• Fire Splatter
• Box Set
• 40th Anniversary Edition
• Gatefold sleeve
• Previously unreleased live show from 1985 (2 black LPs)
• 60-page book with photos and liner notes
• Includes slipmat, 2 posters, Slaytanic Wehrmacht Newsletter replica, merch flyer replica, 2 flyers, concert ticket replica, and tour laminate replica
  
  

Slayer released Hell Awaits in 1985 as their sophomore full-length, establishing the band as architects of thrash metal's most uncompromising sound. Following their debut, this record deepened their assault on conventional song structure and decency, with guitarist Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman pushing distortion and velocity into genuinely hostile territory. Hell Awaits stands as the bridge between their raw beginnings and the mechanized precision of Reign in Blood, showcasing a band still raw but already ruthless in execution.

The title track opens with one of metal's most effective atmospheric buildups before detonating into pure velocity. "Kill Again" and "Necrophiliac" demonstrate the band's willingness to let riffs breathe despite their speed, while "Crypts of Eternity" and "At Dawn They Sleep" layer dissonance with genuine compositional ambition rather than shock value alone. "Praise Of Death" locks into a groove that refuses to settle, creating momentum through tension rather than repetition. Throughout, Tom Araya's vocals cut through the dense guitar work, and the production—characteristically thin but purposeful—keeps every element audible despite the relentless intensity.

This 40th-anniversary reissue pairs the remastered original album with a previously unreleased live set from Bochum in 1985, capturing the band at peak hunger. The package arrives on fire splatter vinyl in a gatefold sleeve, offering both the studio album and two black LPs of live material, making this an essential document for those who want to hear how Hell Awaits sounded in the moment it was being forged.

Tracklist:

A1. Hell Awaits
A2. Kill Again
A3. At Dawn They Sleep
B1. Praise Of Death
B2. Necrophiliac
B3. Crypts Of Eternity
B4. Hardening Of The Arteries
C1. Hell Awaits (Live)
C2. Aggressive Perfector (Live)
C3. Captor Of Sin (Live)
C4. The Final Command (Live)
C5. Kill Again (Live)
D1. Crypts Of Eternity (Live)
D2. Fight Till Death (Live)
D3. Necrophiliac (Live)
D4. Haunting The Chapel (Live)
D5. Hardening Of The Arteries (Live)
E1. Black Magic (Live)
E2. Die By The Sword (Live)
E3. The Antichrist (Live)
E4. At Dawn They Sleep (Live)
E5. Show No Mercy (Live)
F1. Evil Has No Boundaries (Live)
F2. Chemical Warfare (Live)
F3. Praise Of Death (Live)