Show No Mercy

:"You might have been searching for Mark Williams's song of the same name."

Infobox Album | Name = Show No Mercy
Type = Album
Artist = Slayer


Released = December 1983
Recorded = November 1983
Track Record,
Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre = Thrash metal, speed metal
Length = 34:51
Label = Metal Blade Records
Producer = Brian Slagel
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|2|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:5c881vgjzz9a link] |Last album =
This album = "Show No Mercy"
(1983)
Next album = "Haunting the Chapel"
(1984)|

"Show No Mercy" is the debut album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in December 1983 through Metal Blade Records. Brian Slagel signed the band to Metal Blade after watching the band perform the song "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron Maiden. The band was forced to self-finance their debut album, combining the savings of vocalist Tom Araya, who was employed as a respiratory therapist, and money borrowed from guitarist Kerry King's father.

Touring extensively promoting the album, the band brought close friends and family members along the trip, who helped backstage with lighting and sound. Although criticized for poor production quality, it became Metal Blade Records highest selling release, also producing the songs "Die by the Sword", "The Antichrist" and "Black Magic", which are played at Slayer's live shows regularly.

Recording

Slayer was the opening act for "Bitch" at the Woodstock Club in Los Angeles, performing eight songs—six being covers. While performing the song "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron Maiden, the band was spotted by Brian Slagel, a former music journalist who had recently founded Metal Blade Records. Slagel met with the band backstage and asked if they would like to be featured on the label's upcoming "Metal Massacre III" compilation, the band agreed.cite web
title = Interview with Brian Slagel
author = German, Eric
publisher = Metalupdate.com
url = http://www.metalupdate.com/interviewmetalblade.html
accessdate = 2006-12-04 ]

The band's appearance on the compilation created underground buzz, which led to Slagel signing the band with Metal Blade Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, California, "Show No Mercy" was financed by vocalist Tom Araya, who used his earnings as a respiratory therapist,cite web
title = Live chat with Tom Araya of Slayer
publisher = ESPguitars.com
url = http://www.espguitars.com/news/news_tomchat.html
accessdate = 2006-12-10 ] and money borrowed from guitarist Kerry King's father.cite web
title = An exclusive oral history of Slayer
publisher = Decibel Magazine
url = http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features_detail.aspx?id=4566
accessdate = 2006-12-03 ] Vocalist Araya asserts Venom, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate were a big influence on the record—as guitarist King was into the Satanic image.cite web
title = LiveDaily Interview: Tom Araya of Slayer
author = Gargano, Paul
publisher = Livedaily
date = 2007-01-25
url = http://www.livedaily.com/interviews/LiveDaily_Interview_Tom_Araya_of_Slayer-11402.html?t=1
accessdate = 2007-01-28 ]

Gene Hoglan, of Dark Angel fame, provided backing vocals on the song "Evil Has No Boundaries"; "back at the time it was Jeff [Hanneman] and Kerry doing the 'Evil!', you know it didn't sound too heavy and I mentioned to like Tom or Jeff or somebody like 'You know you guys should consider... maybe consider doing like big gang vocals on that, make it sound evil like demons and stuff' and they were like 'Good idea' but how about now, we got about eight dudes sitting around in the studio and now everybody jumped there and yelled 'evil' so I was like 'Cool' because I'm like 'I wanna sing on this record somehow, that's how I can do it", totally unplanned you know?! Sure enough there were like "Fuck we have the time, let's do it" so I was like "Yeah I got to sing on it!" so..."cite web
title= =Dark Angel
publisher= Voicesfromthedarkside.com
url=http://www.voicesfromthedarkside.de/interviews/darkangel2.htm
accessdate=2007-03-04] On recording the drums, Slagel wanted drummer Dave Lombardo to play without using cymbals due to the amount of noise they made, as he was unsure if he could siphon the noise out, which he eventually did.cite web
title= Staying focused through the years
author= Bromley, Adrian
publisher= Jam.com
url= http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Slayer/1998/06/14/749649.html
accessdate= 2007-02-22]

The band used Satanic themes in both lyrics, and live performances to gain notice among the metal community. The back cover featured 'side 666' and inverted crosses, with Hanneman playing his guitar. Due to the imagery and lyrical content Slagel received mail from the PMRC telling the band to stop releasing records; Araya comments "Back then you had that PMRC, who literally took everything to heart. When in actuality you're trying to create an image. You're trying to scare people on purpose."cite web
title = Westword interview with Tom Araya
author = La Briola , John
publisher = Westword.com
date = 2004-07-22
url = http://www.westword.com/2004-07-22/music/slay-ride/
accessdate = 2006-12-07] The album produced the songs "The Antichrist," "Die by the Sword," and "Black Magic", which are played at Slayer's live shows regularly.

