Okay. Hands up those here who like metal? Quite a few of you? There's a chance you might need this album then.

This is the opus of thrash metal, where it all began, and pretty much where it will all end. As long ago as 1986, a band called Slayer went into the studio with legendary "midas-touch" producer Rick Rubin and came out with this - a 28 minute blast of pure fucking metal.

It opens up with 'Angel Of Death', and you really couldn't ask for a better track. Once the riff kicks in, you know this is something special. Tom Araya's ear-fucking scream comes into action, there's a drum from the deep and we're off. The lyrics are another important factor on this song - they're written about Josef Mengele, a Nazi doctor who committed heinous crimes and experiments on Jewish peoples during the Holocaust. Slayer have been heavily criticized for their apparent Nazi backing, but it's just not their style to come out and say "He was a bad, bad man". The riff from this song is sampled by Public Enemy, of all bands, for 'She Watch Channel Zero?!?', Araya screams the finishing title, and you realise you have listened to possibly one of the greatest Track Ones ever.

The good thing about this album? It keeps on fucking going. There's no pause, no relenting, just 4 guys beating the fuck out of their instruments. There's a good mix - 'Necrophobic' and 'Jesus Saves' with the faster, more mental side (the latter containing some very poignant lyrics about bible belt America), "Criminally Insane" showing a slower, more controlled band.

You can think of this album as a sandwich - 'Angel Of Death', the killer opening track, is the top bit of bread. Tracks 2-9 are the tasty ham and cheese...possibly with a bit of blood from sacrificial virgins for flavour. The other slice of bread to complete it is 'Raining Blood', another metal masterpiece. You cannot listen to this song without goosebumps appearing and hairs standing on the back of your neck when you hear those drums in the "storm". And then the riif comes in. The lyrics aren't the best until the final part, but it's really only THAT riff that matters. Very good aswell that they made the last line "Bleeding destruction, now I shall reign in blood!". One last complete riff spazout, and it's over. And all in just under half an hour.

Thankfully for us all, Slayer have recently reformed, and joined their modern copyists, Slipknot, on the recent Unholy Alliance tour, and blew them off the fucking stage. They have created some good material since "RIB", but this is really the only one that matters. In fact, its probably the only thrash metal album that matters fullstop. That's how good it is.

Ollie Connors