Slayer have announced deluxe reissues of their second album, ‘Hell Awaits’, scheduled for release in 2026 via Metal Blade Records. The seven-track album will be available on May 15 in three physical configurations – 3 CDs, 3 LPs, and a limited liquid-filled “blood” vinyl – as well as digitally. Audio across all formats has been restored and remastered from the original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony in February 2025.
All editions include a previously unreleased live recording, Live From Bochum 1985, captured during the Hell Awaits Tour and spread across two discs with 18 tracks. Physical editions expand significantly on archival material. The CD Earbook features a 60-page 11-inch book and poster, while the 3 LP fire-splatter vinyl set includes a 60-page booklet, replica tour ephemera, posters, flyers, a slipmat, and memorabilia tied to the German dates. The liquid-filled vinyl edition is limited to 666 copies and will be sold exclusively through Slayer’s official store.
Originally released in 1985, ‘Hell Awaits’ marked a defining moment in Slayer’s evolution, pushing their sound toward darker themes, longer compositions, and more complex song structures. With Metal Blade Records backing the production, the album helped lay groundwork for extreme metal and is widely cited as a key precursor to death metal, solidifying Slayer’s reputation as one of the most aggressive and influential bands in heavy music.
Track Listing
CD 1: Original Album Remastered
- Hell Awaits
- Kill Again
- At Dawn They Sleep
- Praise of Death
- Necrophiliac
- Crypts of Eternity
- Hardening of the Arteries
CD 2: Live From Bochum 1985
- Hell Awaits
- Aggressive Perfector
- Captor of Sin
- The Final Command
- Kill Again
- Crypts of Eternity
- Fight Till Death
- Necrophiliac
- Haunting the Chapel
- Hardening of the Arteries
CD 3: Live From Bochum 1985
- Black Magic
- Die by the Sword
- The Antichrist
- At Dawn They Sleep
- Show No Mercy
- Evil Has No Boundaries
- Chemical Warfare
- Praise of Death