Slayer was one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics deal with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of hell. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chops paint an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side; this correspondence has helped Slayer's music hold up arguably better than the remaining Big Three '80s thrash outfits (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax). Naturally, Slayer has stirred up quite a bit of controversy over the years, with rumors flying about Satanism and Nazism that have only added to their mystique. Over the years, Slayer put out some high-quality albums, one undisputed classic (Reign in Blood), and saw the numbers of naysayers and detractors shrinking as their impact on the growing death metal movement was gradually and respectfully acknowledged. Slayer survived into the 1990s with arguably the most vitality and the least compromise of any pre-Nirvana metal band, and their intensity still inspires similar responses from their devoted fans.

Though Araya has never used the low “grunt” vocal style usually associated with death metal, Slayer’s music (most notably on the albums Hell Awaits (1985) and Reign in Blood (1986)) are generally regarded as having exerted a major influence on death metal and black metal. Moreover, Reign in Blood was the first of many albums to be produced by well-known and respected Def Jam Co-Founder, Rick Rubin.

They have had many run-ins with controversy. Many religious groups fight to get their music banned, resulting in their latest release “Christ Illusion” being pulled in India. Even worse, their album “God Hates Us All” was released on Sept. 11, 2001. All posters promoting the album and release date were quickly removed.
The video for their song “ Eyes Of The Insane” was released on october 30, 2006. The song won a Grammy-award for “Best Metal Performance” on February 11, 2007.

There are rumours revolving around Slayer deciding whether or not to retire from the musical profession as many of the band members are either “too old” or just “can’t be bothered for studios”, but on their official website they are saying they will still make thrash as hard as ever for years to come.

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