Slayer : Haunting the Chapel
Slayer were definitely one of the more extreme Thrash acts to come out of the
80s. Tom Araya has never been a master vocalist, but his aggressive range puts him in a
different category from the many melodic Thrash bands that later surfaced. The
controversial lyrics of death and war put them in a possible position as one of the
innovators of the Death Metal genre. On this short EP, Slayer unleashes a sample of tracks
that would later become crowd favorites. The production suffers quite a bit, as do many
early 80s albums, coming off more like a muddled garage type mix. The topics deal with
everything from death, to religion, to war.
Hanneman and King were soon to become a highly-acclaimed twin guitar attack, Dave Lombardo
tears things up behind drums, Tom Araya's bass was actually audible here and his vocals
don't come as bland as today's Slayer.
The opener "Chemical Warfare" has a haunting rhythm section with the
controversial lyrics Slayer were known for. "Captor of Sin" is a speed
frenzy, with Hanneman and King's trademark high-pitched guitars chugging right through.
"Haunting the Chapel" is the title track and one of the better overall
songs; very raw with instruments literally all over the place. Tom continues to sing about
dark themes such as Black Magic and Satan. Final track "Aggressive Perfector"
comes through as a full-throttle punch to the face!. Fast, precise, and worthy of a
banging of the head.
This is early 80s unrestrained Slayer,with instruments flying at full speed and fury.
Slayer were quite an evil band for their day! This, along with the next few slew of great
albums, should give you a good run for your money. 'Only a sample of what is to come. Haunting
the Chapel (EP) is a part of the 1993 re-issued version of Show No Mercy,
so pick it up if you can find it! Slayer only get better from here on out and so does
their production values.
Tracks
1. Chemical Warfare
3. Hauning the Chapel
2. Captor of Sin
4. Aggressive Perfector
Reviewed by Sam |
