Seasons in the Abyss [LP]

by Slayer

Overview

After staking out new territory with the underrated South of Heaven, Slayer brought back some of the pounding speed of Reign in Blood for their third major-label album, Seasons in the Abyss. Essentially, Seasons fuses its two predecessors, periodically kicking up the mid-tempo grooves of South of Heaven with manic bursts of aggression. "War Ensemble" and the title track each represented opposite sides of the coin, and they both earned Slayer their heaviest MTV airplay to date. In fact, Seasons in the Abyss is probably their most accessible album, displaying the full range of their abilities all in one place, with sharp, clean production. Since the band is refining rather than progressing or experimenting, Seasons doesn't have quite the freshness of its predecessors, but aside from that drawback, it's strong almost all the way from top to bottom (with perhaps one or two exceptions). Lyrically, the band rarely turns to demonic visions of the afterlife anymore, preferring instead to find tangible horror in real life -- war, murder, human weakness. There's even full-fledged social criticism, which should convince any doubters that Slayer aren't trying to promote the subjects they sing about. Like Metallica's Master of Puppets or Megadeth's Peace Sells...but Who's Buying, Seasons in the Abyss paints Reagan-era America as a cesspool of corruption and cruelty, and the music is as devilishly effective as ever. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	12/10/2013
Label:	American
UPC:	0602537467914
Rank:	4364

Tracks

1. War Ensemble
2. Blood Red
3. Spirit in Black
4. Expendable Youth
5. Dead Skin Mask
6. Hallowed Point
7. Skeletons of Society
8. Temptation
9. Born of Fire
10. Seasons in the Abyss

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Slayer   Primary Artist
Kerry King   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Jeff Hanneman   Guitar
Tom Araya   Bass,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Dave Lombardo   Drums

Technical Credits

Allen Abrahamson   Assistant Engineer
Slayer   Producer
Andy Wallace   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Kerry King   Composer
Chris Rich   Assistant Engineer
Jeff Hanneman   Composer
David Tobocman   Assistant Engineer
Robert Fisher   Design
Rick Rubin   Producer
Tom Araya   Composer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Rick Sales   Management
Larry Carroll   Artwork,Illustrations
Sunny Bak   Photography
Marty Temme   Photography