I learned about the Holocaust in public school back in the 70s...probably 5th or 6th grade. Soon as I saw this song title for the first time, I knew it was about Mengele.
*They're not endorsing or encouraging these atrocities. They're explaining how fucked up those atrocities are. A lot of Slayer songs are written from the perspective of some pretty evil people.. not because they agree with it but because they want to call them out for it.*
Slayer is my top of the big four, but only because I'm a drummer. The importance of Dave Lombardo's double bass footwork, and how it changed and influenced metal drumming, cannot be overstated. Additionally, he was the only metal drummer in that era that brought syncopation and volume dynamic into his tom work. He was just so incredibly influential that's its almost absurd. Metal drumming, and specifically double strokes on the bass drum, would not be what it is today without Dave Lombardo and Pete "Commando" Sandoval from Morbid Angel. These guys invented the techniques that are now standard in metal drumming.
LOMBARDO = Godfather of Double Bass - ultimate beast - force of nature SANDOVAL is the only drummer who may have been faster in his time... super quick, very precise, but without as much elemental natural power. Both are just GODS
Lombardo still played with feeling, soul, dynamics. Most drummers in this genre sound like a computer. Fast? Precise? yes. But it's soulless. Lombardo still managed to sound like the next evolution of the old rock and metal drummers who were inspired by the Jazz and Big Band greats. And I HAVE to add, Lombardo's fills still had FLAVOR man. Not just speeding around the drums, but fast but with flavor.
Josep Mengele was dubbed the “angel of death” for his horrific experimental surgeries he performed during the holocaust. I did some self Slayer surgery tonight!!! SLAYER!!! 🤘
The song is about Joseph Mengele and his "medical" experiments he performed. It's not meant to be taken as them speaking positively about him. You're 100% ok to jam out to this.
This was 1986 and was definitely one of the most pushing when it came to dark lyrics. Sure you had Venom and Bathory kicking off Black Metal around the same time, but Slayer were one of the first real Big acts that pushed into that heavy of lyrical subject matter. Heavy subject matter for Heavy music almost never fails for me.
Slayer OWNS everything. Hanneman wrote the lyrics for this song. His dad brought home plenty of handpicked ww2 memorabilia and Jeff inherited it, creating a fascination for the time period, in him.
Slayer: Bloodline, Criminally Insane, Dead Skin Mask, Jesus Saves, Necrophobic, Piece by Piece, Pride Against Prejudice, Postmortem, Repentless, War Ensemble & You Against You.
The late great Jeff Hanneman, guitarist, was a student of history. If you look at a lot of the old school metal, it's all based on warfare and atrocities, but it's because they're pissed off about how fucked up humanity can be.
Yeah it just doesn't get better. I mean on a technical level Seasons is their best production but nothing beats the raw power and tone of Reign In Blood.
Nothing is racist about this...Unfortunately nowadays even telling the FACTs has become something which people are afraid of...!! Do not hesitate to Express your opinions and don't let anything or anyone to censor you.!! By the way please give European bands more chance...bands like Kreator, Sodom, Marduk, Mayhem, dismember, Hypocrisy, Crematory, Bloodbath, Burzum, Darkthrone, Satirycon, Benediction, Napalm Death and more...!!
@@lokihammerfall7781 you know I wouldn't go about insulting people's intelligence right after being called out for promoting an actual neo-Nazi ... That too on a video reaction to a song that reminds us how terrible that stuff was. 🤦♂️
The album came out in 1986 and to this day you'd be hard pressed to find a more brutal album that has this level of excellency and polished studio recording. Sure you can find guys just screaming all the time and sounding like their stuff was recorded in a garage, but this 35 years later, is still one of the most brutal album ever made. The song generated much controversy at the time because people thought at first that Slayer were glorifying the nazis, but Slayer members did explain that they read these books about the holocaust and were just trying to put it into songs, like if you want, a history course told by the way of extreme metal. If you listen to the lyrics it is clear they are by no way condoning it: Infamous butcher, sickening ways to achieve the holocaust, helpless victims. The lyrics make it very clear they're not endorsing the nazis and you guys are right. They wouldn't be such a big group today if they were nazi lovers and they surely wouldn't be friends with megadeth or metallica as both mustain, marty friedman (who is Jewish) and Hetfield and Kirk Hammmett are all big friends of the Jewish people and strong Yisrael supporters. So no, they're not nazis and this is not a pro nazi song. The album it comes from, the 1986 Reign in Blood is absolutely timeless. You could play it today and it would sound as if it was recorded yesterday. There is no musical cues to tell you it is from 1986. A true timeless classic.
Been a metal fan since the 90's and I've still never heard anything like Angel of Death, even after hearing plenty of the harder stuff like death metal, etc. The beginning of this song is the musical equivalent of just pure condensed, adrenaline fueled all-out rage, brutality and intensity like nothing else. The musical dynamics, especially the drumming are simply phenomenal, and Araya's screams and harsh vocals are simply amazing. Never heard anything else that compares to it. The whole album is great of course, but this song, Piece by Piece and Raining Blood are my favorites.
