Despite being one of the "Big Four" of the early thrash metal scene, many overlook Slayer's early material, often dismissing it completely. I know many so-called fans of the band who've never even heard of this album. Perhaps it's due to the huge critical success and influence of 'Reign In Blood'; perhaps it was the change in record label following this release. Either way, 'Hell Awaits' has been unfairly forgotten. While it will never be the out-and-out, must-own classic like the aformentioned 'Reign In Blood,' this does have a few things going for it which that album doesn't. Specifically, an audible bass guitar and powerful properly-mixed drums (though this may be due to the recent 2004 remastered copy I have). As always Dave Lombardo really shines on this disc, delivering as much punishment as he can muster. Thankfully the guitars can just about keep up, and together the sheer cacophany of noise they create is staggering -- a sound that has been 'borrowed' by just about every death/extreme metal band in existence. Even the often criticised guitar solos seem less like noise and more like... well more like standard guitar solos of the era.
However, it's not all good. Like every Slayer album, on the surface every song sounds essentially the same. The balls-to-the-wall speedfest could make every track equally forgettable to some ears. Though the riff and speed changes the band employed at this point (which they all but dropped on their next album) varies things a little, somehow it's still not enough.
The title track is classic Slayer with a hellish intro full of strange voices recorded backwards building into a solid thrash. Other highlights include the furious "Kill Again," "At Dawn They Sleep," and "Praise of Death". The second half is weaker, though it's fitting that they reintroduce the album's opening riff for the outro of the final track.
'Show No Mercy' sounded like a hardcore punk band playing very loud, very fast while being very badly produced. Here they announce the unmistakeable sound of Slayer. Actually... that last statement isn't strictly true, and this is where it gets confusing. Slayer's early albums have been reissued numerous times so if you can get the version of 'Hell Awaits' (and sometimes 'Show No Mercy') that contains the 'Haunting the Chapel' EP, do so as the price hike will be worth it. All three songs (sometimes four) show the tremendous growth and transition of the band into straight forward thrash, especially the manic "Captor of Sin" and the more experimental "Chemical Warfare" (This is based on UK CD info and will probably be different in other countries, check before you buy!). All in all, A very solid album by a band who would become one of metal's most influencial.

TRACK LIST:
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

Review by Rob Brown