Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986 Demo)

The Reign in Blood demos are a set of recordings done in 1986, prior to the recording of Slayer's third studio album. There are seven songs that would make their way into the album, as well as "Aggressive Perfector", which was first featured in the "Metal Massacre III" compilation album.
Tracklist:
00:00 Angel of Death
05:09 Piece By Piece
07:31 Necrophobic
09:17 Criminally Insane
12:12 Reborn
14:40 Postmortem
18:27 Raining Blood
22:07 Aggressive Perfector
Lineup:
Tom Araya - Vocals, bass guitar
Jeff Hanneman - Guitar
Kerry King - Guitar
Dave Lombardo - Drums

[@rmcduarte]

To me "Postmortem" is one of the greatest thrash metal songs of all time.

[@BittersweetDuality]

Every song on this album is one of the greatest thrash metal songs of all time lol

[@matthewmartinez3596]

It’s so heavy. I’m sure you’re already aware of it, but if not, check out the decade of aggression version

[@daveyalbert4839]

I would offer that the "G.O.A.T." is arguably " N O T " the demo version of Angel of Death 😆🤣😂✌

[@Kewrock]

@@daveyalbert4839 sounds ok to me.

[@eslwgpg1226]

⁠@@BittersweetDualityReborn, Epidemic, and Jesus Saves aren’t that great

[@WowBlueSky]

The vocals sound amazing

[@marcosguerra4398]

I like the demo's vocals better than the album.

[@SPNKr16]

Finally found it again. I once tuned up to Eb and re-levelled and decompressed this rough mix w/ alternate vocals and solos then uploaded it to my channel. Not long after that it was blocked and I had no choice but to delete it after unsuccessful appeals. I'm glad it's still here because I never saw nor found this anywhere else. This is how Slayer sounded without enhancements and treatments. Rick Rubin did make a stellar sounding record for Slayer, but Hell Awaits is the raw magic, the spirit of Slayer in 85 and 86. At least Rick separated everything even more, but he buried the bass guitar unfortunately. Nobody played guitar like Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King, Greg Walls, and Dave Mustaine at the time.

[@witnessthewrath8061]

1:47 one of the greatest moments in metal

[@kasunprageeth4339]

Yeee.

[@BVR-fc9sn]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2WcqptrnZanf9k

[@marcelo141224]

Don't forget this War Crimes really happened.

[@witnessthewrath8061]

@@marcelo141224 we know

[@knochengier]

The most sadistically intended riff da world.

[@diegog.sendra2697]

Brilliant, angry, addictive. It's refreshing hearing an alternative to the studio version. Thanks for uploading

[@crushffl]

6:50 funny to hear Tom come in too early with the vocals and stop...

[@rooples.pooples]

Anyone else get cold chills from hearing so something so aggressive?

[@JasonPizzolato]

D.J. McLaughlin It's just as wicked today as when I first heard it in '86..!

[@kakstin]

+D.J. McLaughlin - I did, when I first heard "Angel of Death" literally half my lifetime ago - I was 14 then, 31 now.

[@sirphineasluciusambercromb9114]

In 1986, literally nothing we had ever heard sounded like this. Bathory, Kreator, Destruction, Motorhead, early Metallica, early Slayer, Venom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and hardcore punk stuff like Exploited, S.T. and D.R.I. simply primed us. We had no idea how fast the motor could go.

[@Hogman666]

@@kakstin I was 20 when it came out now 56 still making a row, I did have a few rehearsal tapes as the tape trading thing was huge. this is class though.

[@larsohnly5198]

@@sirphineasluciusambercromb9114 Discharge, anti cimex, asocial, ratos de porao etc. exploited was fucking clowns

[@alannovatolozza]

Tom is the voice of metal!

[@normanosborn1277]

Best thrash metal vocalist, because he sounds evil and aggressive, without having to truly distort his voice in ridiculous or clearly unnatural ways.

[@condor.67]

The voice of thrash!

[@josephmontague396]

Even this demo crushes all

[@PIKL_Creep]

It's so weird because he sounds really calm.

[@Dbzmad34222]

haha if the production was originally like this it would be more like black metal :P

[@kakstin]

+StillNoIdea - Does give it a Bathory kind of sound, you're right.

[@skeene_6824]

Nah u can still here it rather clearly so it's not really bathory lol

[@PawelSorinsky]

It had a huge influence on Black Metal.

[@dirtyhotwaterbottle]

@@PawelSorinsky it had a huge influence on the majority of extreme metal.