This song like most of their songs are talking about evil, dark atrocities of life. I read an interview with Tom and Kerry that not every band can sing about sunshine and daisies, cause the world isn't like that. They said somebody has to sing about the bad in the world and that their music is definitely not for everyone. In fact they said if it was, they would be scared. But anyways I love Slayer so much that Ive got their logo tattooed on my arm. I just wish they didn't retire cause they are so awsome live in concert.
The mid-song guitar riff must be one of the most iconic and recognizable riffs in metal. I think many others sampled it later, eg public enemy in "she watch channel zero" czcams.com/video/gtkQGG8vlPA/video.html . And Slayer were definately accused of being racists and nazi's because of this song (I think it was also in the middle of the "Satanic Panic" during the 80's, which didn't help). People just didn't understand it is a cold statement of facts that actually happened. That's the real horror here.
Came here to mention She Watch Chennel Zero, Slayer and Public Enemy were both on Def Jam records, which is where the collab came from. Metal and hip hop were teaming up way back in the 80s
@@Owlyross consider this: "Reign In Blood" "License To Ill",and "Raising Hell" were all recorded in the same studios,in the same six month span. Must have been the coolest place on earth for six months.
@@jeffreycherep8264 I know, amazing isn't it? Think the guys in those bands had similar anti establishment ethos to the rap guys coming through at the time, so the team ups kinda make sense
Slayer has always been my favorite band since the day I heard them when I was 12 or 13. Always liked them over Metallica, but am a huge Metallica fan too. But I have to admit, when it comes to the Big 4, Metallica easily takes the top spot. Slayer number 2, Megadeth number 3 and honestly, I would never mention Anthrax in the presence of those other three, but I do recognize they were pioneers of thrash metal. They are a good band. I just never put them in the same category, interest or talent, as these other three. Back in the day, I probably would have put Testament or Exodus there. Nowadays, I don't even know who it would be. Violence was a badass band, but never got big enough to be considered over Anthrax.
Back then there was no doubt about Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax as the so called Big Four. Mainly because they were the first, who were "branded" as Thrash Metal (and you cannot listen to Anthrax's "Spreading the disease" album without calling it Thrash Metal ;-) ) Testament were more the start of the second wave, imo, together with the great german Thrash bands like Kreator, Destruction, Sodom. Exodus was pretty early, too, but somehow (and sadly) they never really reached the level of success of the other four. And speaking of success: We always forget the true inventors ANVIL!!!!
@@strogaa Good point. I guess the title was based on success. I liked Anthrax, but they were nothing special to me. With bands like Testament and Exodus, I liked way more. Even Nuclear Assault. Anthrax was always just, eh to me. But yes, no doubt they were more early thrash and more mainstream than most thrash bands. They deserve respect in that aspect.
I would consider S.O.D. over Anthrax. The (Stormtroopers of Death) were an Anthrax side project with Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Dan Lilker (Formerly of Anthrax) and Billy Milano (M.O.D.) on vocals. They released one album in 1985 "Speak English or Die". Even though they treated in toungue-in-cheek, it was the most brutal Thrash/NYHC albums ever made.
Btw, one of the greatest riffs of all time, in one of the greatest metal songs of all time. I think they're just telling a story. I've always considered it a history lesson. As for the racism angle... Singer Tom Araya is Chilean-American, and drummer Dave Lombardo is Cuban-American. I've never considered Slayer racist.
In an old interview Hanneman was asked about this song. He said, “I don’t need to tell you Mengele was a bad man. This is just a song about him.” I’m paraphrasing but it makes the point.
“There is a lot to unpack here” bruh, call of the day 😂 And regarding the “they don’t play guitar like that anymore” comment. No one played guitars like this ever 🤘
They just told the blatant truth. At the time this came out history was still doled out in cleaner ways. They decided to show you just what really went on.
The scary thing is they held back on the really bad stuff like the Human Caterpillar and things like that, people don't even know about those things, they'd say this song was tame.
Definitely just telling the story. They had a real interest in WW11 hence the lyrics to several if their tracks, particularly in the South of Heaven album
He tells the story and they tell you how they feel at the end of the song. Rancid ( Repugnant ) Angel of death fly free. He fled Germany and never faced war crimes..
The drummer, who ever he is, is the most aggressive and awesome I’ve ever heard. My God, how does he keep up in speed with the guitars. He complements them totally. He’s amazing, wow.
Man, I love your reactions, and thats basically 50% reaction, and the rest just enjoying you two dudes together :D. You seem like cool guys who have a great friendship!
Can't believe I never paid attention to the lyrics until now. They're clearly talking about Menguele. But it was absolutely not a praise, that's more of a story. More so highlighting at the end that the butcher got away with it. Great song regardless.
Song came out in 86 and they got a lot of push back. The record company refused to release the record. Finally griffin records agreed to, but refused to put their logo or name anywhere on the record. The lead singer Tom Arya was born in Chile. His full name is Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz. The original drummer, Dave Lombardo was born in Havana Cuba.
One of THE Legendary song that made Metal. Did you know the break down appears in Gremlins 2 when the Gremlin Morphs into a spider :] Best thing i've heard in a Film when i was young, i was so happy they used this break. And yes it's a song against the Final Solution. Tom Araya is a true Christian Believer (and Black Belt by the way, he can make you sing the intro screamin' ;))
This was 1986. 2 members of Slayer are Christians. This song was very controversial as anything talking about hell, the devil or seeming to glorify war was controversial and you don't get more controversial that the holocaust. Slayer fed of the controversy. They were not trying to make music about nice things. It was meant to be dark subject matter. Some people make war and horror movies. Slayer just sung about it.
