Acknowledgments
Reign in Blood, featuring original commentary from...
Introduction
The Argument: F*****' Slayer
Talkin' Thrash
"Metalstorm: Face the Slayer"
Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman
Drummer Dave Lombardo
Singer-Bassist Tom Araya
Guitarist Kerry King
DJ-RR: The Producer, Rick Rubin.
And the Label, Def Jam.
Engineer Andy Wallace
Recruiting New Blood
Writing Blood
Recording Blood
Illustrating Blood
Bad Day at Black Rock
Def Metal: Slayer in the House
Reviewing Blood
The Reign
Reign in Blood: The Songs and Their Impact
Reign in Blood, in Summary
The Legacy
Notes, Asides, and Works Cited
Slayer's controversial Reign in Blood remains the gold standard
for extreme heavy metal: a seamless
procession of 10 blindingly fast songs in just 28
minutes. D.X. Ferris explores the creation of the most universally
respected metal album and its long road to the stores.
D.X. Ferris is a staff writer for Cleveland Scene. He freelances for Alternative Press, and has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He lives in Ohio.
I can tell you this- if you hold Slayer's Reign in Blood in your
holy trinity of album releases that would go with you to your metal
desert island, then this is definitely your new favorite book.
*addictedtovinyl.com*
Overall, 33 1/3: Reign in Blood will thrill those who've carved
SLAYER into their skin (it's more common among fans than you'd
think), as well as pique the interest of hard-rock aficionados
curious about Slayer but who've not taken the sanguinity plunge
yet.
*OC Weekly*
Reign in Blood' is notable for its brutality, but as the defining
manifesto of thrash metal, it is transcendent for its purity. To
love rock & roll is to love subcultures, and D.X. Ferris has
explained, in stunning detail, how one subculture was defined and
galvanized by that single album, and why that definition will never
need to be written again.
*David Giffels*
A short, intense, meticulous history of Reign In Blood and really,
the whole band... The result is an authorized, damn perfect look at
this one album.
*Martin Popoff, editor in chief of Brave Words Bloody Knuckles*
D.X. Ferris has written an academic and thought-provoking book
while at the same time presenting it as a general reader. Ferris
does not give in to the tendency of 'dumbing down' metal; instead,
he puts forth a very well argued statement that Slayer's 'Reign In
Blood' is a classic album and should be treated as such.
*Ballet Deviare*
If you don't learn something from this book then you are a
liar.
*Sage Francis*
Ferris interviewed everyone who's anyone so he could deliver the
last word on Slayer's first metal masterpiece. Rock-solid rock
joürnalism that deserves its umlauts.
*Dan LeRoy, author of 33 1/3: Paul's Boutique and The Greatest
Music Never Sold: Secrets of Legendary Lost Albums by David Bowie,
Seal, Beastie Boys, Chicago, Mick Jagger*
D.X. Ferris breaks it all down person-by-person and track-by-track
to separate fact from fiction, retracing the origins, occasional
pitfalls and eventual triumph that brought forth in his words, 'the
greatest heavy metal album ever.'... The book untangles a number of
assumptions related to the band that should surprise even longtime
fans.... The book provides not only a good introduction to the
band, but capably answers on all fronts regarding the album in
question.... Ferris pens a clean and even story; flashes his bona
fides outright and is passionate enough about the work to sustain
that fervor through to the end.
*Todd DePalma, The Left Hand Path*
D.X. Ferris's recent 33 1/3 book devoted to Reign In Blood is
excellent.
*Joel McIver, author of Slayer biography The Bloody Reign of
Slayer*
Declares Ferris, 'I wanted to present the story in a way that's
compelling to both rabid Slayer fans and to NPR listeners who love
pop music but have never lost a shoe in a mosh pit' -- and he
largely succeeds.
*OC Weekly*
Writer D.X. Ferris pulls off an admirable tightrope walk. As both a
fan and a critic, Ferris manages to convey a sense of excitement
about the album even as he pulls the reader headfirst into the
world of Slayer. By talking to band members, other musicians,
friends and other people around the band at the time, hardcore
fans..even respected studio engineer Andy Wallace...Ferris pulls
together as complete a picture of the making of Reign in Blood as
you'll likely ever read.
*Trademark of Quality Blog*
… in writing one of the few 33 1/3 books on a metal album, Ferris
knows he must argue persuasively for their inclusion. Toward that
end, he conducted a raft of original interviews for the book
(everyone from Slayer frontman Tom Araya to Tori Amos) to tell
their story as clearly and as vividly as possible.
*Pitchfork*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