[@fernandom5150]

Smithy boy extreme metal? What the fuck lmao

[@sparkjr4901]

Raw as sushi

[@ccpredatormassa]

They need also Sake, kkkk

[@odens.enjoyer]

9:23 Fuuck.

[@kakstin]

The alternate take of "Postmortem" is fucking heart-stopping... Those vocals, my God...

[@kakstin]

+Jimmy Calhoun - Not to mention probably the best version of "Aggressive Perfector."

[@racewiththefalcons1]

+Jimmy Calhoun The last minute is epic.

[@BojanMadzarov]

Surprisingly I can hear every single note being played by the guitars clearly. Slayer are dope.

[@julianabolivar5637]

Fucking amazing. Tom voice is really great.

[@MARCELO-gn3ix]

*MELHOR DISCO DE THRASH METAL DO MUNDO, DA MELHOR BANDA DO MUNDO. SLAYERRRRRRR* 🇧🇷

[@franzdorregaray74]

Pure thrash metal forever !!!!!!

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

bing, bing BONG! /w]/METAL4NATIONS/w\

[@TinaTaem]

Angel Of Death Is My Favorite Slayer Song. 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@metalblade8787]

piece by piece should have kept that bass intro

[@richardroberson2564]

The bass on the studio version is awesome as well

[@ikilledme1millionyearsago693]

@@richardroberson2564 nah

[@richardroberson2564]

@NSDAP How can you not hear the bass on that?

[@GordonHeaney]

Definitely a demo. I bought this album when it came out and I've heard it enough times to know the slightly different vocal phrasing from the final recording. Plus I recall Tom saying in an interview that the songs got faster and faster as rehearsals went on.

[@thetyrant1]

+Gordon Heaney Thanks for your confirmation, oh wise one. I think we've all given RiB a few listens over the years, and can hear the difference.

[@hrgiger6]

+Gordon Heaney this is not a demo just a rough mix with an alternate vocal track. that's why everything is identical sounding except the vocals. there are some "demos" or rehearsal of RIB songs but they are not these and they sound like they should, like a totally different recording. This is playing slow, it is in Eb tuning not "D."

[@Druffmaul]

+hrgiger6 I mostly agree. It should be completely obvious to anyone familiar with the album that these are totally different vocals. But I think I do hear some alternate guitar tracks in here. Obviously some alternate solos. But most of it just sounds like a rough version of what was eventually released to retail.

[@xBGKx]

+hrgiger6 if you were a musician you would be able to tell that this is indeed a demo. You can easily hear different accenting and vibrato on all the main riffs. Subtle but there. Solos different too

[@hrgiger6]

you don't even know what the fuck a "demo" is. a demo is a recording done on an earlier date, to see where things staned as far as the songwriting goes, often to shop around for a record deal. completely different. it is not a rough mix, or alternate recording mixdown of a track recorded for an album in the studio at the time the official record is made.

[@guitarfingerer5671]

gotta love that criminally insane opening drum riff. I love playing that. I can't play drums for shit but. . . I like to play. . .

[@Dronemf11]

Sounds more like punk. Amazing if you ask me.

[@vapporiesat3125]

lol great link dude. slayer riffs in punk style fuck nazis

[@Stigmatix666]

lol punk.. this is black metal

[@leopartanen9431]

@@Stigmatix666 Thrash metal is influenced by punk and black metal is influenced by thrash metal. Other influences as well. I listen all those genres, but the beauty of thrash metal is that hits me. Fast and aggressive, but not too melodic or clean. Golden middle way I would say.

[@Vorticy135]

@@leopartanen9431 not really black metal but early black metal like venom yes

[@lightray9573]

@@leopartanen9431 Thrash metal is influenced by the more aggressive and underground New Wave of British Heavy metal bands and as well by Hardcore Punk, not just punk rock, hardcore was more aggressive and faster

[@metallicatlaura5408]

Raw and unpolished..but still mind-blowing and undoubtedly FUCKIN SLAYER!

[@ThomasAbts]

17:56 D... (o you wanna die?) :D

[@that_green_kid24gaming81]

I just discovered this while looking for some epic demos from 80s metal bands... the Piece by Piece bass intro should’ve stayed with the song, I loved it!!

[@zacharybaranek9492]

hell yeah.. thanks for putting this up

[@Mysterywhiteboy78]

A masterpiece. I used to have the original vinyl bought in 1986 but i cannot remember what happened to it.

