The team was formed in 1981 and consisted of four people. Today, Slayer’s full discography consists of twelve studio albums, two mini-albums, two live, twelve singles, one box set and four DVDs.
The theme for all songs over the years has not changed. In the discography of Slayer, the themes of death, hell, Satanism, genocide, massacres, terror and war are raised, the team often ridicules moral standards and church dogmas. Because of this range of unusual texts, the collective is often banned in many countries.
Team education
In the early 80s, metallic sound could be heard from almost anywhere. The unusual and shocking genre was to the liking of the young generation, as well as future world stars. In 1981, the Ledger group auditioned for entry into their group, where Jeff Hanneman and Carrie King first met. On that day, the two musicians immediately liked each other, and after Hannemann played two compositions from the Iron Maiden repertoire for King, they decided to found their own group. Later they were joined by bassist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo, who previously worked as a pizza delivery man.
At first, the group was engaged in cover performances, adding their own works in their performances. At one point, Brian Slagel was accepted into the group, with which Slayer subsequently signed a contract.
First albums
The group gained its first popularity with the release of its debut album, and with each new one it continued to grow steadily. With the money received from the father of the solo guitarist, the band releases and publishes the album No Mercy on their own. This work in Slayer discography became a classic in the thrash metal underground. In the works of this collection, the group used guitar riffs, incredible at that time.
The group established itself as the fastest musicians on the planet, and the average rhythm of the songs was 250 beats per minute. The total number of discs sold was 40 thousand copies.
By 1985, Slayer received its first budget from companies and was able to sell three more albums over 5 years. By the end of the year, they released the gloomy and atmospheric Hell Awaits, and in 1986 - Reigin in Blood. Both albums received "golden status", and the team was noticed by future manager Rick Rubin. This period is characterized by great scandals related to the theme of the Holocaust raised in songs.
Peak of popularity
Over the 8 years of its existence, the group was able to find a suitable niche and realize their most successful album in the history of performances. Released in 1988, South of Heaven received a lot of controversial reviews, but it was he who excelled in the biggest sales, getting on the 58th place in the Billboard 200 rating.
The next Season in the Abyss album, just like the previous one, received "gold status". Critics took this material even better, placing the work of musicians on the 47th line of the Billboard 200. During this period, the group shot the first 2 clips, which turned out to be extremely dark and cruel. The band began extensive concert activity around the world, and the replenishment of Slayer discography continued in 1994.
Unable to withstand the load, drummer Dave Lombardo dropped out of the group. A replacement was found almost immediately. In the new composition, metallers released 4 albums. In the period from the mid-90s to the beginning of the 2000s, the group's popularity began to decline steadily.
Last years
Despite the fact that interest in thrash metal began to decline, the group played for a long time on world tours and released albums. God Hates You All, Christ Illusion, World Painted Blood still sound insanely metallic, but the group's aging is already clearly noticeable. More and more conflicts continue to occur in the team, and in 2012, one of the main ideological leaders, Jeff Hanneman, dies.
In 2014, the last album was released in the discography of Slayer. Repentless was released under a contract with Nuclear Beam and has many nostalgic moments. The group’s final tour is scheduled for the end of 2018, after which, according to the participants, they will cease to exist as Slayer.