Band: Slayer

Slayer began as typical early-80s metal band called Dragonslayer, influenced by Maiden and Priest but started playing thrash after seeing Metallica one night. They quickly developed a faster and heavier style than any other band on the scene. Raw, demonic and blindingly fast, their first two albums showed potential but lacked the production to elevate them further. That changed with 'Reign in Blood', a 34-minute masterpiece of uncompromising thrash metal brutality that will never be bettered and set a standard of violence that remains to this day. The end of the 90s saw Slayer second only to Metallica in the hierarchy of thrash but when Lombardo left/was fired uncertaintly clouded their future for some time until Bostaph was brought into the band. 'Divine Intervention' was uneven and followed up by a hardcore punk album that continues to divide fans. The albums since then appear to show Slayer making some attempt to contemporise their sound, something that hasn't sat well with a majority of their fanbase.