Review by Ben for Slayer - South of Heaven (1988)

Smartly changing direction to avoid comparisons to Reign in Blood, this harshly judged album contains numerous Slayer classics.

How exactly do you follow up one of the most extreme and critically praised albums in the history of metal? That was the challenge facing Slayer after the success of their infamous Reign in Blood release in 1986. While it was not the Slayer way to sit down prior to writing an album and discuss what direction the band should take, that’s exactly what they did in this instance. Sensibly, the band was smart enough to realise that trying to outdo their previous outing was likely to end in failure, as they’d squeezed every drop of intensity and velocity out of their collective awesomeness for that recording. The only way to avoid endless comparisons to Reign in Blood was to slow the tempo down and create a completely different album without alienating their fans. No easy task and it looked like it was going to get a heck of a lot harder when Dave Lombardo quit the band one month into the band’s US tour at the end of 1986. He has since stated “I wasn't making any money. I figured if we were gonna be doing this professionally, on a major label, I wanted my rent and utilities paid” which shows just how hard it is to make a living out of playing metal music, even when you belong to one of the very elite bands in the scene. Thankfully, Lombardo’s wife was able to convince him to return to Slayer in 1987, resulting in an unchanged line-up when it came time to record the bands fourth full length studio album.

On the 5th of July 1988, impatient Slayer fans were finally given the opportunity to experience South of Heaven and make their judgements. While shifting gears would require slightly different writing processes, it didn’t necessitate changing everything that made Reign in Blood so special. Rick Rubin once again produced the album after being hugely responsible for the successful development of the band’s sound. The crystal-clear clarity of the production remains with the only noticeable difference being that Lombardo’s drums have been given far greater emphasis, which works perfectly well given the more measured tempo of the new material. Larry Carroll was also asked to design the cover artwork for a second time after his controversial yet striking effort for Reign in Blood. He evidently relished the opportunity to paint another morbid vision of satanic horror, this time surrounding a skull and inverted cross centrepiece with a collection of bizarre devils and tormented souls. The lyrics continue to alternate between war, satanic imagery and the darker side of humanity, but this time King took a step back while Araya got involved in the writing for the first time. This switch resulted in less focus on immature evil subject matter and more on the human psychology and studies of warfare that would become more prevalent in Slayer albums over the next two decades.

With all the above still firmly in place, all that was left to be seen was whether a slower, more calculated Slayer could possibly match up to the exhilaratingly intense version we all worshipped. Many fans were not initially convinced, perhaps disappointed that the band had not attempted to take metal to even further extremities. The critical response was just as mixed, with some praising Slayer for not repeating themselves and still managing to create a disturbing and powerful album, while others labelled it a failure, suggesting the band had lost their edge. Over time, many of these naysayers would come to change their mind, as South of Heaven gradually dug its way under their skin, with numerous tracks including the title track and Mandatory Suicide becoming part of the staple live set. The band themselves have often suggested that South of Heaven is well down the list of highlights in the Slayer discography. King describes his performance as his “most lacklustre” and labels the album one of his least favourite Slayer releases. Lombardo was quoted as saying “there was a fire on all the records, but that started dimming when South of Heaven came into the picture”. It seems that it’s only Araya that thinks highly of the album today, saying “the album was a late bloomer. It wasn’t really received well, but it kind of grew on everybody later.”

All this negativity seems surprising to me. Personally, I think the first half of South of Heaven is absolutely on par with anything else the band has produced, with the title track, Silent Scream, Mandatory Suicide and Ghosts of War absolutely kicking ass. The extra weight given to Lombardo’s performance makes South of Heaven magnificent, and when combined with Araya’s slightly more melodic “singing” and King and Hanneman’s haunting riffs and characteristically insane leads, what’s not to love?! Slayer have a remarkable ability to write stunning, unforgettable opening riffs to their tracks that make the transitions from track to track immensely exciting, and South of Heaven is filled with them. I can’t help but feel that expectations are the main reason that so many fans have failed to embrace an album that for all intents and purposes, is classic Slayer. Sure, it’s slower, but it’s just as dark and potent. It’s not like they completely dropped the velocity either as plenty of these tracks hit top gear at various stages, with Silent Scream and Ghosts of War emitting towering levels of energy. South of Heaven contains the variety that Reign in Blood simply does not and while I won’t for a second suggest it’s the better of the two, my reasoning for this is more to do with consistency than quality.

The second half of the album is not quite as high-quality as the first, with Read Between the Lines beginning a late album lull that prevents me from considering a full five stars for the record. It lacks the immediately recognisable hooks that make the superior tracks so memorable and Cleanse the Soul just doesn’t do enough to recover lost ground. It’s not as bad however as King suggested when he claimed “that's one of the black marks in our history, in my book. I just fucking think it's horrible”, but it’s certainly no classic either. Then there’s Dissident Aggressor. Anyone that’s wondered why this track has a different feel to the rest of South of Heaven, may not realise that it’s a Judas Priest cover, originally from their classic 1977 Sin After Sin album. Slayer sure gave it a far nastier edge than the original and it’s not half bad, but its heavy metal guitar squeals and Black Sabbath-like riffs stand out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, Spill the Blood stops the rot and brings the album to a close in the most gloriously majestic way, utilising non-distorted guitar and Araya’s evocative voice to create an eerie, ominous atmosphere. It’s a fine finale to yet another enjoyable Slayer album that’s perhaps a bit underrated. South of Heaven has the unfortunate position of being sandwiched between the band’s most loved albums, but despite the second phase stutters, contains enough quality material to not be overshadowed. Ignore it at your peril!