Slayer's Reign in Blood (33 13) by Ferris D.X

Author:Ferris, D.X. [Ferris, D.X.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Continuum US
Published: 2008-06-01T05:00:00+00:00

The beginning of the album’s end required some faith and infernal inspiration. One of the Reign’s most electrifying moments faced some resistance.

On the album, “Raining Blood” opens with the sound of rain, followed by squealing guitars that sound like a mix of screaming souls and whalesong, interrupted by a rapid succession of three echoing blows. Unlike the “Angel of Death” scream, Hanneman had planned this flourish. And unlike the renowned howl, it didn’t sound so cool. Tom hated the drum intro as it appeared on Hanneman’s tape.

“He thought it sounded like someone knocking on the door,” says King. “We still make fun of it.”

On the demo, the strikes sound like they’re heralding the arrival of a maid with fresh towels. On the album, it’s a sound like Lucifer himself pounding on the gates of Hell (which is how Lombardo interprets the beats). The dull triple-tap is gone. With the right skill, vision, and guidance, the three resounding blows announce imminent doom.

Part of the effect is execution. Lombardo doesn’t just pound the floor toms 1-2-3. He makes the beat with flam taps, striking the drums with both sticks. But rather than hitting at exactly the same time, the second impact arrives a split second after the first, lending a depth to the thuds.

“It gives me chills, just talking about it,” Lombardo says. “I guess it’s maybe something Jeff envisioned, or maybe it’s something that he stumbled upon. The genius of Rubin and Andy Wallace, not taking away from the guys in the band, [is] them putting it on record and making it sound how it’s supposed to sound.”

The band don’t recall much deliberation over the track order. They always knew they’d end with “Raining Blood,” even before they knew how the song itself would end.

When Hanneman wrote the song, he envisioned a scene from a dark street or bloody back alley. The way the record was shaping up, he decided he needed a bigger backdrop for the final number. “Trapped in Purgatory,” he wrote, then described a banished soul awakened and hungry for vengeance.

King wrote the second verse, picking up on Hanneman’s title and his new direction: “Fall into me, the sky’s crimson tears / Abolish their rules made of stone.”

And, as Araya recorded vocals for the first two verses, they still needed a third.

Head steaming, King sat in the Hit City lobby, playing Galaga and meditating on the first verse. He tried to get into Hanneman’s mind, wondering where the song could go from there.

“Pierced from below,” he thought. And the conclusion flowed like an open artery, spewing images that would shape the album’s visceral cover art: “Souls of my treacherous past / Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above.”

“Raining blood,” screams Araya at the beginning of verse four—unless you want to split hairs, the song doesn’t have a real chorus. Thirteen words later, the singer utters, “Now I shall reign in blood,” like Mad Ahab threatening to strike the sun. Following a guitar frenzy, Reign in Blood closes with the pattering sounds of hellstorm.

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