Hell Awaits

"Hell Awaits" is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on April 8, 1985, by Metal Blade Records. Following the commercial success of the band's 1983 debut album "Show No Mercy", producer Brian Slagel supported the production of a second album. Unlike the debut, which was financed by the band members themselves with additional personal loans, "Hell Awaits" was co-financed by Slagel and the band, and involved producer Ron Fair, who had limited prior experience working with heavy metal artists. The album continues Slayer's use of lyrical themes involving hell, Satan, and related imagery. The intro to the title track includes a reversed recording that repeats the phrase "join us". Musically, the album is noted for longer and more complex song structures compared to the band's earlier work. Guitarist Kerry King has stated that the band was influenced at the time by Mercyful Fate, which contributed to the more progressive approach in songwriting. The production has been described as comparatively dense and less defined than the sharper sound of the follow-up album "Reign in Blood". "Hell Awaits" was generally well received by critics, who often regarded it as an improvement over "Show No Mercy" due to its darker tone and more developed production. Although it did not chart, it later became regarded as an influential early work in extreme metal. Some of its tracks were later reinterpreted by other metal artists and included in tribute releases. Recording took place following the commercial performance of "Show No Mercy", which sold approximately 40,000 copies worldwide and became Metal Blade Records' best-selling release at the time. The success encouraged Brian Slagel to fund a follow-up album. Ron Fair, who had seen Slayer perform live, was brought in as producer despite limited experience with the genre. The band also worked with engineer Bill Metoyer, who had previously collaborated with them on "Haunting the Chapel". Audio mastering was handled by Bernie Grundman, and remastering by Eddy Schreyer. The recording process included various studio effects, such as reversed audio on the intro of "Hell Awaits", which contains a distorted voice repeating "join us" and ending with "welcome back". Singer Tom Araya later commented that the production quality was modest by later standards but considered it appropriate for the time. Drummer Dave Lombardo stated that the production represented an improvement over the debut album and highlighted that the recording process was more professional. Lombardo has identified "At Dawn They Sleep" as one of his preferred tracks due to its slower sections and use of double-bass drumming. During its recording, only Araya and producer Slagel were present for certain vocal sessions, and Araya performed lyrics as written despite irregular spelling. The album artwork was created by Albert Cuellar. According to Araya, the artwork was completed quickly and depicts demonic and skeletal figures in a scene set in hell. Similar imagery has been compared by commentators to earlier comic book artwork, although these comparisons were noted after the album's release. To support the album, Slayer participated in the Combat Tour alongside Venom and Exodus. Members of Exodus described a close relationship between the touring bands, noting mutual respect and shared enthusiasm. During the tour, members of Slayer spent time socializing with Venom, including listening to "Hell Awaits" on their tour bus. An incident during the tour involving Araya and Venom vocalist Conrad "Cronos" Lant has been reported by band members, in which a drunken misunderstanding led to a physical altercation. Araya has described the event as a consequence of intoxication and inappropriate behavior and has generally declined to discuss it in detail. Retrospective reviews have often described "Hell Awaits" as one of Slayer's more experimental early works, characterized by varied tempos and complex arrangements. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic rated the album positively, describing it as ahead of its time and an important part of the band's discography. Some sources report that the album has sold over one million copies worldwide, although exact figures are not independently verified. The album has been discussed in music literature as part of Slayer's development toward a more aggressive and technically refined style. It is frequently cited as an influence on later extreme metal genres, including death metal and black metal. Musicians such as Phil Anselmo, Gene Hoglan, Frode Sivertsen, Dimebag Darrell, and Trey Azagthoth have cited the album or specific tracks as influential in their musical development. Several songs from the album, including "Hell Awaits", "Kill Again", "Praise of Death", "At Dawn They Sleep", and "Necrophiliac", have been covered by various metal bands and included on tribute compilations. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.