Slayer is an American
heavy metal band from
Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981. The band was founded by guitarists
Jeff Hanneman and
Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release,
Reign in Blood, which has been called "the heaviest album of all time" by
Kerrang!. The band is credited as one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal, along with
Metallica,
Anthrax and
Megadeth.
[3] Slayer's musical traits involve fast
tremolo picking, atonal
guitar solos,
double bass drumming, and shouting vocals. The band's lyrics and album art, which cover topics such as
serial killers,
Satanism,
religion and
warfare have generated album bans, delays, lawsuits and strong criticism from religious groups and the public. Since their
debut record in 1983, the band has released two
live albums, one
box set, four
videos, two
extended plays, and eleven
studio albums, four of which have received gold
certification in the United States. The band has received three
Grammy nominations, winning one in 2007 for the song "
Eyes of the Insane", and one in 2008 for the song "Final Six". They have headlined music festivals worldwide, including
Unholy Alliance,
Download and
Ozzfest.