Slayer

Slayer is an American thrash metal group, founded in Huntington Park (not Huntington Beach as has often been reported), California in 1982 by Tom Araya (bass guitar, vocals), Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman (guitars) and Dave Lombardo (drums). Lombardo has been in and out of the group several times, but the others have remained constant. Hanneman and King are the group's main songwriters.

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Slayer (along with Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and others) are often credited with creating American thrash metal, by speeding up the sound of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Venom. Slayer were great fans of hardcore punk, influenced by the likes of Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys and The Misfits, and borrowed some of that music's emphasis on extremely fast tempos in many of their songs.

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Slayer have found moderate commercial success, and are known for their devoted cult following. Their lyrics and album art content (such as violence, serial killers, warfare and Satan) have occasionally generated strong criticism. The band has also been accused of holding Nazi sympathies, primarily due to the misunderstanding of the lyrics of the song "Angel of Death" from the Reign in Blood album. The lyrics were inspired by the grisly acts of Josef Mengele, the doctor who committed scientific atrocities on Jewish and gypsy prisoners during World War II, and who was dubbed the "Angel Of Death" by the concentration camp inmates.

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Though Araya has never used the low "grunt" vocal style usually associated with death metal, Slayer's music (most notably on the albums Hell Awaits (1985) and Reign in Blood (1986)) are generally regarded as having exerted a major influence on death metal and black metal. Moreover, Reign in Blood was the first of many albums to be produced by well-known and respected Def Jam Co-Founder, Rick Rubin.

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The band is working on their long-awaited new full-length album that may be released sometime in 2006, according to a Slayer fan site. It is going to be the follow-up to 2001's God Hates Us All.

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American: :This page disambiguates the many uses of American. For an article about those various uses, please see Use of the word American....

Thrash metal: Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music....

Huntington Park: Huntington Park can refer to:...

Slayer related Images and Photos (experimental)

Slayer	Slayer	Slayer - Bone Shield	Slayer, Eagle T-shirt
Slayer - Silver Eagle	Slayer - World Painted Blood CD	Slayer Eagle Fabric Poster Wall Hanging	Slayer Unholy Alliance Fabric Poster Wall Hanging
Slayer God Hates Us All Fabric Poster Wall Hanging	Slayer Divine Intervention Fabric Poster Wall Hanging	Hybrid Dragon Slayer Cold Cast Bronze Statue	Beowulf Monster Slayer Polyresin Bust