Slayer
15 vinyl records found
Slayer formed in Huntington Park in 1981 and became one of the four pillars of thrash metal, defined by extreme speed and aggression. Their catalog spans from raw early work through the widely cited classic Reign in Blood to their final album Repentless, making them essential collecting territory for anyone serious about the genre.
About Slayer
Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman built Slayer's sound on precise, punishing riffwork and unrelenting tempo changes that separated them from their thrash contemporaries Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Tom Araya's vocals cut through the noise with clarity despite the chaos around him. The band's lyrical subjects—serial killers, fascism, war, occultism—and provocative artwork generated consistent controversy, from album bans to lawsuits, but this directness became part of their identity rather than a hindrance.
Reign in Blood arrived in 1986 as a concise thirty-minute statement that collectors and musicians still reference as pivotal to thrash metal's development. The band sustained their output through lineup changes, with Paul Bostaph taking over drums and Gary Holt joining as permanent guitarist after Hanneman's 2013 death. Their Grammy wins in 2007 and 2008 for tracks from Christ Illusion marked late-career recognition from the broader music industry, though their influence had been undeniable for decades. Slayer completed a farewell tour and disbanded in 2019, though they've returned for occasional performances starting in 2024.
The Groove Hunter currently tracks 9 editions of Slayer vinyl across the catalog, including pressings of Reign In Blood, Seasons In The Abyss, Hell Awaits, and the limited-edition Slayer Hell Awaits 40th Anniversary Blood Filled Liquid variant limited to 666 copies, alongside reissues like Diabolus In Musica and The Repentless Killogy.
