SLAYER -SEASONS IN THE ABYSS (1990)

On a 180 gram vinyl reissue from 2013 by American Recording.

Cannot tell you enough how much this record has meant to me. Before this Metallica and Megadeth especially their 80's stuff had been my gods of the Thrash Metal scene. Slayer but soon also Kreator and Sepultura showed me another side of this amazing genre.

Starting out with the classic Slayer staple War Ensemble that I had seen and heard on the European Headbanger's Ball show on MTV. Followed by the almost equality amazing Blood Red and Spirit In Black, two of the most underrated Slayer songs ever in my opinion.

Expandable Youth is a great song but the lyrics compared to the serial killer inspired following Dead Skin Mask it's clear which one I played the most on my CD that I bought in the early 90's. Actually this was bought before my two favorite Slayer records ever Hell Awaits (1985) and Reign In Blood (1986).

Hallowed Point wasn't one I played that often when the Seasons In The Abyss CD was purchased but on the following live album Decade Of Aggression (1991) I realized it was indeed a great song.

The next one Skeletons Of Society was a weird one at first. I soon enjoyed not just the opening riff but the entire song. Remember borrowing the CD to a friend at school but that fool did not like that one...

Temptation is probably the weakest song on Seasons In The Abyss still a great one though. Born Of Fire was another one that caught my ears with the live version once again with the Decade Of Aggression album.

And the ending Seasons In the Abyss song... Still almost 30 years later it's still one of the best Slayer has ever recorded in my opinion.

Remember what effect Slayer had on me as a youth. I had grown up listening to Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest and a bunch of others and was a huge fan of every band I liked but with Slayer it became a pure obsession.

They were the band that made me grow my hair long and only wear band t-shirts (even if I did that mostly before that anyway). But the band on the t-shirt became more important.

Admitted before that as a teenager I was a bit spoiled and could afford a couple of CD's every month. Being younger when I discovered Slayer I didn't have that much money so the wait for instance to buy the debut Show No Mercy (1983) felt like an eternity.

However I do believe that one gets a closer "connection" to that album one craved after became that more intense is the best way I can describe it as.

Anyway the Seasons In The Abyss record is an absolute classic and a most have in any collection. Also with the lineup I always associate whenever I think of Slayer:
Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo, Kerry King and Tom Araya.