D. X. Ferris - Slayers Reign in Blood

Reign in Blood

Praise for the series:

It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch. The series is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebrationThe New York Times Book Review

Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just arent enoughRolling Stone

One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planetBookslut

These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerdsVice

A brilliant serieseach one a work of real loveNME (UK)

Passionate, obsessive, and smartNylon

Religious tracts for the rock n roll faithfulBoldtype

[A] consistently excellent seriesUncut (UK)

We arent naive enough to think that were your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, youd do well to check out Continuums 33 1/3 series of books.Pitchfork

For reviews of individual titles in the series, please visit our website at www.continuumbooks.com and 33third.blogspot.com

Also available in this series:

Dusty in Memphis by Warren Zanes

Forever Changes by Andrew Hultkrans

Harvest by Sam Inglis

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by Andy Miller

Meat Is Murder by Joe Pernice

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn by John Cavanagh

Abba Gold by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Electric Ladyland by John Perry

Unknown Pleasures by Chris Ott

Sign O the Times by Michaelangelo Matos

The Velvet Underground and Nico by Joe Harvard

Let It Be by Steve Matteo

Live at the Apollo by Douglas Wolk

Aqualung by Allan Moore

OK Computer by Dai Griffiths

Let It Be by Colin Meloy

Led Zeppelin IV by Erik Davis

Armed Forces by Franklin Bruno

Exile on Main Street by Bill Janovitz

Grace by Daphne Brooks

Murmur by J. Niimi

Pet Sounds by Jim Fusilli

Ramones by Nicholas Rombes

Endtroducing by Eliot Wilder

Kick Out the Jams by Don McLeese

Low by Hugo Wilcken

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Kim Cooper

Music from Big Pink by John Niven

Pauls Boutique by Dan LeRoy

Doolittle by Ben Sisario

Theres a Riot Goin On by Miles Marshall Lewis

Stone Roses by Alex Green

Bee Thousand by Marc Woodworth

The Who Sell Out by John Dougan

Highway 61 Revisited by Mark Polizzotti

Loveless by Mike McGonigal

The Notorious Byrd Brothers by Ric Menck

Court and Spark by Sean Nelson

69 Love Songs by LD Beghtol

Songs in the Key of Life by Zeth Lundy

Use Your Illusion I and II by Eric Weisbard

Daydream Nation by Matthew Stearns

Trout Mask Replica by Kevin Courrier

Double Nickels on the Dime by Michael T. Fournier

Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm by Shawn Taylor

Aja by Don Breithaupt

Rid of Me by Kate Schatz

Achtung Baby by Stephen Catanzarite

If Youre Feeling Sinister by Scott Plagenhoef

Lets Talk About Love by Carl Wilson

Swordfishtrombones by David Smay

20 Jazz Funk Greats by Drew Daniel

Horses by Philip Shaw

Master of Reality by John Darnielle

D.X. Ferris

2008

The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc

80 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038

The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd

The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX

www.continuumbooks.com

33third.blogspot.com

Copyright 2008 by D.X. Ferris

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers or their agents.

Cover art reprinted courtesy SonyBMG Music Entertainment Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer waste recycled paper

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ferris, D. X.

Reign in blood / D.X. Ferris.

p. cm. -- (33 1/3)

Includes bibliographical references.

eISBN 978-1-4411-8349-1

1. Slayer (Musical group) 2. Rock musicians--United States. 3. Slayer (Musical group) Reign in blood. I. Title. II. Series.

ML421.S612F47 2008

782.421660922--dc22

2008014589

1986, Slayer in the studio with Reign producer Rick Rubin, at Hit City West, Los Angeles. Top left: Rubin. Bottom, L to R: Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo, Tom Araya, Kerry King. Photo Glen E. Friedman (www.BurningFlags.com).

2004, Slayer, covered in (fake) blood, after performing Reign in Blood in its entirety, as captured for the Still Reigning DVD. Photo by Kevin Estrada.

In memory of Professor Emeritus Ronald Forsythe, Nora Ferris, Lorna Ferris, Dave Moran, Vera Lehane, Dr. Bernard De Filippo, Vincent Roskovensky, and Sumner J. Ferrissorry theres no index, dad; it wasnt my call.

Singular instruction and consultation: Alan Natali.

Thanks for planting seeds and opening doors: James G. Lakely, Bill Bennett, Greg Christiansen, Aaron Burgess, Jason Bracelin, Jason Pettigrew, Mike Shea, Pete Kotz, and Dan LeRoy.

Real music people if Ive ever met any: Stigma, Michael Gallucci, and Sluggo.

Many kind people helped with this book; none of them had to. Thanks to everyone in the following pages, twice, at least. Slayer. Rick Rubin. Andy Wallace. Heidi Ellen Robinson-Fitzgerald. Julie Arkenstone. Eleanor Logan. The Three Kings of Metal Collectors: Spahr Schmitt, Jamie Walters, and Tony Alberts. Niklas the Slayer Collector (http://go.to/slayercollector). Paul at Slayerized.com. Bill Peters. Matt Wardlaw. Jeff Lamm. Chris Bade. Maria Ferrero. Gabrielle Allen. Gabriella Page-Fort. Mike Palone. Jerry Graham. George Vallee. Betsey Cichoracki. Carl Schultz. Loana dP. Valencia. Tresa Sanders. Charles Elliot. Tom Wojcik. David Giffels. Dave Brenner. Mark Price. Dan Muro. Borders #63 (the general public doesnt deserve you). Bill Adler. Danny Marianinho. Kevin Berve at Reel Efx, and Anthony T.J. Scaglionesorry your chapters didnt fit; they were good ones. Stacy Gueraseva. Whoever put together the