(Still) Still Reigning

October 7th marked the 25th anniversary of the release of Slayer's seminal album Reign in Blood. I, and thousands of other metalheads, regard this record as not only a historical milestone in heavy metal history, but a completely fucking awesome record that, had it existed when NASA was shooting cultural artifacts into deep space, could've been the sole musical cargo.

I think Seasons in the Abyss was the first Slayer record I heard, and I still have incredibly strong youthful memories of "War Ensemble," "Dead Skin Mask," and "Seasons in the Abyss." Reign in Blood, however, is a monolithic memory. Kyle, our neighbor in middle school- and to this day, good buddy- had the tape, which he lent to me and my brother, seemingly forever. Back then (this is 1993, I'd say) our parents left for work before we caught the bus to school, which meant that we had somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour most mornings to crank up the stereo, make lame calls to Z-Rock (106.9 KKZR), and do other juvenile shit, like try to make napalm from gasoline and styrofoam peanuts. The album I remember listening to most was Reign in Blood, blasted at a volume no stereo I've had since could achieve, because nobody seems to make three-foot-tall speakers anymore (and, of course, memory inscribes the past with legendary features that the present could never hope to equal).

Still, Reign in Blood isn't merely a nostalgia piece. I've been listening to it on a pretty regular basis for almost 20 years, and it's still killer. I don't remember where I read it, but someone, possibly numerous someones, described it as "twenty-five minutes between 'Angel of Death' and 'Raining Blood'." I think that does the album a disservice, as almost all of the other songs are awesome, particularly "Altar of Sacrifice," and "Jesus Saves." The former is still one of the most evil-sounding songs I think I've ever heard; the way it moves from a sense of victimized panic to Satanic-priest-triumphalism remains unnerving, to the point where I can understand why parents would freak out if they caught their kids listening to it. "Jesus Saves" has a great buildup and a riff that any metal band would kill to have written.

You know what? Enough of this. If you're a metal fan, you already know what I'm talking about. If you're not, go buy a copy. Reign in Blood doesn't feel 25 years old; it feels timeless. And that cover art is untouchable.

Thanks, Slayer.