Hell Awaits is the second album by Slayer. It was released in March 1985 on Metal Blade Records. It is metal heresy to say this, but Hell Awaits is my favorite Slayer album. Most fans consider “ In Blood” to be the high watermark. I’ve bought a copy the day it came out. You can see pictures of the actual album in this post.
Some Interesting “Hell Awaits” Facts You Might Not Know
- The album was mixed in one night.
- Around that time, Kerry King’s hair was thinning. He came into practice one night wearing a hairpiece. He was ostracized by the band. This led to his trademark shaved head look.
- The demonic growls in the intro of the album say, “Join Us” if you play it backward. The final phrase, which is not backward but is pitch shifted says “Welcome Back“
- “Hell Awaits” was the first album a record company put up the budget to release. Show No Mercy was self-financed by the band, largely because Tom Araya had a good job at a hospital.
- These days, the band considers the production of the album to be quite poor. When asked if they would ever record or re-master it, Tom says “No, that was a snapshot of where we were in our career at the time.”
- “God Hates Us All” is the bans least favorite album. They consider the production on “Hell Awaits” to be superior.
- “Hell Awaits” and “At Dawn They Sleep” are still staples in the band’s setlist live.
- All of the music and the lyrics were written by Jeff Hannemann and Kerry King. Tom Araya did not contribute lyrically until the “South of Heaven” album.
Hell Awaits Cover, Artwork and Inner Sleeve
Listen to the Full Album Here on YouTube
GET AN AWESOME VINTAGE COPY OF HELL AWIATS HERE
Tracklisting
Side one
No. Title Lyrics Music Length
- “Hell Awaits”
- “Kill Again”
- “At Dawn They Sleep”
Side two
- “Praise of Death”
- “Necrophiliac”
- “Crypts of Eternity”
- “Hardening of the Arteries”
Credits and Other Information
Bill Metoyer – engineer
Brian Slagel – producer
Slayer – producer
Bernie Grundman – mastering
SKU: MBR 1040
Label: Metal Blade Records
Year Of Release: 1985