Touring

The band went on their first tour of the United States after the album's release — Slagel gave the band a list of addresses and contact numbers of the venues. Araya was still working at the hospital, and called the members saying, "'Today’s the day. Are we gonna do this?'" The band knew if they did not tour now, they never would. So they set out taking Araya's Camaro and U-Haul. During the first leg of the tour, Slayer had no manager, only a T-Shirt salesman, Doug Goodman, who eventually became the band's tour manager — Goodman now manages acts such as Green Day and Beck.

Kevin Reed, a friend of the band set up the drums and lighting when touring with the band - Reed's father, Lawrence R. Reed drew the Minotaur with the sword on the album's cover. Araya's younger brother Johnny Araya - who was thirteen or fourteen was a roadie who set up the back line and sound, Hanneman would make Johnny drink beer. Hoglan was also a roadie, but was fired after the first show, due to having no idea what to do. The band hardly made enough money to sustain themselves - buying the "essentials" - food, gas and beer. Araya asserts: "We basically used whatever money we got to get from point A to point B. When we got back, Brian was like, 'So, where’s the money?' And we were like, 'What money?' At that time, we didn’t realize that you had to ask for money up front. I think he got a lot of money sent directly to him, and we were supposed to pick up the rest."

The band performed in a hotel in Winnipeg, where the basement was the club. Araya comments "We stayed there for like four or five days, I think. We saw Verbal Abuse play there. Then we played a place in Boston called the Lizard Lounge. In fact, a car had run into the front of the building, and it was all boarded up, but we still played there." When one of the guitarists broke a string Araya would hand them the bass, Hanneman stating "We’d argue about it, too—like, 'I wanna play bass for a while!'"

Reception

The band did not have enough time to sell any records while touring, but the album became Metal Blade Records highest selling release. Five thousand copies was the label's average - "Show No Mercy" went on to sell over 15,500 to 20,000 copies in the United States, and 15,000 overseas as Metal Blade had worldwide rights. The success of the album led to Slagel wanting the band to release a new record and an EP.

The album was noted for its poor production. Jeremy Ulrey of Allmusic reviewed the album years after its release and pointed out it was "amateurish compared to later releases"cite web
title= Show No Mercy - Review
author=Ulrey, Jeremy
publisher= Allmusic
url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:5c881vgjzz9a
accessdate=2007-03-13] such as "Reign in Blood", which Araya states marked the band's evolution lyrically and musically.cite web
title = Slayer - Tom Araya - January 2007
author = Gargano, Paul
publisher = Maximum Ink Music Magazine
url = http://www.maximumink.com/articles.php?articleId=1084
accessdate = 2007-01-24] Araya also acknowledged the poor production of the album; "for the time and place, those records are amazing. Nowadays, production-wise, it's so under par. But for what it was at the time, those are amazing records to me. I guess we could go in and redo it. But why ruin it?"

Track listing

tracklist

lyrics_credits = yes
music_credits = yes

title1 = Evil Has No Boundaries
lyrics1 = Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King
music1 = King
length1 = 3:12

title2 = The Antichrist
lyrics2 = Hanneman
music2 = Hanneman, King
length2 = 2:47

title3 = Die By the Sword
lyrics3 = Hanneman
music3 = Hanneman
length3 = 3:37

title4 = Fight Till Death
lyrics4 = Hanneman
music4 = Hanneman
length4 = 3:40

title5 = Metal Storm/Face the Slayer
lyrics5 = King
music5 = Hanneman, King
length5 = 4:51

title6 = Black Magic
lyrics6 = King
music6 = Hanneman, King
length6 = 4:02

title7 = Tormentor
lyrics7 = Hanneman
music7 = Hanneman
length7 = 3:42

title8 = The Final Command
lyrics8 = King
music8 = Hanneman, King
length8 = 2:33

title9 = Crionics
lyrics9 = Hanneman, King
music9 = Hanneman, King
length9 = 3:30

title10 = Show No Mercy
lyrics10 = King
music10 = King
length10 = 3:05

Bonus tracks (1987 re-issue)

The 1987 reissue also features songs from the "Haunting the Chapel" EP.tracklist

writing_credits = yes

title11 = Haunting the Chapel
writer11 = Hanneman, King
length11 = 3:57

title12 = Captor of Sin
writer12 = Hanneman, King
length12 = 3:27

title13 = Chemical Warfare
writer13 = Hanneman, King
length13 = 6:01

Bonus tracks (1994 re-release)

tracklist

writing_credits = yes

title11 = Aggressive Perfector
writer11 = Hanneman, King
length11 = 3:31

title12 = Chemical Warfare
writer12 = Hanneman, King
length12 = 6:01

Bonus track (vinyl only)

tracklist

lyrics_credits = yes
music_credits = yes

title11 = Aggressive Perfector
lyrics11 = Hanneman, King
music11 = Hanneman, King
length11 = 3:31

Personnel

*Tom Araya - bass, vocals
*Jeff Hanneman - guitar
*Kerry King - guitar
*Dave Lombardo - drums

References