate Jeff Hanneman, and the addictions which caused his demise. Self-referential and gut- wrenchingly honest – Slayer 2.0 incarnate.

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