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.

History

Slayer's first few albums are sometimes regarded as promising, but a little uneven. The powerful Reign In Blood, however, has been called an "undisputed masterpiece" and has been credited with "almost single-handedly inspired the entire death metal genre (at least on the American side of the Atlantic)" while never "crossing the line into self-parodic overkill."http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:7wjqoa9abijb~T1Kerrang! described Reign as "the heaviest album of all time".

Related Topics:
Parodic - Kerrang!

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South of Heaven disappointed some fans by slowing down the tempos a bit and adding touches like acoustic guitars. Many later critics have praised the album, however, as demonstrating Slayer's desire to grow musically and avoid repeating themselves.

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Undisputed Attitude (1996) found Slayer reaffirming their love for hardcore punk, covering songs by Minor Threat, T.S.O.L., D.R.I. and others.

Related Topics:
Covering - Minor Threat - T.S.O.L. - D.R.I.

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In 1996, a lawsuit was brought against the band by the parents of Elyse Pahler, who accused the band of encouraging their daughter's murderers through their lyrics. The lawsuit was thrown out in 2001, although interestingly enough not on lack of merit but legal technicalities.

Related Topics:
1996 - Elyse Pahler - 2001

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The band received their first Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" on January 8, 2002.

Related Topics:
Grammy - January 8 - 2002

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