[33⅓ 57] • Slayer's Reign in Blood

Slayer's controversial *Reign in Blood* remains the gold standard for extreme heavy metal: a seamless procession of 10 blindingly fast songs in just 28 minutes, delivered in furious bursts of instrumental precision, sparking a new genre called death metal and today serves as a benchmark for metal musicians. The disc marked slayer's coronation as the kings of thrash, and their ongoing 25-year streak of vitality places them in the small fraternity of rock's greatest groups. Through interviews with the entire band, producer Rick Rubin, engineer Andy Wallace, and a who's who of headbangers from three decades, D.X. Ferris explores the creation of the most universally respected metal album and its long road to the stores.