Always being interested in w2 this song reminds me of the atrocities of that war. That dr was a real person. Very controversial song but is just telling a story of a horrible time in our history and a person who was foremost in that genocide.
1: Metallica - Those first 5 albums each defined the Heavy Metal music at the time, each time. 2: Slayer - Stayed true to the Thrash sound and are easily the most hardocre of almost all classic Thrash Metal bands 3: Megadeth - Contained some of the most iconic songs in the genre and are often the go-to for those that don't want the popular stuff. 4: Anthrax - Came out of a largely Metal-absent region (New York City), were more experimental with genre mixing and ended up inventing Rap Metal and pioneered Nu Metal. I would put Megadeth at number 2 but their lineup has remained very inconsistent and is mostly just a Dave Mustaine project. Albeit, Dave very well may be the face of the genre, but he alone isn't enough to claim Megadeth as the 1st or 2nd greatest band in Thrash. This is at least my take on things.
First off Slayer didn't 100% stick to the Thrash sound did u forget about Undisputed attitude 1996 which was mostly punk covers And Diabolis in Musica 1998 which was their attempt at nu metal Not saying those albums suck I just personally don't care for the punk one but Diabolis has some bangers All of the big 4 have changed a lot compared to their beginnings And that's ok it's called being open and diverse with music.
Slayer's bigger than Megadeth so by that logic they're the 2nd but Mustaine is the daddy of Thrash so by that logic Megadeth is 2nd. Depends on how you wanna look at it.
Metallica on top? Seriously???? Metallica makes music for children at bedtime, Slayer is for adults. Slayer was the primary inspiration for all Death and Black Metal bands that came later, Metallica was just a band suing kids who downloaded their music from Napster. It feels like trying to compare what is better: barbecue (Slayer) or tasteless tomato soup (Metallica).
Lol, great comparison, great. After "Master of Puppets" they fucked up. Too much mainstream to me. Slayer, Megadeth and a few other never changed the way they play.
As a kid, when I heard Slayer’s ‘South of Heaven’, my world changed. I get why this song is so famous, but South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss destroy anything else Slayer made or has made. They’re the most consistent of the first thrash metal bands. I may not love everything but they’ve always been true. And yes: this shit was from the 80d.
The funny part about Slayer is that two of the members are Latinos. The Singer/Bass Tom Araya is from Chile🇨🇱 and the Drummer Dave Lombardo is from Cuba🇨🇺. So they're not Nazi at all. They like to talk about the Dark side of stuff. They even had a Song about the Japanese WW2 death camps Unit 731.
Slayer is telling the history of the Holocaust in this song. As for the ranking of the big 4, you are right, that is the order they had when the four of them toured together, starting with Anthrax and ending with Metallica. But the order is subjective, as you said.
As a man born in 1970 the month before metal was born and have been and still am at 53 a die hard metal fan I remember going and buying the album hell awaits yo definitely do a reaction to the song hell awaits Slayer was one of the big four that never sold out the others cannot say that long live Slayer
If I were to make a list of "The 50 most metal moments" this one song on its own would have three: The scream at the beginning, the ridiculously catchy riff halfway through, and the ludicrous speed outro. Legendary EDIT: Also, musically, I think this kind of thrash is the only music that can really describe what happened. The trains coming in, the thousands per day being slaughtered, the endless destruction of lives. I think it fits, tragic as it is
This song was my introduction to Slayer back in 1987. Been a fan ever since. This entire album was perfect for lunch break at work due to running length fitting perfectly into a 30 minute lunch. My ears have symbolically bled ever since lol.
Fun fact, this song features in Gremlins 2 - The New Batch, in the scene where Gizmo dresses up as Rambo and fights the spider gremlin in the vent ducts.
When I first heard this I thought wow what a great way to make history into a song. They are painting a picture with sound, it is beautiful. Many people don't understand that because they don't have that capacity, they just think, especially nowadays, oh you said something so you must condone it right? No. Stop being so close minded. Not you guys, the reaction was great. It's like when a song is about suicide and some people say oh you condone that, no you are not listening, bringing up subjects is not bad, in fact it helps people and allows them to learn and know more and experience more. Songs about horrible things or sad things are not glorifying them, they are bringing light to certain things, creating conversations, if you ever had horrible depression and anxiety and physical pain you can see it, trying to stop every view of every bad thing is not good, it is helpful to see and hear interpretations of everything, you can relate to one another, understand what people are going through, sometimes you hear a sad song when you are in a sad or bad way and you are like yeah some people get what it is like and it lifts you up. You feel the same thing and understand it and it gets you through, music is amazing, you either hear it or you actually listen to it and feel it and experience it and love it.
This song is indeed about the Holocaust, however it is about 1 specific person: Josef Mengele, the German angel of death. He was the most notorious of the nazi doctors, and he became infamous for the inhumane experiments he did on prisoners. Sewing organs and blood vessels together, effectively trying to created Siamese twins. injecting chemicals into the eyes to change the color of them. Purposefully infecting wounds and seeing what would happen when blood transfusions were performed. This is just a select few of the horrific things that Mengele did at Auschwitz.
