Often sparking controversy due to graphic material and Satanism, the ‘80s-started thrash outfit Slayer has kept America captivated for the last two decades with the band's fast and fiery metal music, emerging among Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax as one of the top-tier thrash bands in the nation. Slayer has sent several albums flying onto the Billboard charts over the years, also earning two Grammys (for Best Metal Performance of Eyes of the Insane in 2006 and "Final Six" in 2007) along the way.

Hailing from the Southern California town of Huntington Beach, Slayer formed in 1982 thanks to a partnership between guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. Rounding out the hostile bunch were bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo, and the newly-formed quartet started their career playing covers of songs by Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Quickly learning they could make crowds roar by exploiting threatening and satanic images, Slayer started jumping off the deep end with an edgy appeal, gaining exposure when Metal Blade's Brian Slagel recruited the band to contribute a song to the compilation Metal Massacre, Vol. 3. Slayer was signed shortly thereafter, quickly releasing their debut album Show No Mercy. 1985 marked the beginning of the Slayer era, as that year's Hell Awaits album capitalized upon subjects of damnation and torture to attract a metal audience. Even though CBS at first refused to distribute Slayer's album Reign in Blood, the band eventually got around it with the help of their label, continuing to punch out hits through the years.

Lombardo's exit from the band in the late ‘80s slowed Slayer down a bit, but the band eventually got back to business in the mid-‘90s, still making music well into the mid-2000s. Slayer's most recent album releases include 2001's Got Hates Us All and 2006's Christ Illusion.