QOTD: Do you Pass on the Critical Darling?
Slayer’s 1986 Reign in Blood is widely hailed as their masterpiece, a 28 minute and 58 second aural assault that fused the aggression of hardcore punk with the breakneck speed of thrash metal. But for my shekels I prefer their follow-up, 1988’s South of Heaven, due to the stellar production courtesy of Rick Rubin and slower tempos that exchanged the blitzkrieg ferocity of the earlier album for Sabbath-y space, which in my opinion, provided a gloomier haven for the band’s mix of dread and thunderous attack. Guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman (RIP) alternate solos that sound like schizophrenic laughter interspersed with bursts of shrapnel, while drummer Dave Lombardo may hold the record for most number of tom fills attempted in one album. Coupled with production that puts the drums front and center, the taut kick drum just right, (no bass in the mix, but this was the ‘80’s after all), the album deserves a place in metal Valhalla. Reign in Blood receives the critical kudos, but nine times out of ten I’ll chose South of Heaven if I have a hankering for an angry companion in E minor.
When it comes to sheet metal I much prefer the second-generation Camaro to the first generation. I’d be perfectly happy to never see another Pro-touring ’68 or Z-28 clone with white stripes again. So, dear reader, do you prefer the generation of a vehicle after the one held to be the masterpiece? Do you love the follow-up to a collectible classic? Tell us which one and why in the comments below.