1209. Slayer / South of Heaven. 1988. 4/5

Slayer’s 1986 album “Reign in Blood” is considered one of the greatest thrash albums of all time, if not the greatest. Its 30 minutes of pure adrenaline fuelled speed and anger can be sampled by those of you who have not done so yet on the episode in Season 1 that is dedicated to its glory. The tour that followed cemented Slayer as one of the premier heavy thrash bands in the world, and no doubt posed the problem to the band as to how they were possibly going to follow that album up. Indeed, in an interview some years later in discussing that time, guitarist Jeff Hanneman said that “South of Heaven” was the only album the band members had discussed before actually writing the music, that prior to this they wrote what they felt and presented it to be recorded. However, according to Hanneman the band was aware that they couldn't top “Reign in Blood", and that whatever they recorded would be compared to that album. He then went on to say that the band believed they had to slow down the tempo to the songs on the next album in order to draw apart those inevitable comparisons, something that Slayer had not done before. And though there are faster songs here on “South of Heaven”, it is noticeably not as furious as its predecessor, something that had some fans upset when the album was eventually released. The band also looked to tone down the vocals, something that Tom Araya does so well on this album that it also proves a point of difference among other Slayer albums. It actually ended up proving what a fine vocalist he was, and gave him the opportunity to focus on his vocal craft. However, retrospectively guitarist Kerry King felt that Araya had added too much singing to his vocals, which he was critical of, and drummer Dave Lombardo felt that “South of Heaven” signalled the point where the band allowed the fire in the music to die down compared to what had come before. As it turns out, in interviews over the years looking back at the album, some of the band members are more critical of the end result than some of their fan base.

The most fascinating part of this album is the references made to different songs on it over the years from the band members themselves, and their disappointment or even disdain for some of them. The fact that they made a somewhat united decision to record an album of songs at a different tempo from what they had done before, in essence in order to have this album have a point of difference from what they had recorded prior to this release, doesn’t seem to have changed the fact that after the event they all seem to have picking points about the album.
The opening title track is a beauty, a classic, and one still adored by fans all over the world. It’s moody, it’s a creeper, and it has a beautiful build to the middle of the track. The fact that people misinterpret the title as suggesting they are talking about hell, when in fact it is world we live in itself that is being referenced is a nice counterpoint to the usual ignorance Slayer and their songs have received. “Silent Scream” ramps up the energy again, charging onwards throughout. It’s a great track to follow the opener, reminding everyone of what the band is best known for.
It’s interesting that this is considered a slower paced album overall by some people. There is no doubt that a few of the songs have rocked back in tempo, in particular the opening title track, which I think is what leads people into this perception, because the album starts a little slower than the previous albums. The other main song in this mid-tempo category is “Mandatory Suicide”, and it’s interesting that it is these two songs that were still in Slayer’s live set list right up until their disbandment. Go figure. So, it mightn’t be as conclusively fast as “Reign in Blood”, but it doesn’t fall into a complete mid-tempo movement. What does happen here are that the lyrics are at a pace that gives everyone a chance to know what Tom is singing, rather than just the diehard fans. Songs such as “Live Undead” and “Behind the Crooked Cross” mightn’t be as fast as previous albums, but they aren’t a snail’s pace either.
Kerry King seems to have taken great umbrage at the album in the years since its release. He openly rubbished the song “Cleanse the Soul” in interviews, and when asked whether the band may one day play the whole album live, as they did with “Reign in Blood” on Dave Lombardo’s return to the band in the 2000’s, he simply replied “I don’t think so. I just don’t like enough songs on the album to be bothered”. King’s contributions to the album also were less than usual, which may have contributed to his general malaise of the album, and perhaps even the introduction of the decision to cover Judas Priest’s great track “Dissident Aggressor” on this album. Or perhaps there really was a problem with the songwriting for the album, and this allowed the band to fill a gap that otherwise may not have been filled.

Having come into Slayer on the album that followed this one, for me going backwards to discover their first few albums meant that I probably didn’t have to have competing ideas about each of the albums and what they presented at the time of their release, because I more or less devoured all of them at the same time, swapping over the vinyl and CDs one at a time, and becoming encapsulated in their overall greatness. Their following album was an immediate hit with me, and – surprise, surprise - “Reign in Blood” also created a storm.
But unlike what it appeared many of the so-called critics at the time experienced, I never had a negative thought about “South of Heaven” as an album. To me the album comes together well, the tempos, while different from earlier pieces, are fit nicely in sync, and the album flows nicely. The difference in opinion of the band members on the album retrospectively to me was somewhat of a surprise, though Kerry being narky about the songs where he had little to do with them perhaps wasn’t so much of a stretch.
Some have suggested that “South of Heaven” is a maturing of the band and its sound, but I don’t like that analogy. To me, the following album “Seasons in the Abyss” is a next step in an evolution of all three previous albums, “Hell Awaits”, “Reign in Blood” and “South of Heaven”. What this album brings to that process is the focusing of Tom Araya’s vocals such that they are not the out and out shouting and screaming from early in the career, and the focusing of the guitars from out and out speed to bridging a melodic touch to the tempo. In doing so, this album may well have differences, but not ones that detract from the band and their music. And while in time the force of aggression would return to Slayer’s music – for better or worse, depending on your point of view of some of their future albums - “South of Heaven” still stands as one of their most important albums.