[@anthonysuski9248]

I have it!! 👍

[@dontreadonme5331]

I hate when that happens!

[@nmestre2]

Is it weird that i actually prefer this version? :333

[@martincarrillo8252]

+Neto Porto (Hells4Children) same goes for me man!

[@vwmetal66]

+Neto Porto (Hells4Children) Its 100% natural. IMO metal was not suppose to sound over produced, too perfect. If anything this is how it should sound

[@martincarrillo8252]

right on brotha!

[@rufuspage6210]

+Neto Porto (Hells4Children) No! It sounds like Slayer but with the production and vibe of say, Autopsy? Who I fucking love!

[@martincarrillo8252]

man that's a great cause I feel the same way!

[@danin900]

Vocals are much more in your face in the final, but I do like the lo-fi style of production. You can still hear a lot of reverb here.

[@LuisFernandoSaavedra]

Larga vida a Slayer 🤘🔥

[@MARCELO-gn3ix]

🇧🇷👍🏽🤘🏼

[@danielbreitenbach8908]

Demos are cool!!!

[@condor.67]

This more than a demo, it's fucking gold

[@Thrashstalker]

Holy fucking shit, this actually sounds like an early death metal album (but minus the death growls). it's a shame that the final version didn't retain the rawness of this demo.

[@EbenezarGold]

on vinyl through a cheap stereo it sounds a lot like this. LOL this sounds almost exactly how it played in my room 30 years ago.

[@sabata9239]

listen to their Hell Awaits album. Songs like Crypts of Eternity and Kill Again sound like early deathmetal.

[@austincutty4548]

sounds less chaotic it's like a cleaned up version of slayer

[@Bumbaclot213]

austin cutty it’s a demo mate

[@HeavyRaiden]

Sounds awesome in 1.25 speed. The rough sound is great.

[@wrigleyx]

lots of this recording has finished on the album :) love it, it's insane

[@punkmixtapes7227]

Wow, this is great!! The vocals are loud, everything sounds so raw!

[@DrkKnight2]

Love these vocals. I'd think higher of this record if these Haunting the Chapel-esque vocals would have been on it.

[@pkurz3288]

Sounded like the album was slowed down slightly. Then I timed the song "Necrophobic" on this recording to another copy on KZbin and this version is 5 seconds longer. Draw your own conclusion but it still some of the best jams your going to hear

[@Light48910]

P Kurz This is actually how it was originally recorded as rehersals went on, they became faster until the finally recording.

[@hi_is_this_clorox_bleach]

I like the bass part at the beginning of piece by piece

[@jesusnodal8948]

Thanks so very very much for this!!! I'm very happy!!!'

[@danzemacabre8899]

..... And it still kicks complete ass in this form.

[@davidpineda1864]

Radio City in Anaheim,Ca 1982-83 I seen them 7 times. no one knew who they were, I was an early member of their contact list. I Remember the only one that was a Dick was Jeff. I was an early stalker of Slayer!

[@iprey4surf]

That was a great venue. Many good bands played there. TSOL was one

[@shorr2]

Uma paulada no ouvido. \m/ JoNeS SSA - BRASIL

[@EbenezarGold]

this is so great.

[@rodvonmunch9546]

The "HAUNTING THE CHAPEL" version of the album. Honestly, I prefer it. Tom sings great on "Angel of death", less stressed than on the album version. Old SLAYER rulezzzzz!

[@johnflushing9328]

When Slayer became SLAYER.

[@lfader]

Epic upload Kings of Thrash !!! 👑👑👑👑

[@gaargy1]

ahead of it's time

[@rodrigohloyolao4131]

Me gusta el sonido de este trabajo, a comparación del álbum ya terminado, lo tengo en cd original …creo que es una muestra de cómo sonaban en vivo en esa época 🤘🏼

[@Mittsie]

I would say these are rough mixes of the record, with scratch vocals. I don't think they're demos

[@christofinb]

No I don't think it is the phrasing is different on the vocal

[@drewringwood4590]

christofinb scratch vocals, as in the first rough take. The rest of the instruments sound very close to the album, just before mixing and mastering. Obviously solos were redone as well.

[@Grizzletopz]

I think you might be right, before they sped it up

[@desensitizedtv9862]

Yeah, it sounds exactly the way the music is played on the record.

[@benchampion1709]

This is all in D standard and the studio version is E flat

[@witnessthewrath8061]

5:13 nice bass

[@Tensindo]

document.querySelector('video').playbackRate = 1.075 Run this in your JavaScript console to change the speed closer to the final album.

