Slayer have one of the most diehard fanbases in metal history, and in some ways, they're also the ultimate band's band. Intensity begets intensity, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a metal musician out there who doesn't love at least one Slayer record.
Metal Hammer asked several of the now-defunct thrash titans' peers and disciples to pick their single favorite Slayer song, and Arch Enemy frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz was one of them. See her selection below.
"Hell Awaits"
"Hell Awaits" has the same birth year as I do. It has back-masked messages in the intro and dark, thrashy, voluble lyrics… once the vocals finally kick in after more than three minutes of instrumental build, this song is extremely satisfying for those who love fast, angry, evil metal.
Those signature [Jeff] Hanneman and [Kerry] King leads, although in their infancy here, are unmistakable. It's hard for me to imagine a band having released something this heavy before I was even born, which makes it even cooler to share the stage with them now in the present day — something I've had the honor of doing on multiple occasions. Always raw and inspiring, [they're] pioneers and true legends!
