Metal legends Slayer have announced a special 40th anniversary edition reissue of their seminal second studio album, Hell Awaits. The influential thrash metal record is set for release on 15 May 2026 via Metal Blade Records.
Formed in 1981, Slayer swiftly established themselves as a pioneering force, blending metal and punk into a sound that was heavier, faster, and darker than their contemporaries. They set a new standard for extreme music, consistently maintaining their brutal and focused aural assault throughout their career.
Guitarist and co-songwriter Kerry King describes the album as “the record where Slayer became Slayer.” Released in April 1985, Hell Awaits marked a significant evolution from the band’s 1983 debut, Show No Mercy. While the debut served as the band’s initial mission statement, Hell Awaits showcased a more intricate, developed, and aggressive execution of their signature speed and musical chops. It solidified the lineup of vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, guitarists King and Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.), and drummer Dave Lombardo, as they crafted one of heavy metal’s most celebrated albums.
The album’s release came during an action-packed year for thrash, which also saw debut albums from the likes of Megadeth, Exodus, Kreator, Possessed, Destruction, Hirax, and Overkill. Influenced heavily by Mercyful Fate’s Melissa, Hell Awaits featured longer, more progressive song structures. Where most tracks on Show No Mercy were under four minutes, three of the seven tracks on Hell Awaits surpass the six-minute mark.
Kerry King explained the shift, saying: “Jeff and I were still trying to figure out who we were as musicians, and we were both infatuated with Mercyful Fate’s Melissa album during the writing process for Hell Awaits. That’s why there’s so few songs and most of ’em are pretty long. That’s the only time anything like that ever happened with us.”
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Tom Araya delivered an equally impressive vocal performance, spitting lyrics quickly and clearly on tracks like “Kill Again” and “Praise Of Death.” Araya commented: “I don’t recall the songs being hard to sing. Singing fast and clearly has always been something that I strived for.”
The 40th anniversary reissue arrives on 15 May 2026 and will be available in three physical formats and digitally. Pre-orders for the reissue are available now.
The physical formats include a limited-edition “Blood” Filled Liquid Vinyl, exclusive to the Slayer store and restricted to 666 copies worldwide. This edition features the seven-track Hell Awaits album, mastered and restored from the original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025, presented in a gatefold sleeve.
A CD Earbook is also available, which comprises three CDs: the seven-track Hell Awaits CD (mastered and restored from the 1985 production tapes) plus an 18-track live bonus audio titled Live From Bochum 1985. This live audio has never been released physically or digitally before. The earbook also includes a 60-page 11-inch book and a poster.
The digital version will include both the seven-track Hell Awaits album and the full 18-track live bonus audio, Live From Bochum 1985.
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The full track listing for the Hell Awaits (40th Anniversary) edition is as follows:
- “Hell Awaits”
- “Kill Again”
- “At Dawn They Sleep”
- “Praise Of Death”
- “Necrophiliac”
- “Crypts Of Eternity”
- “Hardening Of The Arteries”
- “Hell Awaits” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Aggressive Perfector” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Captor Of Sin” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “The Final Command” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Kill Again” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Crypts Of Eternity” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Fight Till Death” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Necrophiliac” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Haunting The Chapel” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Hardening Of The Arteries” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Black Magic” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Die By The Sword” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “The Antichrist” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “At Dawn They Sleep” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Show No Mercy” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Evil Has No Boundaries” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Chemical Warfare” (Live From Bochum 1985)
- “Praise Of Death” (Live From Bochum 1985)
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