Slayer Show No Mercy is one of my all-time favourite records. It’s not quite the slayer they grew into by the time Hell Awaits came out, but to me this is Masterpiece that combines thrash metal with their own early influences like Judas Priest and Venom. Slayer took what Venom were doing but upped their game on the musicianship and provided the next step in metal’s race to become the most extreme.
Following hot on the heels of Metallica’s debut album, this one came out later in the year on Brian Slagel’s label Metal Blade records (The label responsible for releasing Metallica’s first song on a compilation). Quality wise I think this may have even been better than Metallica’s first record, showcasing some great songwriting and more dynamic riffage. Despite the almost cartoonish cover the album went to sell well on the local circuit and became Metal Blade’s biggest release up until that point.
There’s been some talk about the production quality of this being a bit poor, but let’s face it that’s the story with almost every debut album I’ve reviewed here. However the production to me fits the songs. Its raw, lets the songwriting shine through and creates an evil atmosphere. From the moment the first song “Evil has no Boundaries” kicks in you know you’re in for a wild ride. The riffs are great especially in songs like “Black Magic” and “The Antichrist” songs that would for most of Slayer’s career be staples in their live set. My personal favourite would have to be “Black Magic” but again every song on this is killer. There’s no wasted time on this record, its just pure Heavy Metal, fast loud and demonic from start to finish for this one.
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