[@armelind]

To me this sounds like a low-fi mix of the final recording premix with an alternate vocal track and leads. Angel of Death at least is exactly the same. Drum fills, guitar harmonies everything. Since everything was tape machines, there could be a chance this was recorded a bit fast. Any other tape machines would play it slower and at a lower pitcher. Necrophobic is a 1:30 song its 1:45(ish) here.

[@cameron_fairchild]

good catch. i have also listened to this for 30 years and think the backing track was used at the faster isp. but this is rough rehearsal vocals until Tom got the vocals complete. these tracks are just slowed down, but are the final version on the album.

[@Trend_Kill]

Yea most of the solos are the exact same just with some different takes here and there

[@sweetjustice8141]

not gonna lie, I have a lot more inspiration when I play in a lower tuning, probably the same with these guys and then they just tune up

[@metallisac]

they're still in dropped tunings, slayer doesn't tune up lol tune down a step and half. killer!

[@sweetjustice8141]

+metallisac well I mean it sounds a tiny bit deeper than the studio version lol

[@metallisac]

+Lyndon McArthur They recorded with a step n a half tuned down on the record so idk what tuning this would be. Maybe just the production

[@daisuke_thrasher7032]

+metallisac E flat

[@SPNKr16]

A step and a half would be from E to C#.

[@SteveBello]

Sounds like they recorded everything in drop-D or tuned the guitars down a full step, then sped them back up to Eb. Metallica did that with MASTER, the producer had them play everything a little slower and tuned down, so when it was brought back up to speed, it was a lot tighter

[@steevetremblay5910]

slaaaaaaaaaaayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!!

[@pauliescott]

Sounds like the studio version in lo fi with different vocal tracks

[@AllHailSAHtan]

The end of raining blood kicked my teeth in

[@barrelroll_poopoopeepee]

tfw no altar of sacrifice

[@felipegiraldo8100]

so this is why they said the album was gonna be slower than the final result, you can tell the tempo on this is a lot slower, glad they did the final thing even faster.

[@alexanderleal8195]

Reborn, cómo me gusta!

[@Eduman1979]

Thank you for posting this by the way where did you get this it's awesome!

[@ronaldjames6067]

Thanks for this ! Is this the best sound quality available ? Has it been released as a bootleg ?

[@FisterMantastik]

FUUUUCK I wanted Altar of Sacrifice to be here so bad

[@sigit666]

Pink floyd do live better than their records but only Slayer can do the sound of their album, live & demo sound Equally Great

[@moshlem666]

... SLAYER 🇺🇲 from the USA, Thrash-Metal institution ... 🤘 🇺🇲

[@frankschmidt2303]

The intro to rainin in blood is made 1983 of a Swedish group Glory Bells song flight back home

[@ll_kos]

This moment, when you waiting for this "AAAAAAaaaa" But it nothing

[@DIERAPPER]

damn good

[@Standbackforscience]

Goddamn this was raw yet tight as all fuck. This honestly sounds better than the album version, same drum and guitar sound, but thicker and dirtier mix. Dave Lombardo was the heart of Slayer's sound. He hit so hard and fast yet sounded so graceful.

[@EbenezarGold]

lots of little intricate things that make him unique. and his meter is looser. he swings a little. Angel of Death does not have the same vibe with other drummers. you don't get that feeling of waves crashing over each other during the chorus riffs with other drummers. you get the onslaught, but not that cyclical thing. hard to describe...LOL!

[@dazedgeo72]

Awezome

[@sergiomaiques3126]

Revelador. La batería y las guitarras base son prácticamente iguales al original. Los solos son increíbles! Algunos no están ( caso Reborn) .

[@marcelo141224]

Eles devem ter reutilizado o material e ter descido um tom (Slayer frequentemente usava a afinação Eb/D#)

[@felipegiraldo8100]

El tempo es un poco mas bajo en el Demo, el album entero iba a durar alrededor de 32 minutos o algo asi, y termino en 29 por que se fueron de bestias con la velocidad en algunas partes

[@jackkruser2614]

Raw

[@drunk247]

Best move Rubin made with them was throwing the reverb tank in the trash.

[@Ricardodismember]

Essa demo ficou até mais pesada que o disco

[@XYU_B_POT_Styles]

так зарождался один из великих альбомов трэша да и всея музыки.

