Every Slayer Album Ranked from Worst to Best
This two-time Grammy-Award-winning thrash band was formed in California in 1981. Although the original lineup wasn’t present in every band album, the King, Hanneman, Lombardo, Araya combo was a stellar lesson of heavy metal.
It granted Slayer its position as one of the big four in world heavy music along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax.
That road to metal stardom was paved with great albums and not-so-amazing efforts. We divided them into four tiers and ordered them from worst to best.
If you want to dive into the great discography of one of the most important bands in metal history, follow our selection as a compass that will direct you straight to the best Slayer of all time.
Let’s get heavy!
The Bottom of the Bottom
Every time Slayer tried to break the mold, they obtained mixed criticism and not-so-good results. These three albums show the band venturing into territories that weren’t the most comfortable or what their fans would expect.
Although the band kept on touring, playing, recording, and gigging, these were those records that only the truest, most hardcore fans usually praise. The rest of us feel that the amazing take-no-prisoner approach that the band always had seems a little watered-down because they don’t sound confident and comfortable swimming in unknown waters.
12. Undisputed Attitude (1996)
This is a cover album. Slayer tried to reshape some of their favorite punk songs into metal vocabulary. The result is a subpar record with more misses than hits. It’s not metal or punk, but something in between.
11. Diabolus in Musica (1998)
The album is mostly influenced by the Nü Metal movement which was at its strongest in the late 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. The record is mostly tuned to C# and features dissonance and experimentation in the composition. Spin Magazine gave it 4/10, Metal Forces gave it 4/10, and the Rolling Stone Album Guide gave it 2/5.
10. Repentless (2015)
This is the last album recorded by Slayer so far. Although it is a great effort for a band with 35 years behind their backs, the result of that relentless journey and commitment to metal feels a bit flat and gray in this record with no hits or memorable moments.
The Bottom
The new millennium found Slayer going back to an old formula after the failed attempt at stepping into Nü Metal territory. Also, that was a genre that, frankly, aged very badly and it makes sense Slayer would want to return to their roots to enter the 2000s.
These 3 albums are fast, heavy, inspired, and brutal. In other words, they retain all the elements of Slayer we know and love.
9. Christ Illusion (2006)
Perhaps, the album in this tier to generate the most controversy was this 2006 effort full of classic Slayer but with twists and winks to Nü Metal’s standards. For example, The Guardian granted them 2/5 and Spin 6/10.
8. World Painted Blood (2009)
It’s hard to find another record with heavier, more menacing guitars than this album. The ferociousness of the guitars and the galloping of the band make this record a classic Slayer effort, but the lyrics, melodies, and riffs are not as memorable as other records.
7. God Hates Us All (2001)
Kerrang! Gave this album the highest qualification possible awarding 5 stars out of 5. All specialized media praised the fact that Slayer went back to that muscular raw power that made them famous and away from the intricacies and oddness of the late ‘90s.
The Middle
During this half of their career, Slayer gave us a masterclass of heavy thrash music that took them to worldwide fame. Now, this is not yet the summit of Slayer’s musical Mount Rushmore but it’s a great dose of thrash, heavy metal, and galloping beats.
Perhaps, the only thing lacking in this section of the countdown is the epic riffs and the brutal power of the best Slayer. Yet, these albums are a great sample of Slayer’s musical proficiency.
6. Divine Intervention (1994)
This album not only expresses the musical power of Slayer, but it also depicts exactly what kind of band they are. In the middle of the Grunge revolution, they chose to stay true to their own sound instead of transforming into the heavy version of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Stone Temple Pilots.
5. Show No Mercy (1983)
Slayer’s debut album broke all the records Metal Blade Records had by then. The label was selling an average of 5,000 copies per release. Slayer took that number to 20,000 units. You can hear the Slayer sound but it’s still in an embryonic state.
4. Hell Awaits (1985)
This record marks the arrival of these metal legends to music professionalism. They were paying for their own albums, working with no producers, and having a limited reach. This was the record that was going to break those boundaries. That said, what brings it to this tier instead of higher is the intricacies, the complexity, and the progressive, long nature of the songs. You can hear they were looking for Slayer but hadn’t found it yet.
The Top
In the four years that separate 1986 and 1990, Slayer gave us the best records of their career. It isn’t a coincidence that they started working with master record producer Rick Rubin in 1986. That fruitful relationship lasted for nine albums and gave the band some of their most memorable records.
Although Slayer isn’t a band like AC-DC that remained close to its roots throughout their career, the foundations for what we know and love as Slayer formed in these four years. These records are the cornerstone of Slayer’s sonic empire and are the core of their sound. If you want to hear them at their best, this is where you must start looking.
3. South of Heaven (1988)
This album features a different side of Slayer to their fans of the moment. For this record, the band deliberately slowed the tempo and experimented with clean guitars and melodic vocals. Although some people found it unappealing and disappointing, most fans still love this record. For Tom Araya, it’s a “late bloomer”.
2. Seasons in the Abyss (1990)
This was the last effort by the original formation before Dave Lombardo returned to the band in 2006. Also, it is, perhaps, the record that showcases all of Slayer’s abilities in a single record. Also, it has the sound, clarity, and punch you can expect from a big-label effort making the typical brutality of Slayer’s sound stand out with more transparency and precision.
1. Reign in Blood (1986)
This album by Slayer is a heavy metal masterclass and it is considered to be one of the best thrash metal albums of all time by The Rolling Stone Magazine. It came out in the sixth position in their 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time listing. The spots above were only taken by bands the size of Metallica, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.
But that’s not all, it is also the first effort in which Rick Rubin was involved as a producer. The result is nothing other than the crispy transparency and relentless commitment to excellence of a young producer being matched by the band’s energy. Slayer’s name and status in the world are largely cemented on this record. If you want to dive deep into Slayer, this is the album that works as the entrance to the rabbit hole that can take you all the way to Slayer’s fantasy land.
