Slayer Songs Ranked

Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo, and bassist and vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer’s fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Slayer’s final lineup comprised King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt. Drummer Jon Dette was also a member of the band.
In the original lineup, King, Hanneman, and Araya contributed to the band’s lyrics, and all of the band’s music was written by King and Hanneman. The band’s lyrics and album art, which cover topics such as murder, serial killers, torture, genocide, human experimentation, Satanism, hate crimes, terrorism, religion, antireligion, Nazism, racism, war, and prison, have generated album bans, delays, lawsuits, and criticism from religious groups and factions of the general public. However, its music has been highly influential, often being cited by many bands as an influence musically, visually, and lyrically; the band’s third album, Reign in Blood (1986), was described as one of the heaviest and most influential thrash metal albums.
Slayer released twelve studio albums, two live albums, a box set, six music videos, two extended plays, and a cover album. Four of the band’s studio albums have received gold certification in the United States. The band has received five Grammy Award nominations, winning one in 2007 for the song “Eyes of the Insane” and one in 2008 for the song “Final Six”, both of which were from the album Christ Illusion (2006). Between 1991 and 2013, the band sold five million albums in the United States. Here are all of Slyer’s songs ranked.

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20. Spirit in Black (Seasons in the Abyss, 1990)

“This song has the best solo from any Slayer song in my opinion, it should be in the top 5. I could describe every part of what is awesome about this song, but then I’d just be describing everything!”

19. Die by the Sword (Show No Mercy, 1983)

“Here is the proof that Slayer (don’t know which guitarist) can come up with a great solo. Maybe not mind blowing but great. This song doesn’t get anywhere near the recognition it deserves, absolute classic!”

18. At Dawn They Sleep (Hell Awaits, 1985)

“f you can stand mediocre sound, Hell Awaits is really second only to Reign in Blood in Slayer’s catalogue, and at times will make you question even that. And this song is really the highlight. It embodies everything great about the album, from the evil riffs, to the progressive movement of the song, and, as per usual, a great drum performance by Dave Lombardo, highlighted by the solo in this song. Its amazing how Slayer/Dave can fit drum solos into evil, Hellish songs and make it work. Kudos to Slayer, andve sure to check out the whole album. Belongs in the metal Pantheon in my book.”

17. Spill the Blood (South of Heaven, 1988)

“All the atmosphere of Seasons but with a more villainous riff and a more haunting melody. Easily makes the top 15 in my book, but apparently I’m crazy, cause nobody else seems to think that.”

See more: Slayer Albums Ranked

16. Metal Storm / Face the Slayer (Show No Mercy, 1983)

“Awesome badass intro followed with delicate riffing and epic lyrics just an all round epic song from their first album also drums are killer in this one which has many tempo changes and beat changes”

15. Postmortem (Reign in Blood, 1986)

“The intro is amazing and the riff is just as good as raining blood’s riff not to mention the instruments in the background… Its definitely one of slayer’s best songs”

14. Jihad (Christ Illusion, 2006)

“The shimmering of the high hat at the start is what got me hooked and the rhythm of the vocals is just addictive, definitely in my top 5 slayer songs, I can’t believe its not higher. I think this song is way better than most of the songs in the top ten in my opinion.”

13. Skeletons of Society (Seasons in the Abyss, 1990)

“Chorus-centred song with a weak chorus, melody-oriented without having a strong melody, while does not even have the speed or aggression of other Slayer songs. Highlights the problems of Seasons in the Abyss (the album, not the song)”

12. Mandatory Suicide (South of Heaven, 1988)

“The most underrated Slayer song. Great song but definitely NOT underrated. It’s been played at pretty much every show since it was written”

11. World Painted Blood (World Painted Blood, 2009)

“Absolutely mind-blowing slayer song.. Check this one out for sure and the rest of the album it’s all amazing. I love the guitar background during the solo. Absolutely amazingly heavy.”

10. Chemical Warfare (Show No Mercy, 1983)

“Great song, the riff, the vocals, the solos, the anger, the rage, vote for this song or you’ll find yourself where the sleeping souls lie… Chemical warfare”

9. Dead Skin Mask (Seasons in the Abyss, 1990)

“Best slayer track out of all the lot. The lyrics “Dance with the dead in my dreams” is the ultimate contribution for the mask that Ed Gein created, and that’s how he killed his victims. He danced with them first, then ripped off their heads then their faces and used them as his mask. The outro to the song is quite epic too.”

8. Disciple (God Hates Us All, 2001)

“A song so angry and blistering, this will scare the limbs off mainstream pop fans! This song maybe can instigate and free minds of pop fans. Anyways, this song has loudness, heaviness, chaos, and pure ANGER! Somewhat reminiscent of death metal (cookie-monster music according to Slayer) to be honest. Tom sounds like he is angrily abusing his larynx by yelling lyrics into a megaphone, Jeff and Kerry totally ABUSE and TORTURE their guitars, while Paul beats up his drums. Awesome song!”

7. Hell Awaits (Hell Awaits, 1985)

“This song is insane. Relentless guitar work, a very sinister intro, and Tom does some fast vocals on it. Pure relentless aggressive thrash metal. Exactly what Slayer is known for.”

6. Black Magic (Show No Mercy, 1983)

“This song is epic not because it is evil like raining blood but because it represents the struggle of good or evil. The main character of the song comes out in the beginning talking about how he has been betrayed and is now fighting to not become a pawn of satan. But in the end he is still struck down.”

See more: Black Label Society Albums Ranked

5. War Ensemble (Seasons in the Abyss, 1990)

“This is, in my book, the absolute best song in the Slayer catalog. It’s got everything. Fast riffs, fast solos, extremely difficult fast drumming, fast bass, intense vocals. It has a tasteful breakdown mid song that just increases everything about the song. Difficult song!”

4. South of Heaven (South of Heaven, 1988)

“This song on the Unholy Alliance DvD with Jeff Hanneman striking his guitar down in the main riff was the moment that made me play guitar! I’ll never forget that moment and thanks to Jeff Hanneman I picked up the greatest instrument ever and learned to pour my emotion into music! Thank you Hanneman you will always be the reason I play guitar and always be a part of one of the most important and meaningful moments in my life”

3. Seasons in the Abyss (Seasons in the Abyss, 1990)

“In my opinion one of their few, if not their only good song. It’s amazing when these guys actually slow it down so the song has a distinctive tune. Much better than rubbish like angel of death, the drumming from Lombardo is legendary, one of the best drum performances of all time. Great tempo transitions too, with an awesome riff!”

2. Angel of Death (Reign in Blood, 1986)

Raw, relentless, and demonic thrash metal at its finest. In regards to what Slayer has always done best, “Angel of Death” is a more pure example than “Raining Blood”, though both are true classics in their own rights.”

1. Raining Blood (Raining Blood, 1986)

“If you are young and weren’t around when Slayer first started putting out albums, maybe Raining Blood is the first song you heard so it is “special to you” or something, and you thereby think it is the best. If you are old enough to have been around when Slayer first started then you probably have a different perspective, that being that no way on God’s green earth is Raining Blood the best.