My favorite Slayer song! It was this song that I learned a new word - Abacinate (To blind by placing red-hot irons or reflective metal plates in front of the eyes.). I was 14 years old when I heard this. After learning the definition, it became my favorite word! Just wish I can use it more LOL
as a jewish when i listen to this song i think about the fact that they just talk about that but dont belive in that in fact the dave lombardo actally came to play in israel
If you were around when all 4 came out, you would change your order of favorite every couple months or so. All of them have big backgrounds that would take an hour just to explain haha. This was their big one in the race of "who will be the biggest" for the bands. Slayer went for fastest on this one, then went more to who they are. Almost funky like Black Sabbath
Smokey nailed it. It's a history lesson not a statement of support.
I doubt that anyone who admired Mengele would refer to him as an "infamous butcher."
Woketards like to cancel history. They will be condemned to repeat it.
We must remember it all, the good and the bad.
I learned about the Holocaust in public school back in the 70s...probably 5th or 6th grade. Soon as I saw this song title for the first time, I knew it was about Mengele.
@@HideousConformity or sadistic
@@HideousConformity or call him rancid
*They're not endorsing or encouraging these atrocities. They're explaining how fucked up those atrocities are. A lot of Slayer songs are written from the perspective of some pretty evil people.. not because they agree with it but because they want to call them out for it.*
Slayer is not racist. The fact that Tom Araya is Cuban should be a hint.
@@suicyco4life666 tom araya is from Chile. The drummer is Cuban
@@suicyco4life666 True. Cubans are incapable of being racist...
I believe the point of the comment is that they aren’t white supremacist
@@rodneymcdermott5303 White supremacy isn't the only form of racism, and whether Cubans are "white" or not is in the eye of the beholder.
Slayer is my top of the big four, but only because I'm a drummer. The importance of Dave Lombardo's double bass footwork, and how it changed and influenced metal drumming, cannot be overstated. Additionally, he was the only metal drummer in that era that brought syncopation and volume dynamic into his tom work. He was just so incredibly influential that's its almost absurd. Metal drumming, and specifically double strokes on the bass drum, would not be what it is today without Dave Lombardo and Pete "Commando" Sandoval from Morbid Angel. These guys invented the techniques that are now standard in metal drumming.
Lombardo is the Godfather of the Double Bass for sure! :-D The man is a legend.
@Noise Injection nobody said Lombardo is the reason slayer is great. Lombardo is the father of metal drumming.
Back when I first started drumming, Dave and Kirk Arrington (Metal Church) were my two biggest influences.
LOMBARDO = Godfather of Double Bass - ultimate beast - force of nature
SANDOVAL is the only drummer who may have been faster in his time... super quick, very precise, but without as much elemental natural power. Both are just GODS
Lombardo still played with feeling, soul, dynamics. Most drummers in this genre sound like a computer. Fast? Precise? yes. But it's soulless. Lombardo still managed to sound like the next evolution of the old rock and metal drummers who were inspired by the Jazz and Big Band greats. And I HAVE to add, Lombardo's fills still had FLAVOR man. Not just speeding around the drums, but fast but with flavor.
Great song. It was seen as controversial but Slayer always said it's to be used as a History lesson on humanity.
Se lerem a letra percebem que não glorificam os que os cabroes dos nazis fizeram
Those who forget the past, are doomed to repeat it.
Slayer had a cuban drummer and a chillean singer/bassist! Its definitely influenced by the history books rather than Mein Kampf.
but i think jeff wrote it
@@metadeth578 Jeff did write this. He was always interested in WW2 history after seeing his dads war medals
@@pc574 i know jeff wrote it.
He's Argentinian
@@johnconnor4330 who?
Josep Mengele was dubbed the “angel of death” for his horrific experimental surgeries he performed during the holocaust. I did some self Slayer surgery tonight!!! SLAYER!!! 🤘
Absolutely correct, this is a song about atrocities committed by Josep Mengele during the holocaust.
the sad part of this is Mengele was never caught and died a "free" man in brazil.
@@paulsickels4205 another sad part is that because of his unethical experiments, our medical science got boosted alot.
"Joseph Mengele"
Yes! Josef Mengele died in Brasilia 1979.
The song is about Joseph Mengele and his "medical" experiments he performed. It's not meant to be taken as them speaking positively about him. You're 100% ok to jam out to this.
This was 1986 and was definitely one of the most pushing when it came to dark lyrics. Sure you had Venom and Bathory kicking off Black Metal around the same time, but Slayer were one of the first real Big acts that pushed into that heavy of lyrical subject matter. Heavy subject matter for Heavy music almost never fails for me.
VENOM. Mercyful Fate.
Venom were never black metal. What? lmao
@@LaughingSkull451 They literally invented the genre, don't even give me that
@@TheBlackQueen That is so true. It just wasn't called black metal yet.
@@kevinlee3298 Well yes it was, 4 years prior actually, since Venom's seconde album was called Black Metal.
i still cannot get over it when lombardo turns the beat around in the last chorus… such a masterpiece!
Fuck yeah.
@@hugolafhugolaf well said! that's where Miami Sound Machine got the idea for "turn the beat around" from, i guess.
