{"id":280975,"date":"2025-11-13T19:15:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280975\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T19:15:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:15:08","slug":"slayer-special-40th-anniversary-reissue-of-hell-awaits-to-see-release-may-15th-2026-via-metal-blade-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280975\/","title":{"rendered":"Slayer: Special 40th Anniversary Reissue of \u201cHell Awaits\u201d to See Release May 15th, 2026 via Metal Blade Records"},"content":{"rendered":"

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– November 13th, 2025 \u2013 <\/p>\n

Pre-Orders Available<\/p>\n

SLAYER\u2018s iconic second studio album, Hell Awaits, is set to receive a 40th anniversary edition reissue via Metal Blade Records next Spring!<\/p>\n

Formed in 1981, SLAYER assaulted the world with a new hybrid of metal and punk \u2013 heavier, faster, and darker than the rest \u2013 and set a new standard, defining not only a genre, but an attitude. Throughout SLAYER\u2018s history, the band never faltered in unleashing their extreme and focused aural assault, and repudiating temptations, SLAYER always chose to remain crushing and brutal, steadfastly refusing to cater to the mainstream.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the record where SLAYER became SLAYER.\u201d That\u2019s what Kerry King says about Hell Awaits. And he knows of what he speaks. As the band\u2019s guitarist, co-songwriter, and co-lyricist, he was in the trenches with vocalist\/bassist Tom Araya, guitarist Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.), and drummer Dave Lombardo, creating what has become one of heavy metal\u2019s greatest albums.<\/p>\n

A significant departure from SLAYER\u2018s 1983 debut, Show No Mercy \u2013 and every SLAYER album that came after it \u2013 Hell Awaits is both an outlier and a solidification of form. Show No Mercy was the mission statement, but Hell Awaits is a more developed and intricate execution of SLAYER\u2018s speed, chops, and aggression.<\/p>\n

Released in April of 1985 by Metal Blade Records, Hell Awaits was the pinnacle of an action-packed thrash year that saw debut albums from the likes of Megadeth, Exodus, Kreator, Possessed, Destruction, Hirax, and Overkill. Heavily influenced by Mercyful Fate, the longer, more progressive arrangements on Hell Awaits marked a new era for SLAYER. Whereas most of the songs on Show No Mercy were less than four minutes long, three of Hell Awaits\u2018 seven tracks go beyond the six-minute mark. \u201cJeff and I were still trying to figure out who we were as musicians, and we were both infatuated with Mercyful Fate\u2019s Melissa album during the writing process for Hell Awaits,\u201d King says. \u201cThat\u2019s why there\u2019s so few songs and most of \u2018em are pretty long. That\u2019s the only time anything like that ever happened with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Araya\u2019s performance is similarly impressive. The vocalist spat lyrics a mile a minute on the likes of \u201cKill Again\u201d and \u201cPraise Of Death.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t recall the songs being hard to sing,\u201d he says. \u201cSinging fast and clearly has always been something that I strived for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reissue arrives May 15th, 2026 in three physical formats and digitally. Pre-orders are available now at: metalblade.com\/slayer<\/a><\/p>\n

Find all details below:<\/p>\n

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Vinyl Box Set:
3 LPs total: 7-track Hell Awaits + 18-track live bonus audio (Live from Bochum 1985):
\u2022 60-page book (12\u2033 size)
\u2022 Hell Awaits album (in gatefold sleeve, 1xLP) mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025. Vinyl color = Fire Splatter
\u2022 Live from Bochum 1985 (in gatefold sleeve, 2xLP) \u2013 18 live tracks never before released physically or digitally
\u2022 Replica ticket from the Bochum show
\u2022 Replica Hell Awaits tour laminate
\u2022 Hell Awaits tour poster (German dates)
\u2022 Slipmat
\u2022 Band posters
\u2022 Replica merch flyer
\u2022 Replica Satanic Wehrmacht newsletter
\u2022 2 flyers<\/p>\n

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\u201cBlood\u201d Filled Liquid Vinyl (SLAYER store exclusive \u2013 Ltd. 666 worldwide):
\u2022 7-track Hell Awaits album mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025
\u2022 \u201cBlood\u201d filled liquid vinyl \u2013 gatefold<\/p>\n

CD Earbook:
Earbook includes 3xCDs \u2013 7-track Hell Awaits CD + 18-track live bonus audio (Live from Bochum 1985):
\u2022 Hell Awaits album (1xCD) mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025
\u2022 Live from Bochum 1985 (2x CD) 18 live tracks never before released physically or digitally
\u2022 60-page 11\u2033 book
\u2022 Poster<\/p>\n

Digital:
Includes 7-track Hell Awaits + 18-track live bonus audio (Live from Bochum 1985):<\/p>\n

SLAYER \u2013 Hell Awaits (40th Anniversary) Track Listing:
01. Hell Awaits
02. Kill Again
03. At Dawn They Sleep
04. Praise of Death
05. Necrophiliac
06. Crypts of Eternity
07. Hardening of the Arteries
08. Hell Awaits (Live from Bochum 1985)
09. Aggressive Perfector (Live from Bochum 1985)
10. Captor of Sin (Live from Bochum 1985)
11. The Final Command (Live from Bochum 1985)
12. Kill Again (Live from Bochum 1985)
13. Crypts of Eternity (Live from Bochum 1985)
14. Fight Till Death (Live from Bochum 1985)
15. Necrophiliac (Live from Bochum 1985)
16. Haunting the Chapel (Live from Bochum 1985)
17. Hardening of the Arteries (Live from Bochum 1985)
18. Black Magic (Live from Bochum 1985)
19. Die by the Sword (Live from Bochum 1985)
20. The Antichrist (Live from Bochum 1985)
21. At Dawn They Sleep (Live from Bochum 1985)
22. Show No Mercy (Live from Bochum 1985)
23. Evil Has No Boundaries (Live from Bochum 1985)
24. Chemical Warfare (Live from Bochum 1985)
25. Praise of Death (Live from Bochum 1985)<\/p>\n

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