10 Best Third Albums In Rock And Metal History
5. Reign In Blood - Slayer
Rick Rubin has more than earned his place as one of the greatest producers in music history.
Alongside pioneering hip hop alongside names like LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Run-DMC, Rubin has also produced several iconic rock and metal albums, including System of a Down's Toxicity, Renegade by Rage Against The Machine, and several records by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
One of Rubin's earliest forays into the genre was with thrash metal giants, Slayer, on their 1986 album, Reign in Blood.
Released at a time when thrash metal was slowly taking over, Reign in Blood leaned fully into the genre's demonic side. In fact, the release of the album had to be delayed because the track "Angel of Death" mentioned Nazism, specifically the human experiments that were conducted at Auschwitz.
When it was finally released, Reign in Blood treated fans to some of the heaviest playing seen on an album before or since. Many modern-day publications still refer to it as the heaviest album ever made and they are right to do so.
For giving us songs like "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood", this album deserves its own demented spot in the history of metal.