Slayer did Dead Skin Mask which is about infamous serial killer Ed Gein. That would be good as the next one.
yes Dead Skin Mask next
The real life leatherface
Yeaaah, I think they'd dig 213 a little more. That album doesn't get enough love.
Ed Gein wasn’t officially a serial killer he only had 2 provable victims. He was a grave robber/body snatcher.
Slayer OWNS everything. Hanneman wrote the lyrics for this song. His dad brought home plenty of handpicked ww2 memorabilia and Jeff inherited it, creating a fascination for the time period, in him.
Slayer
Metallica
Megadeath
Anthrax
Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth...
Slayer: Bloodline, Criminally Insane, Dead Skin Mask, Jesus Saves, Necrophobic, Piece by Piece, Pride Against Prejudice, Postmortem, Repentless, War Ensemble & You Against You.
Don't forget Mandatory Suicide and Skeletons of Society
Basically ALL of them lol
Seriously no fkn mandatory suicide or spirit in black
Disciple!!! 🤘🏼
@@mikethemotormouth was gonna say mandatory because they have already done seasons my personal favourite not thier best but my favourite
It’s physically impossible not to bop your head to that bridge riff
Slayer never gets the credit for their lyrics that they truly deserve... amazing song, shocking part of history.
I agree as well and will add that, not only the lyrics but the structural way in which they're presented. Definitely influenced the way I write!
Definitely smoke a cigarette...
"those who forget history are condemned to repeat it"
It's okay to jam to this, just remember...🖤
Lol
The late great Jeff Hanneman, guitarist, was a student of history. If you look at a lot of the old school metal, it's all based on warfare and atrocities, but it's because they're pissed off about how fucked up humanity can be.
This album is one of the best sounding records you will ever hear. It sounds so fucken good it's unbelievable. Produced by Rick Rubin.
Yeah it just doesn't get better. I mean on a technical level Seasons is their best production but nothing beats the raw power and tone of Reign In Blood.
I still have my original Def Jam Records copy!
Nothing is racist about this...Unfortunately nowadays even telling the FACTs has become something which people are afraid of...!! Do not hesitate to Express your opinions and don't let anything or anyone to censor you.!! By the way please give European bands more chance...bands like Kreator, Sodom, Marduk, Mayhem, dismember, Hypocrisy, Crematory, Bloodbath, Burzum, Darkthrone, Satirycon, Benediction, Napalm Death and more...!!
trueeeee, I support this comment!
Agreed!
"Nothing racist in this" - goes on to recommend a truly racist band. What? 😬
@@Xankill3r Is your mind able to categorize and separate things and concepts? or is it like a pot cooking some stew?!
@@lokihammerfall7781 you know I wouldn't go about insulting people's intelligence right after being called out for promoting an actual neo-Nazi ... That too on a video reaction to a song that reminds us how terrible that stuff was. 🤦♂️
The album came out in 1986 and to this day you'd be hard pressed to find a more brutal album that has this level of excellency and polished studio recording.
Sure you can find guys just screaming all the time and sounding like their stuff was recorded in a garage, but this 35 years later, is still one of the most brutal album ever made.
The song generated much controversy at the time because people thought at first that Slayer were glorifying the nazis, but Slayer members did explain that they read these books about the holocaust and were just trying to put it into songs, like if you want, a history course told by the way of extreme metal.
If you listen to the lyrics it is clear they are by no way condoning it: Infamous butcher, sickening ways to achieve the holocaust, helpless victims.
The lyrics make it very clear they're not endorsing the nazis and you guys are right. They wouldn't be such a big group today if they were nazi lovers and they surely wouldn't be friends with megadeth or metallica as both mustain, marty friedman (who is Jewish) and Hetfield and Kirk Hammmett are all big friends of the Jewish people and strong Yisrael supporters.
So no, they're not nazis and this is not a pro nazi song.
The album it comes from, the 1986 Reign in Blood is absolutely timeless.
You could play it today and it would sound as if it was recorded yesterday. There is no musical cues to tell you it is from 1986. A true timeless classic.
Been a metal fan since the 90's and I've still never heard anything like Angel of Death, even after hearing plenty of the harder stuff like death metal, etc. The beginning of this song is the musical equivalent of just pure condensed, adrenaline fueled all-out rage, brutality and intensity like nothing else. The musical dynamics, especially the drumming are simply phenomenal, and Araya's screams and harsh vocals are simply amazing. Never heard anything else that compares to it. The whole album is great of course, but this song, Piece by Piece and Raining Blood are my favorites.
And even for all its studio quality, they play it flawlessly at concerts.
Here here🤘👽🤘
This song like most of their songs are talking about evil, dark atrocities of life. I read an interview with Tom and Kerry that not every band can sing about sunshine and daisies, cause the world isn't like that. They said somebody has to sing about the bad in the world and that their music is definitely not for everyone. In fact they said if it was, they would be scared. But anyways I love Slayer so much that Ive got their logo tattooed on my arm. I just wish they didn't retire cause they are so awsome live in concert.
The mid-song guitar riff must be one of the most iconic and recognizable riffs in metal. I think many others sampled it later, eg public enemy in "she watch channel zero" czcams.com/video/gtkQGG8vlPA/video.html . And Slayer were definately accused of being racists and nazi's because of this song (I think it was also in the middle of the "Satanic Panic" during the 80's, which didn't help). People just didn't understand it is a cold statement of facts that actually happened. That's the real horror here.
