SLAYER — Show No Mercy (review)

Album · 1983 · Thrash Metal

4/5 · 2014-10-18
siLLy puPPy

SLAYER jumped into the mosh pit with their debut album SHOW NO MERCY. The year was 1983 and metal was wasting no time fragmenting into several strains of sub-genres. On this brutal behemoth of a debut you can hear the early 80s traditional metal sound that was fairly common for the day (with Maiden and Priest being obvious influences) taking an incremental step into the thrash world that wouldn't take full form for another few years. What we get hear is a chugging dual riffage assault from Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King that still utilizes old school metal method of songwriting but the brutality is turned up and the tuning turned down. There is emphasis on creating a more ugly and defiant atmosphere than the more party oriented glam metal that was taking metal by the horns and leading it into that direction.

Dave Lombardo kills it on the drums setting the pace that the other members have to keep up with and Tom Araya lowers the vocal range by introducing some proto-thrash styles but still retains a wailing operatic scream here and there. The album cover depicts a minotaur which SLAYER helped usher in the darker imagery of the ever expanding underground of extreme metal. Although glam acts like Motley Crue and the sub-genre defying act of Celtic Frost were flashing Satanic imagery and included it in their lyrical content, it was SLAYER who really brought the brutality to the beast and because of this album's relative popularity really catapulted extreme metal into the thrash and death worlds. Although I have always viewed SLAYER as in a sprinting race with Metallica, the former eschewed the technical classical challenges that the latter displayed and instead focused on the most intense possibilities for the day in regards to both the brutality of the sound and of the shocking imagery of lyrics. I find this first outing quite a pleasing listen and although not their absolute best, a very worthy place to begin. I have to admit that I love this album from beginning to end.

more than 2 years ago
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UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Well there´s probably a nostalgia factor to consider too, as "Live Undead" was my 3rd vinyl ever bought, and it wasn´t until a couple of years later that I got a hold of "Show No Mercy". The times were different back then, and I didn´t necessarily know of the existence of "Show No Mercy" until I stumbled upon it in a record shop (and by the time I got it, I had gotten so used to the live versions of the tracks, that I had/and still have a hard time appreciating the original studio versions). Discography sites like MMA didn´t exist. Hell...the internet was so new that it was only nerds surfing for porn and the military that had access to it. There were lots of albums I didn´t know existed until the mid- to- late nineties when the internet became accessible to us common folks.

Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I've owned Live Undead for years and years... never listen to it all that often. I'm gunna guess four times ever?

You've just inspired me to go back and check it out.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

"Live Undead" is a live in the studio type of live release/aka a "fake" live release, which Means the sound quality is sublime, but there is still a raw live energy to the tracks that´s missing from the versions on Show No Mercy. The "live" versions are also much faster, which is pretty great to my ears.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I don't check out live albums unless i hear they are worth it. Thanks for the tip, UMUR. This really is a great start for this band though :)

Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I love this album, Crionics, The Antichrist and Die By The Sword are such good fun!