Top 10 Best Slayer Albums
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Reign in Blood
You will hate me for this, but this album is perfect... for scaring someone away from metal. This is exactly how metal haters who haven't listened to metal imagine what metal is like. As someone who is generally into thrash, it is passable at points to me, but if I compare it to other extreme thrash (Kreator, Sadus, Destruction, other Slayer albums), it shows how unfinished the 2-3 minute songs feel.
Take Jesus Saves, for example. The first minute and the rest of the song don't fit together at all. It is common to start thrash songs with slow or even acoustic intros, but there is usually a proper transition. If you don't forget that Angel of Death and Raining Blood aren't the only songs on this album, what valid claim do you have that it is better than Hell Awaits?
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Seasons in the Abyss
I am not surprised to find that this is #2 on the list, even though it should be #1. Reign in Blood was a revolutionary record, and for that, it deserves to be remembered. However, the songs are simply not as good as those on Seasons.
Seasons showed the single biggest growth in the history of the band. The songwriting improved from the already great South of Heaven, and the production is perfect.
There are some standout tracks: Seasons in the Abyss, Skeletons of Society, Dead Skin Mask, and War Ensemble. However, what makes this record so special is that there is very little quality difference between the tracks. It is a classic, all killer no filler record - Slayer at their very best.
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South of Heaven
My introduction to the band. I was immediately hooked after hearing it when it was released. It has the most intense, natural yet aggressive sounding drums I have ever heard. For reference, I'm also a huge death metal fan. The songs are superb. There is actually some singing rather than just screaming going on.
This is definitely the best Slayer album! No fillers, only killers. Come on! South of Heaven, Silent Scream, Live Undead, Mandatory Suicide, Ghosts of War, Behind the Crooked Cross. You don't find so many classics anywhere else!
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Hell Awaits
For a while, I thought Reign in Blood and Seasons in the Abyss were the best Slayer could ever achieve, and the best they had ever done in their whole career because they're simply legendary thrash metal albums. But then I gave Hell Awaits a listen. It didn't quite get me at first, but after a few listens, I was hooked.
There is something about this album. Something I can't quite put my finger on. It just has a real dark and gloomy feel to it. Don't get me wrong, Slayer albums are pretty dark as thrash albums go, but this one just pushes it further. We must all admit about Reign in Blood, as good as it is, it is not versatile. With Hell Awaits, this is not the case. All the songs are quite different, and some of them are longer than the average Slayer song. Plus, I think At Dawn They Sleep is a killer song and is hands down Slayer's most underrated song.
This album noticeably suffers from poor production. Tom seems to be louder than everyone else, and the guitars sound a little fuzzy a lot of the time. But I think this helps! It adds to that hellish and dark sound, which I think makes this album so great. For that, I vote this the best Slayer album and the most underrated.
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Show No Mercy
Black Magic, Antichrist, Tormentor, Evil Has No Boundaries, Final Command... awesome. Great guitar riffs. I love Araya's voice. Show No Mercy is such a raw, old-school thrash album. Definitely my favorite, better than Reign in Blood in my opinion.
This is pure metal. This is Judas Priest turned Satanists on amphetamine. It's their purest statement of intent. And it's just a really fun album!
Their best album along with Reign in Blood. It is so heavy and has amazing songs: Tormentor, The Antichrist, Crionics, Metal Storm/Face the Slayer, and Black Magic.
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God Hates Us All
In my opinion, this is a top 3 Slayer album, along with Reign in Blood and Divine Intervention. It has energy, anger, great guitar riffs, and drums that demolish the stage.
The vocals are varied and perfectly suited to the message. It's also a fusion of several different styles. This is arguably their boldest album, while later records, made under pressure from old fans, returned to their '90s sound. "Disciple" is Slayer's best track, right up there with "Raining Blood."
I think the songwriting and the production are the best of all their albums. The vocals are a little louder in the mix, which makes the lyrics more intelligible. Paul's drums sound amazing, and his playing is as good as anything Dave ever did.
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Christ Illusion
Very underrated and much better than the previous GHUA. If I had one complaint, it would be that they could have toned down the Satanism a little bit. I prefer Slayer to sing about happier subjects such as war, death, sodomy, necrophilia, and general corruption.
Seriously underrated! Dave Lombardo returns to the band after a number of years. The one and only Slayer original lineup, on the same level as their best efforts: Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss.
Their best since Seasons in the Abyss. My favorite off this album is "Supremist." One of their greatest and most underrated Slayer albums ever! The riff near the end of the song is sublime. A true godly masterpiece.
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World Painted Blood
Great album, good mix in terms of recording. Not as thrash-oriented as Hell Awaits. However, it is a very heavy album, dark and doomy. It puts some of the new so-called "Nu generation" to shame. Guess that's why these guys are the godfathers of thrash. RIP Jeff Hanneman.
Slayer is my all-time favorite metal band, and I love most songs and most albums. I really tried to love this album, but to me, it lacked feel, groove, and catchiness. It seemed rushed and uninspired, and the songwriting was subpar for them.
This is one of the best Slayer albums. It replaces Hell Awaits in their top 5 albums, which are their first 5. "World Painted Blood," "Snuff," "Beauty Through Order," "Hate Worldwide," "Human Strain," "Psychopathy Red," "Not of This God." Absolutely godly riffs!
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Divine Intervention
Slayer's first five albums were very similar to each other, played at a single tempo.
Divine Intervention has great guitars, the drums complement the guitar section better, and the songs are more interesting instrumentally. The previous three albums have more bangers and aggressive moments, but Divine Intervention is better as a whole. For me, it's a top 3 album.
A very underrated album. Very raw with rough production. Lots of consistently good songs - no fillers. Paul Bostaph takes over Dave Lombardo's position for drumming and does a great job.
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Repentless
This album is just brilliant. As an aging metalhead and having seen Slayer a few times in the early '90s, I had not listened to their music much since Diabolus. I was on YouTube, and Repentless came up. Now I can't get enough of this album, and it has rekindled my enthusiasm for this great band.
An excellent album. I don't expect it to surpass Reign in Blood, but it is a great balance of slow and fast songs. Gary Holt does Jeff Hanneman justice, and Paul Bostaph has great drumming skills, although Dave Lombardo is missed. RIP Jeff.
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Soundtrack to the Apocalypse
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Decade of Aggression
The best live metal album of all time. Brilliant and perfect like Slayer is!
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Haunting the Chapel
Even though it's an EP, this is still one of the best. HTC is the #2 album, right under Hell Awaits and right above Show No Mercy.
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Diabolus in Musica
For once, Slayer learns how to write music without relying purely on speed and aggression. The band takes their best shots at incorporating more melody and different riffing styles into their sound. The band consequently sounds incredibly invigorated, and their new approach is very refreshing.
Refreshingly heavy and slower, Slayer established a new yet short-lived sound on Diabolus in Musica. Regardless, it remains one of their best albums.
This album is insultingly underrated and very heavy. Slayer chose to try two genres: Nu-Metal and Groove Metal. It somewhat worked for them.
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Undisputed Attitude
Such an underrated album. Should be #4 after Hell Awaits, Haunting the Chapel, and Show No Mercy. Reign in Blood is #5.
My personal favorite. Nothing like metal legends covering punk legends.