Came here to mention She Watch Chennel Zero, Slayer and Public Enemy were both on Def Jam records, which is where the collab came from. Metal and hip hop were teaming up way back in the 80s
@@Owlyross consider this: "Reign In Blood" "License To Ill",and "Raising Hell" were all recorded in the same studios,in the same six month span. Must have been the coolest place on earth for six months.
@@jeffreycherep8264 I know, amazing isn't it? Think the guys in those bands had similar anti establishment ethos to the rap guys coming through at the time, so the team ups kinda make sense
How about Kerry on guitar for all of Beastie Boys License to Ill? He's in one of the videos too.
Rick Rubin sampling his own acts so he only has to pay… Rick Rubin
I got to see them 7 times over 30 years. Best band ever.
They’re the one band I’ve always wanted to see but never had the chance. Very jealous
Slayer has always been my favorite band since the day I heard them when I was 12 or 13. Always liked them over Metallica, but am a huge Metallica fan too. But I have to admit, when it comes to the Big 4, Metallica easily takes the top spot. Slayer number 2, Megadeth number 3 and honestly, I would never mention Anthrax in the presence of those other three, but I do recognize they were pioneers of thrash metal. They are a good band. I just never put them in the same category, interest or talent, as these other three. Back in the day, I probably would have put Testament or Exodus there. Nowadays, I don't even know who it would be. Violence was a badass band, but never got big enough to be considered over Anthrax.
For me megadeth is number 1 slayer 2 metalica 3 anthrax metalca is overrated.
Back then there was no doubt about Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax as the so called Big Four. Mainly because they were the first, who were "branded" as Thrash Metal (and you cannot listen to Anthrax's "Spreading the disease" album without calling it Thrash Metal ;-) ) Testament were more the start of the second wave, imo, together with the great german Thrash bands like Kreator, Destruction, Sodom. Exodus was pretty early, too, but somehow (and sadly) they never really reached the level of success of the other four.
And speaking of success: We always forget the true inventors ANVIL!!!!
@@strogaa Good point. I guess the title was based on success. I liked Anthrax, but they were nothing special to me. With bands like Testament and Exodus, I liked way more. Even Nuclear Assault. Anthrax was always just, eh to me. But yes, no doubt they were more early thrash and more mainstream than most thrash bands. They deserve respect in that aspect.
I would consider S.O.D. over Anthrax. The (Stormtroopers of Death) were an Anthrax side project with Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Dan Lilker (Formerly of Anthrax) and Billy Milano (M.O.D.) on vocals. They released one album in 1985 "Speak English or Die". Even though they treated in toungue-in-cheek, it was the most brutal Thrash/NYHC albums ever made.
@@strogaa I would have replaced anthrax with Pantera
One of my favs from back in the day. Rip Jeff
Btw, one of the greatest riffs of all time, in one of the greatest metal songs of all time.
I think they're just telling a story. I've always considered it a history lesson.
As for the racism angle... Singer Tom Araya is Chilean-American, and drummer Dave Lombardo is Cuban-American. I've never considered Slayer racist.
Sabaton’s Swedish, what happened is history sad but it’s part of history.
In an old interview Hanneman was asked about this song. He said, “I don’t need to tell you Mengele was a bad man. This is just a song about him.” I’m paraphrasing but it makes the point.
Exactly the kind of song I wanted to hear first thing in the morning!
Great way to wake up! 😴🥱🎶😃
“There is a lot to unpack here” bruh, call of the day 😂
And regarding the “they don’t play guitar like that anymore” comment. No one played guitars like this ever 🤘
They just told the blatant truth. At the time this came out history was still doled out in cleaner ways. They decided to show you just what really went on.
The scary thing is they held back on the really bad stuff like the Human Caterpillar and things like that, people don't even know about those things, they'd say this song was tame.
6:40
personally this is the epitomy of the metal riffing!!!! no.1 metal riff of all time
Get out of here…I just knife opened my Slayer scars tonight!!! SLAYER!!!🤘🤘🤘
Definitely just telling the story. They had a real interest in WW11 hence the lyrics to several if their tracks, particularly in the South of Heaven album
WWII
He tells the story and they tell you how they feel at the end of the song. Rancid ( Repugnant ) Angel of death fly free. He fled Germany and never faced war crimes..
The drummer, who ever he is, is the most aggressive and awesome I’ve ever heard. My God, how does he keep up in speed with the guitars. He complements them totally. He’s amazing, wow.
Dave Lombardo is his name.
Man, I love your reactions, and thats basically 50% reaction, and the rest just enjoying you two dudes together :D. You seem like cool guys who have a great friendship!
Public Enemy sampled the middle riff in "She Watch Channel Zero". Super heavy track.
Can't believe I never paid attention to the lyrics until now. They're clearly talking about Menguele. But it was absolutely not a praise, that's more of a story. More so highlighting at the end that the butcher got away with it.
Great song regardless.
Song came out in 86 and they got a lot of push back. The record company refused to release the record. Finally griffin records agreed to, but refused to put their logo or name anywhere on the record. The lead singer Tom Arya was born in Chile. His full name is Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz. The original drummer, Dave Lombardo was born in Havana Cuba.
