On Slayer and "Raining Blood"

Ah, Slayer. Considered by many to be gods of thrash metal. Reign in Blood, their 1986 major label debut, is hailed as an absolute classic. And on that album, there's a little song called "Raining Blood" that I'd like you to take a look at with me today.

Here. Go ahead. Have a listen.

Are you ready? Good. Let's do this:

[0:00 - 0:33]

Okay, so this is the intro. And it's pretty interesting. We've got claps of thunder and falling rain over eerie screeches of guitar feedback and string noise. I like string noise. Little sets of tom hits enter every few seconds to preserve the mood. It's atmospheric and unsettling. So far so good.

[0:34 - 0:44]

After the intro, we're treated to the main riff. After two plays, the riff is doubled by a second guitar, harmonizing with the first. Overall, the feel is suitably epic. You KNOW something is going to happen. And soon.

[0:45 - 1:06]

Chugging rhythms. Nothing wrong with that, right? This section is fairly tight and fast. It also starts to get really old by the third time you've heard the riff. But again, something else is coming soon, right? Hold your breath. . .

[1:07 - 1:21]

Okay . . . so now we've got some blast beats. The drums are pounding out this alternating kick-and-snare pattern, and the guitar is doing . . . your guess is as good as mine. At this point, the riffs are going so fast they've become muddy and indistinct. I hear more scraping of the pick on the strings than I do actual notes. Slayer, you're starting to lose me.

[1:22 - 1:40]

Oh shit. Is that the way he's going to sing the entire song? Wow.

At this point, I need to draw your attention to the lyrics. Really. Give them a little read.

Trapped in purgatory
a lifeless object, alive
awaiting reprisal
death will be their acquisition

the sky is turning red
return to power draws near
fall into me, the sky's crimson tears
abolish the rules made of stone

Interesting word choice, right? But they really don't seem to flow. And certainly, none of the lines rhyme. So, how is anyone supposed to actually SING this song?

Well, he doesn't. Not really. More like "spit out the words as quickly as you can and hope they sort of fit with the instrumentation." Don't believe me? Did you even listen to the verse?

Honestly, the vocals are ridiculous. When I first heard them, I thought that maybe I was mistakenly listening to a demo of Raining Blood, rather than the final recording. But it isn't. This is the way Slayer intended the song to sound.

Anyway, moving on.

[1:41 - 2:00]

Now, we enter a sort of quasi-verse. I don't really know what I'd call this section of the song. Probably just a second verse with a different riff under it. Musically, it's tolerable. The vocals even manage to mesh with the song at times. Certainly listenable.

[2:01 - 2:12]

This section faked me out. When the main riff returned, I started to get into the song a little. But then, along with the harmony guitar, came more ridiculous vocals.

Seriously, guys - are you even trying to make the lyrics fit? Because they don't. "Awaiting the hour of reprisal" is unsingable. There's just no way to make it work. You know what most bands do when their lyrics just don't fit the song?

They fucking write new ones.

[2:13 - 2:39]

See, this isn't so bad. We've got quick stabs of power chords and some nice harmonized lead riffs. A bit of pinch harmonics. Sure, the section goes on for longer than it should, but that's alright.

[2:40 - 2:53]

Again with the muddy guitars. You know, guys, there's a limit on how quickly you can play chugging rhythms on the low strings and have them still be tight. Discernible, even. The limit has been exceeded.

And what the hell is wrong with these lyrics? I'm not even touching on how ridiculous the subject matter is here. I don't care. I can forgive stupid lyrics a little if they at least sound cool. Isn't that what 90% of cock rock was about?

But this is a different beast entirely.

[2:54 - 3:24]

It sounds like we're gearing up for something big. Get ready for ... what the fuck?

Explain this noise to me. What are we even listening to here? Horses being slaughtered over an electric fence?

Wait a minute. Was that the solo? Let's look into it a little.

This review of the album describes it as "a tirade of feedback and distortion from King and Hanneman and drumming verging on blast beat from Lombardo. A suitable climax to a true classic of an album."

I'm sorry, but that's bullshit.

"Raining Blood" is sloppy. The guitars are fairly tight. And yes, I understand that the song is fast. But the composition itself is a mess. The guitars don't mesh well with the drums. The vocals don't mesh with ANYTHING. The solo is pure noise. It does not take talent to make noise.

I don't care if this song is a classic. I could barely stand to listen to it. I'm sure Slayer has recorded far better songs than this. Hell, there are probably some on Reign in Blood. But I don't have the patience to dig for them.

Damnit, I play the fucking guitar. I love heavy riffs. I truly enjoy loud music. I know these guys must have some serious chops to be able to play at the speed they do. I can appreciate that.

But that doesn't make it any less of a disaster.