Excitement and anticipation has me fully in its grasp. In just four days, I'll heading to Bloodstock for three and a half days of headbanging fun. Don't worry, I'll give you a full account of the festival, over several posts, when I get back. With that in mind, I thought it would be fitting to post about two bands playing there who had albums out in 1983 and what better way to start than with the band who will be closing out the festival, Slayer.
One has to bear in mind that in 1983, things were a lot different for Slayer when they released their debut album, "Show No Mercy." They were unheard of back then, hell, it would be another two years before my knowledge of their existence came into being. On account of that, these guys were hungry and that hunger is reflected all throughout the album. Note: I will probably repeat that fact with many bands in future posts but it is unarguably true here.
"Show No Mercy" is an unbridled explosion of hunger, anger and attitude. Hard crunching guitars, thundering bass, cool guitar solos, maniac drumming and the raw vocals of Tom Araya flow through each and every song. Furthermore, I think that Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King raised the bar for bands with two guitarists trading off solos, phenomenal, although I still think they learned it watching Don Felder and Joe Walsh on "Hotel California." The songs themselves may seem stereotypical to heavy metal nowadays but then, it was groundbreaking. Just look at the titles. Satanism, violence and the occult are covered all through the album. If the PMRC existed then, this album would have been at the top of their hit list. Then when you think you've heard everything, they surprise you like the semi melodic riff that begins, "Fight Till Death." However, because of the fierce power in every song, I find it impossible to pick stand outs. Every song does that in its own right. What can be said about "Show No Mercy" is that the title of the album is perfectly accurate. Slayer show no mercy here as each song is all killer and no filler.
Track Listing:
- Evil Has No Boundaries
- The Antichrist
- Die By the Sword
- Fight Till Death
- Metalstorm/Face the Slayer
- Black Magic
- Tormentor
- The Final Command
- Crionics
- Show No Mercy
Tom Araya- bass, vocals
Kerry King- guitar
Jeff Hanneman- guitar
Dave Lombardo- drums
It has been said that "Show No Mercy" by Slayer paved the way for bands like Metallica. I tend to agree with that analysis. They might not have realised it at the time but "Show No Mercy" introduced thrash metal to an unsuspecting populace although it would take another two years before I would come to know it. No wonder the album was the Metal Blade label's best selling record by far at the time. Today, the album has got me all psyched to see Slayer at Bloodstock this year and unlike 2013, my stepson promises not to get tired before they finish. I hope they play at least one song from this album, that would be so cool.
Next post: Twisted Sister- You Can't Stop Rock and Roll
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
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