We couldn’t get it in NZ till 10 years after it was released as it was banned !!
"They don't play guitar like this anymore." ...and 5,4,3,2...
along the lines of thrash, Celtic Frost were breaking new ground in the 80's. Please try Jewel Throne by them. 1985!!
One of THE Legendary song that made Metal. Did you know the break down appears in Gremlins 2 when the Gremlin Morphs into a spider :] Best thing i've heard in a Film when i was young, i was so happy they used this break. And yes it's a song against the Final Solution. Tom Araya is a true Christian Believer (and Black Belt by the way, he can make you sing the intro screamin' ;))
lol i was so astonished when i first heard the riff in Gremlins 2 movie!!! i was like...WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFF XD
hehe aww
That opener is gold. Fkn cat door.😂
Slayer simply explained historical facts. They just put it into a badass song
This was 1986. 2 members of Slayer are Christians. This song was very controversial as anything talking about hell, the devil or seeming to glorify war was controversial and you don't get more controversial that the holocaust. Slayer fed of the controversy. They were not trying to make music about nice things. It was meant to be dark subject matter. Some people make war and horror movies. Slayer just sung about it.
Always being interested in w2 this song reminds me of the atrocities of that war. That dr was a real person. Very controversial song but is just telling a story of a horrible time in our history and a person who was foremost in that genocide.
Best thrash, death, speed metal song of all time. I got to see them live throughout the 80's. Crazy shit.
"...feeding on the screams of the mutants he's creating"
Brutal.
4. Anthrax
3. Slayer
2. Megadeth
1. Metallica
Also Testament and Exodus should be on the list
1: Metallica - Those first 5 albums each defined the Heavy Metal music at the time, each time.
2: Slayer - Stayed true to the Thrash sound and are easily the most hardocre of almost all classic Thrash Metal bands
3: Megadeth - Contained some of the most iconic songs in the genre and are often the go-to for those that don't want the popular stuff.
4: Anthrax - Came out of a largely Metal-absent region (New York City), were more experimental with genre mixing and ended up inventing Rap Metal and pioneered Nu Metal.
I would put Megadeth at number 2 but their lineup has remained very inconsistent and is mostly just a Dave Mustaine project. Albeit, Dave very well may be the face of the genre, but he alone isn't enough to claim Megadeth as the 1st or 2nd greatest band in Thrash. This is at least my take on things.
Metallica is number one hands down. Fact don’t care about Megadeth feelings. Metallica is 1. The rest is up for debate.
Dave's greatest strength is his greatest weakness. He doesn't get along well with others but always employs guitar virtuoso's to raise the stakes.
First off Slayer didn't 100% stick to the Thrash sound did u forget about
Undisputed attitude 1996 which was mostly punk covers
And Diabolis in Musica 1998 which was their attempt at nu metal
Not saying those albums suck I just personally don't care for the punk one but Diabolis has some bangers
All of the big 4 have changed a lot compared to their beginnings
And that's ok it's called being open and diverse with music.
Slayer's bigger than Megadeth so by that logic they're the 2nd but Mustaine is the daddy of Thrash so by that logic Megadeth is 2nd. Depends on how you wanna look at it.
😂🎉 you can see every nerve of smokys brain working at the guitar solo part ❤
"Hey, Johny Depp! Monitor of Kingdom of Dell!"
Metallica on top? Seriously???? Metallica makes music for children at bedtime, Slayer is for adults. Slayer was the primary inspiration for all Death and Black Metal bands that came later, Metallica was just a band suing kids who downloaded their music from Napster. It feels like trying to compare what is better: barbecue (Slayer) or tasteless tomato soup (Metallica).
Lol, great comparison, great. After "Master of Puppets" they fucked up. Too much mainstream to me. Slayer, Megadeth and a few other never changed the way they play.
As a kid, when I heard Slayer’s ‘South of Heaven’, my world changed. I get why this song is so famous, but South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss destroy anything else Slayer made or has made. They’re the most consistent of the first thrash metal bands. I may not love everything but they’ve always been true.
And yes: this shit was from the 80d.
The funny part about Slayer is that two of the members are Latinos. The Singer/Bass Tom Araya is from Chile🇨🇱 and the Drummer Dave Lombardo is from Cuba🇨🇺. So they're not Nazi at all. They like to talk about the Dark side of stuff. They even had a Song about the Japanese WW2 death camps Unit 731.
Angel of Death was released in 1986.
FUCKING SLAYER!!!
Slayer is telling the history of the Holocaust in this song. As for the ranking of the big 4, you are right, that is the order they had when the four of them toured together, starting with Anthrax and ending with Metallica. But the order is subjective, as you said.
That breakdown is so sick! Everyone need to hear Slayer!
As a man born in 1970 the month before metal was born and have been and still am at 53 a die hard metal fan I remember going and buying the album hell awaits yo definitely do a reaction to the song hell awaits Slayer was one of the big four that never sold out the others cannot say that long live Slayer
First word of the song aswitch is a place in Germany where the doctor played his evil games
Masterpiece.....it's telling the story of a real atrocity. Great reaction guys thanks!
