Slayer - Show No Mercy

Slayer’s NWOBHM inspired debut on steroids.

The album features relatively simple song structures, heavily influenced by bands like Priest and Maiden, along with their now-iconic lyrics centered around dark and controversial themes (I am the Antichrist), which already stirred up backlash and likely cost them some potential listeners in ther career due to their edgy, nonconformist image.

But Slayer wouldn’t be Slayer if they cared about that. They fully embraced the controversy.

This album feels like an uncut diamond. It’s raw, energetic, and fun to listen to but still rough around the edges. It lacks some uniqueness and occasionally sounds more like a creatively aggressive tribute to their influences than the groundbreaking material they would later produce.

But still, it’s a really strong debut.