This is where the list will undoubtedly get controversial, as every Slayer will have their preferred order when referring to the band's undisputed four greatest albums. South Of Heaven finishes lowest on this list, solely because it doesn't maintain quite the same impact today as the other three continue to wield. That does not mean, however, that is not an absolute masterpiece. It is also the most stunningly restrained Slayer album, showing that the band is not wholly about the insane speeds and pulverising blastbeats that had dominated their sound to this point. South Of Heaven had the unenviable task of following what is perhaps the greatest metal of all time in Reign In Blood, and Slayer's response to that album's success was to move in a completely different direction. The pay-off is exceptional. The album may only be 8 minutes longer than its precursor, but its expansive sound and slower riffs makes it feel like a far more epic release. The title track, Mandatory Suicide and closer Spill The Blood are the album's standout moments. The echoing, multi-layered riff that opens South Of Heaven is iconic, and it has become one of the band's most recognisable (and hummable!) tracks. Mandatory Suicide retains the crushingly rapid riffs and solos of Reign In Blood, but Lombardo's drums are remarkably restrained. The track feels like the band are playing their faster tunes with arms filled with lead, and it works brilliantly. Spill The Blood even features delicately plucked guitars in its intro, granting the listener a breather from the extremity. South Of Heaven is classic Slayer, and shows that even in their lauded 1980s phase they certainly weren't simply repeatedly producing the rapid-fire thrash that had made their name.
