And now, to quote an old Bryan Adams album title: "You want it, you got it!" By popular demand and for your entertainment, we present the Kerry King Quartet, with their very popular symphony for guitar, bass, drum and scream, "Reign in Blood", in Arrrrgghhh! Minor.
May the lord have mercy upon my poor ears!
Title: Reign in blood
Artiste: Slayer
Year: 1986
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: None, and I doubt I ever will again
Why is this considered a classic? Supposedly one of the big thrash metals albums of all time and the one that put Slayer on the map yadda yadda yadda...
My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Meh
Finished --- Meh
Comments: Oh holy good
fuck! Well, I promised I'd do it and I can't show fear in the face of The Batlord, so here goes... Uh, what? The guy is not a growler? I assumed... oh hold on here a moment. Have I been misinformed? You know, I started with the amp down really low and I'm as surprised as anyone to be inching it back up a little. I'm as amazed as you to be saying this, but
fuck if this is not too bad! Nowhere near as unintelligible as I had expected, certainly a lot more accessible than I was led to believe!
That is one
FUCK of a solo by Kerry King at the end of "Angel of death"! No wonder The Batlord wanted him on his quest! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read his journal). Sorry for the language but I think it's merited when you're dealing with a band like this. Sound is pretty raw, and it's not really the kind of thing I'd be into but it's a whole lot better than Venom. After reviewing
their albums for my NWOBHM article my ears were ringing for days. This is, not quite soothing compared to that but a lot easier on the ears.
That said, it's kind of passing by me without making any impression. I certainly wouldn't listen to this for fun or entertainment. But it's not the ordeal I had expected. Given that, it's also not a sudden revelation for me, and I won't be becoming a fan of Slayer any time soon.
Favourite track(s): Neither of these apply. I neither love nor hate any of this album; it just didn't make any real impression on me, tracks-wise.
Least favourite track(s):
Final impression --- Glad my ears are still attached to my head, but definitely not for me. Hope you're all happy now.
Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
I'd say B, except I'm glad I at least now know what Slayer sound like. But given that, then probably E.