Hell Awaits

Hell Awaits is Slayer's second album, the follow-up to their 1983 debut Show No Mercy. It came out in April 1985, with Brian Slagel producing after that first record had become his label's best seller. This time he shared the recording costs with the band and brought in Ron Fair, who had no previous experience with heavy metal musicians.

Hell and Satan are again the subject matter, and the title track opens with a intro that says "join us" when played backwards. The songs are longer and more progressive than before, partly because Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman were deep into Mercyful Fate. The production is murkier and more sludgy than the sharp finish of Reign in Blood, which followed, and that suits the darker material. Critics welcomed it as a clear step up, and its best-known songs have since been covered on several tribute albums.