SLAYER’s legendary second studio album, Hell Awaits, will receive a special 40th anniversary edition reissue on May 15, 2026 via Metal Blade Records.
Preorder now: metalblade.com/slayer
Formed in 1981, SLAYER forever altered the face of heavy music with their groundbreaking blend of metal and punk, faster, darker, and heavier than anything before it. Through unrelenting intensity and complete rejection of compromise, the band defined not just a genre, but a legacy that remains unmatched.
“It’s the record where SLAYER became SLAYER,” says guitarist Kerry King. As the band’s co-songwriter and lyricist, King stood alongside Tom Araya, Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.), and Dave Lombardo during the creation of one of heavy metal’s most revered milestones.
A bold departure from their 1983 debut Show No Mercy, Hell Awaits showcased a band evolving in speed, precision, and vision. Released in April 1985 by Metal Blade Records, the album marked a new level of ambition for SLAYER, featuring longer, more complex arrangements heavily inspired by Mercyful Fate’s Melissa.
“Jeff and I were still trying to figure out who we were as musicians,” recalls King. “We were both infatuated with Melissa during the writing process for Hell Awaits. That’s why there are fewer songs, and most of them stretch past six minutes. It’s the only time we ever wrote like that.”
Frontman Tom Araya delivers an incredible performance across the record, his rapid-fire phrasing and clarity defining early thrash metal vocal standards.
“I don’t recall the songs being hard to sing,” Araya notes. “Singing fast and clearly has always been something that I strived for.”
40th Anniversary Edition Details
The Hell Awaits reissue arrives May 15, 2026, available in Vinyl Box Set, “Blood” Filled Liquid Vinyl (Limited to 666 copies), CD Earbook, and Digital formats.
Vinyl Box Set
Includes 3 LPs total: Hell Awaits + Live From Bochum 1985 (18-track bonus concert), plus collector materials.
Contents:
- 60-page 12” hardcover book
- Hell Awaits (1xLP) — remastered & restored from original 1985 tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony (Feb 2025)
- Live From Bochum 1985 (2xLP) — 18 tracks, previously unreleased
- Replica ticket + tour laminate
- Hell Awaits tour poster (German dates)
- Slipmat, band posters, replica merch flyer, Satanic Wehrmacht newsletter, and 2 flyers
- Vinyl color: Fire Splatter
“Blood” Filled Liquid Vinyl (SLAYER Store Exclusive – Ltd. 666)
- Hell Awaits (7 tracks) — mastered and restored by Patrick W. Engel
- Unique “blood-filled” gatefold LP
CD Earbook
- 3xCD: Hell Awaits + Live From Bochum 1985
- 60-page 11” hardcover book
- Poster
- Newly remastered and restored audio
Digital Edition
Includes both Hell Awaits (7 tracks) and Live From Bochum 1985 (18 tracks), available on all digital platforms.
Track Listing – Hell Awaits (40th Anniversary Edition)
1. Hell Awaits
2. Kill Again
3. At Dawn They Sleep
4. Praise Of Death
5. Necrophiliac
6. Crypts Of Eternity
7. Hardening Of The Arteries
8. Hell Awaits (Live From Bochum 1985)
9. 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)
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