Slayer

Slayer were an American thrash metal band formed in 1981 in Huntington Park, California, by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Alongside bassist-vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo, they became one of the genre's defining acts, frequently cited as part of the "Big Four" of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Their sound was built on relentless speed, tremolo-picked riffs, blast-beat drumming, and Araya's shouted, often confrontational vocals.

The band's breakthrough came with 1986's Reign in Blood, a landmark of extreme metal prized for its brutal pacing and dark subject matter, including songs like «Angel of Death» and «Raining Blood». Later albums such as South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss cemented their reputation, exploring themes of war, serial killers, religion, and human cruelty that drew both fervent fandom and public controversy.

Over more than three decades, Slayer's lineup shifted, with Paul Bostaph and later Gary Holt (following Hanneman's death in 2013) stepping in, while Araya and King remained the band's constant core. Tracks like «Postmortem», «Disciple», and «Repentless» kept their aggressive identity intact into their final years, and their influence on extreme metal remains foundational.