Untouched, unparalleled and unprecedented, Slayer set the bar higher than ever thought possible with 1986's Reign in Blood (Def Jam). The culmination - but more importantly, the refinement - of the two albums that preceded it, Reign in Blood was so influential that it defined Slayer's career and image, spawned at least two other subgenres of heavy metal, and remained so popular among the band and fans that eighteen years after it was released, was played live in its entirety, with the band being drenched in fake blood at the climax.

This album could so easily have been mindless, repetitive, balls-to-the-wall shredding that was heavy just for the sake of being heavy; and even to the seasoned ear, sometimes that's what it sounds like. But the planets were aligned, the moon was full and the gates of hell were opened. Guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King rip through 10 songs in under half an hour, with Dave Lombardo pushing the human body beyond all limits of stamina and creativity.

There's aggression, there's speed, and there are riffs (and holy hell are they sharp), but while those elements come easily, they are purposeful and focused. Yes, the most important item on the recipe is there - songwriting. It works better on some songs than it does others - "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" have etched themselves into 'untouchable' status for all time, but other songs accomplish the same. "Piece By Piece" breaks in, kicks ass, and leaves in two minutes. Over a perilous screaming solo, "Altar of Sacrifice" breaks down into a halftime riff that gradually slows into the doomy intro of "Jesus Saves" - which, without warning, bursts into another feeding frenzy. Notwithstanding the inevitable audio and aesthetic numbness that sets in when the songs start to blur into one another ("Criminally Insane", "Reborn" and "Epidemic"), the offenders never overstay their welcome, and the album speeds on to its next track before your attention wanders too far.

Even chaotic and messy solos, long a running joke among Slayer fans, fit into this cacophony as a meat cleaver sticks into a jugular. From the cymbal choke and power chord of "Angel of Death", to the car wreck ending of "Raining Blood", this album is the book of what heavy metal is, was, and always wanted to be.