Slayer is an American music band performing thrash metal, formed in 1981 in Huntington Park, dissolved in 2019. The band was formed on the initiative of guitarist Kerry King, who invited another Cuban-based guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist and vocalist of Chilean nationality, Tom Araya, to join in. Already at the beginning, the musicians developed their own style based on intensive guitar parts with solo parts performed with a tremolo and the characteristic singing of the band's vocalist. ¹⁾

According to Nielsen SoundScan, from 1991 to 2013, Slayer sold 4,900,000 copies in the United States, and over 20 million worldwide. Slayer has won the Recording Industry Association of America six gold certifications and one multi-platinum plaque. ²⁾

In the band’s 35-year span, Slayer has released 12 albums: Show No Mercy (1983), Hell Awaits (1985), Reign in Blood (1986), South of Heaven (1988), Seasons in the Abyss (1990), Divine Intervention (1994), Undisputed Attitude (1996), Diabolus in Musica (1998), God Hates Us All (2001), Christ Illusion (2006), World Painted Blood (2009) and Repentless (2015). ³⁾

Thrash metal is a heavy metal music subgenre characterized by its aggression and quick tempo. Slayer is credited as one of the “big four” thrash metal bands alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax, and these four American bands have pioneered and popularized the genre. From 1990 to 1991, for the 'Clash of the Titans' tour, which is considered the height of the genre, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax performed. ⁴⁾

The band used pentagrams, make-up, spikes and inverted crosses in their demonstrations in their early shows. Themes like murder, serial killers, torture, genocide, human experimentation, Satanism, hate crimes, extremism, religion, anti-religion, Nazism, warfare and even necrophilia are covered in their lyrics and album art. This caused a lot of controversy at the time and resulted in public and religious organizations banning songs, delays, litigation and criticism. ⁵⁾