Friday, September 12: Slayer, "Hardening of the Arteries"
R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman (1964-2013)
“Hardening of the Arteries” brought things full circle for Hell Awaits, closing Slayer’s second album with the same charmingly janky sound effects that opened the title track while also laying the foundation for the gale-force hurricane soon to arrive. Jeff Hanneman was still finding his way as a songwriter and the band’s approach was still a bit shaggy (low-rent production didn’t help), but Slayer was well ahead of the curve and had moved far past the occasional haplessness of Show No Mercy. And Dave Lombardo was already the best drummer in metal- if nothing else, Brian Slagel understood that putting Lombardo high up in the mix would level everything up. In some respects, “Hardening of the Arteries” was still a rough draft for Slayer’s golden age, but greatness was already there if a little bit muffled.
