A masterpiece in the speed metal genre, by Slayer. Released in 1986, this masterpiece opens and closes with two longer, now-standard tracks, Angel of Death and Raining Blood. Sandwiched in between are eight short, very fast bursts of aggression that change tempo or feel without warning, keeping the listener off balance and producing a very wild, disjointed, barely controlled effect. The short songs prevent the extreme graphic violence and paranoia in the lyrics from descending into self-parody. The album proved hugely influential in the evolution of the death metal style. Along with Metallica's Master of Puppets, the pinnacle of thrash.