Graze the skin with my fingertips/The brush of dead cold flesh pacifies the means/Provocative images delicate features so smooth/A pleasant fragrance in the light of the moon/Dance with the dead in my dreams/Listen to their hallowed screams/The dead have taken my soul/Temptation's lost all control
There is no shortage of tributes to serial killers in Slayer's music. Auschwitz's Doctor Josef Mengele was the subject of Angel Of Death while Psychopathy Red was written about Russian murderer Andrei Chikatilo. However, none of their songs match the genuinely horrifying sound and themes of Dead Skin Mask - the second track on this list to study the mindset of Ed Gein, inspiration for the "dead skin mask"-wearing Leatherface. As with Mudvayne's Chad Gray, Slayer's Tom Araya takes on the identity of Gein and talks about the sensuality of touching, smelling and tasting the torn flesh that he wears. It is uncomfortable listening, but subtly rendered so that anyone without an inkling of the song's subject matter would struggle to pick up on the references. There's even a totally brilliant spoken word intro that concludes with the haunting "I promise I won't keep you long - I'll keep you forever". What lifts the song above being just a fascinating psychological portrait, though, is its musical backing. Creepy layered and echoing guitars and Dave Lombardo's ominous bass drum countdown provide Slayer's scariest intro ever, before Slayer's trademark powerful rolling riffs kick in. The chaotic solo just adds to the insane atmosphere of the track, as do the panicked sampled female cries of "Hello? Hello?" at the track's conclusion. As good as Mudvayne's Ed Gein tribute is, Slayer absolutely take the crown on this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_pyI4FhO6U