If I were to make a list of "The 50 most metal moments" this one song on its own would have three: The scream at the beginning, the ridiculously catchy riff halfway through, and the ludicrous speed outro. Legendary
EDIT: Also, musically, I think this kind of thrash is the only music that can really describe what happened. The trains coming in, the thousands per day being slaughtered, the endless destruction of lives. I think it fits, tragic as it is
FINALLY!
This song was my introduction to Slayer back in 1987. Been a fan ever since. This entire album was perfect for lunch break at work due to running length fitting perfectly into a 30 minute lunch. My ears have symbolically bled ever since lol.
Best Thrash Metal Band of all Time! I really enjoyed, enjoying them with you! Thanks for the video fellas!
Also, I am so glad I got to see them in concert before they retired! Bad ass concert! Fucking so amazing!
First time listening and damn the intro instantly had me. Dude nice flow
Fun fact, this song features in Gremlins 2 - The New Batch, in the scene where Gizmo dresses up as Rambo and fights the spider gremlin in the vent ducts.
Holocaust history learning via one of the best heavy metal songs ever recorded.
Dave Lombardo (drummer)is Cuban American and Tom Araya(basses and singer)is from Vina del Mar, Chile
Love the attitude guys! You guys know what you're talking about! :)
This song is about dr Mengele
A piece of this song (and Raining Blood) are played briefly in, of all things, GREMLINS 2 (the Spider Gremlin transformation).
As you probably know, Public Enemy's "She Watch Channel Zero" is the groove part of Slayer's "Angel Of Death".
You guys are great! Glad to see you're not biased.
Thanks for this
Nobody ever seems to mention it, but Public Enemy used the middle section of this for the song She Watch Channel Zero.
9:38 yep. Chills everytime.
Slayer is my all time favorite metal band. One of my favorite bands of the big 4. Dead Skin Mask should be next. My favorite Slayer song
A lot of metal heads have their favorite bands but most will agree that Slayer are the kings of metal.
When I first heard this I thought wow what a great way to make history into a song. They are painting a picture with sound, it is beautiful. Many people don't understand that because they don't have that capacity, they just think, especially nowadays, oh you said something so you must condone it right? No. Stop being so close minded. Not you guys, the reaction was great. It's like when a song is about suicide and some people say oh you condone that, no you are not listening, bringing up subjects is not bad, in fact it helps people and allows them to learn and know more and experience more. Songs about horrible things or sad things are not glorifying them, they are bringing light to certain things, creating conversations, if you ever had horrible depression and anxiety and physical pain you can see it, trying to stop every view of every bad thing is not good, it is helpful to see and hear interpretations of everything, you can relate to one another, understand what people are going through, sometimes you hear a sad song when you are in a sad or bad way and you are like yeah some people get what it is like and it lifts you up. You feel the same thing and understand it and it gets you through, music is amazing, you either hear it or you actually listen to it and feel it and experience it and love it.
This song is indeed about the Holocaust, however it is about 1 specific person: Josef Mengele, the German angel of death. He was the most notorious of the nazi doctors, and he became infamous for the inhumane experiments he did on prisoners. Sewing organs and blood vessels together, effectively trying to created Siamese twins. injecting chemicals into the eyes to change the color of them. Purposefully infecting wounds and seeing what would happen when blood transfusions were performed. This is just a select few of the horrific things that Mengele did at Auschwitz.
You guys should check out "Criminally Insane","Praise Of Death","At Dawn They Sleep",or "Epidemic".
My favorite Slayer song! It was this song that I learned a new word - Abacinate (To blind by placing red-hot irons or reflective metal plates in front of the eyes.). I was 14 years old when I heard this. After learning the definition, it became my favorite word! Just wish I can use it more LOL
16 when I first heard it
History lesson on this song.
that riff was sampled by Public enemy for "She watch Channel Zero"
This is thrash metal right here 🎸🤘🤘🎸🤘
Guys, Slayer lyrics chronicle evil, but don't worship or condone evil. Also this was 1986.
6:42 there's no way even if u aren't a metal fiend where u don't headbang. It's one of the best metal riffs ever
Telling the story, been listening to Slayer for 35 years
Yes it's ok to jam to this 🤘🤘
Slayer were originally on DefJam cuz nobody else would touch em'. Even Public Enemy sampled a few of Slayer's riffs throughout their career.
This came out in the 80’s. I was really into them in college…still am, but that’s when it started…1987 or so.
as a jewish when i listen to this song i think about the fact that they just talk about that but dont belive in that
in fact the dave lombardo actally came to play in israel
You guys recognized the riff. Listen to Public Enemy - She Watch Channel Zero. Sampled Slayer way back in 1988
That riff you that starts at about 6:42 in your video was sampled in Public Enemy's - She Watch Channel Zero and it still slaps.
If you were around when all 4 came out, you would change your order of favorite every couple months or so. All of them have big backgrounds that would take an hour just to explain haha. This was their big one in the race of "who will be the biggest" for the bands. Slayer went for fastest on this one, then went more to who they are. Almost funky like Black Sabbath
You should try the iconic and ironic Black metal Band, Batushka.
Dave Lombardo my All-Time favorite Drummer!!!!
"I dont know if i wanna jam to this." ... continues headbanging cause fucking SLAYERRRRRRRRR!!