Slayer - South Of Heaven [180g Black Vinyl LP]

South of Heaven, Slayer's fourth studio album, was released on July 5, 1988, on Def Jam Recordings, the band's last release on that label before rights transferred to Rick Rubin's newly founded American Recordings. Produced by Rubin, the record was a deliberate shift from the relentless pace of Reign in Blood, with the band consciously slowing the tempo and incorporating cleaner guitar tones throughout. Peaking at No. 57 on the Billboard 200, it was certified gold in the US. The 2013 pressing brings the album back on 180-gram black vinyl with a reproduction of the original inner sleeve included.

Ten tracks open with the title track, a mid-paced riff built on Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's guitars without the distortion levels typical of earlier Slayer material. "Silent Scream" and "Mandatory Suicide" return closer to the band's thrash roots, the former driven by Dave Lombardo's double-bass drum pattern. "Dissident Aggressor," a Judas Priest cover, closes the record and marks the first cover version on a Slayer studio album. "Spill the Blood" ends Side B with a slower, more atmospheric arrangement than anything else in the band's catalog to that point.

Pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, South of Heaven is presented as a standard single LP with all ten tracks in the original sequence on two sides. A reproduction of the original 12x12 inner sleeve with printed lyrics is included.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl LP
• Standout Tracks: "South of Heaven," "Silent Scream," "Mandatory Suicide"
• Pressing Details: 2013 reissue, includes reproduction of original 12x12 inner sleeve with lyrics
• Genre/Style: Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal
• UPC: 602537467921

South of Heaven was Slayer's most commercially successful album at the time of release and remains the most sonically varied record in the band's catalog.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. South Of Heaven
2. Silent Scream
3. Live Undead
4. Behind The Crooked Cross
5. Mandatory Suicide

Side B:

1. Ghosts Of War
2. Read Between The Lies
3. Cleanse The Soul
4. Dissident Aggressor
5. Spill The Blood