[@ВениаминКузнецов-ы2м]

тут по ходу накладка голоса на уже записанные оригинальные гитары )))

[@jonasdeoliveira2454]

14:40 bass very very heavy

[@BardockPOL]

05:09

[@arthurbromback4143]

BadAss!!!

[@pepsi3885]

D tuning? This is fucking death metal

[@kutchini27]

Modulistic Terror

[@2ndRemova]

This is the original "Reign In Blood" with just some sound changes :(

[@bloodinreign9992]

Some part in the vocals are different different

[@EbenezarGold]

they are very tight. by the time they demo'd or went into the studio, there songs and understanding of their performance were well seasoned. they are notorious for pulling full songs off in one or two takes and they could play them exact each time discounting minor flubs or missed notes. I bet most of their studio time is spent micing drums.

[@Stigmatix666]

LOL

[@luisloyola7124]

some songs in this are maybe a kind of a rough mix of what became the final mix. the drums and guitars of some songs sounds just the same as the final mix.

[@kutchini27]

The guitars and drums are the original sound as heard in the album. They sound lower in tone only because it was before Rubin mixing but this is the exact guitars and drums as in the original album . Only Tom's voice recorded again and also changed during the mixing to a "higher" tone

[@Stigmatix666]

Wrong.

[@Vorticy135]

Drums are similar, guitars and bass are half a step lower

[@damionchrist]

@@Stigmatix666 - He’s right dude, you’re wrong

[@Stigmatix666]

@@damionchrist Nope. You're wrong as well, dude. Don't try to "explain" this shit to a veteran musician, who can hear the tiniest differences in stuff like this. You're just showing how utterly clueless you are about the subject. Amateur

[@ikilledme1millionyearsago693]

IS THIS I D STANDARD?!?!??!?!?

[@Vorticy135]

Yes

[@davu9027]

Oh so did they do the trick with recording it in D and then speeding it up to Eb?

[@gyulagaram6666]

straight D tuning like on the Live Undead album! They only use this there. It has a very special dark atmosphere. They probably left a 9' string set. Loose, sloopy, dark sound. A la B.Sabbath method.

[@philipbaum5929]

Really dig the raw sound. Would be perfect if the bass was audible.

[@KareniyaMusic]

Even if slightly, the bass is a lot more noticeable on this. Especially on the last three songs.

[@ЖИВ75]

Вот времена были класс🤘🤘🤘🇷🇺

[@evileye6564]

The last notes lombardo plays on criminally insane are different. This is a demo. Def Jam Studios recording different

[@damionchrist]

There’s actually 2 versions of Criminally Insane that were recorded for the album. The version we all know and another with slower drums during the verses.

[@DJPANINO]

hello. has this ever been officially published by the band? thanx

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

Yes....you like THRASH!

[@pavlosrousiamanis]

Well, I guess this is the actual birthplace of Black Metal...

[@mar1242]

This version of raining blood sounds more evil to me.

[@davu9027]

Way creepier and darker

[@TheSlayerswe]

Pitch shifted, right?

[@Stigmatix666]

No..

[@grind138]

It does sound like some punk; sounds kinda like some early 80's hardcore (sorta like Agnostic Front), especially on the fast part of "Postmorten." Also, some OLDER black metal, I.E. Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger, but less shitty (I dig the album, though).

[@vasyapupkin1818]

Кращий альбом не тільки Slayer, а і всього треш металу.

[@alierenesen2422]

Playing the video on 0.75 speed makes it sound like a black metal album

[@Stigmatix666]

It *is* a black metal album, sherlock! Slayer started out as black. Sheesh..

[@exanimusofficial]

@@Stigmatix666 they didn’t but go off

[@Stigmatix666]

@@exanimusofficial Yes, they did. Read their biography, they even admit so themselves..

[@exanimusofficial]

@@Stigmatix666 and chuck said death wasn’t death metal, doesn’t make it true. show no mercy is nothing like black metal apart from the tremolo picking

[@Benjawin6671]

0:23 Aaaaa-

[@witnessthewrath8061]

I hear a Yamaha Spx effect on those guitars, symphonic?

[@gyulagaram6666]

Specifically, I live on the other side of the earth, I bought a Hammet newspaper in March 88, taken over from Germany in 87. Kerry told spx90 that he uses it for all important effects. I almost bought one.

[@esteban_abrazowanderino]

do you have download link

[@tked970]

not much different from the final product

[@doc25000]

Thrash metal BIBLE right there!

[@extremelycreativeusername3190]

Sounds like its tuned to D or Db. Metal af lol