Metal Blade Records will release a 40th-anniversary edition of SLAYER's iconic second studio album 'Hell Awaits' on May 15, 2026. The package arrives as a vinyl box set containing three LPs: the original seven-track album and 18 live bonus tracks from a 1985 Bochum concert, along with a 60-page hardcover book in 12" format.
Originally released in April 1985, 'Hell Awaits' represented a pivotal leap in SLAYER's evolution. As guitarist Kerry King recalls: "It's the record where SLAYER became SLAYER." The album marked a deliberate shift from the debut 'Show No Mercy' toward longer, more progressive arrangements influenced by MERCYFUL FATE's 'Melissa.'
"Jeff and I were still trying to figure out who we were as musicians, and we were both infatuated with MERCYFUL FATE's 'Melissa' album during the writing process," King said. "That's why there's so few songs and most of 'em are pretty long. That's the only time anything like that ever happened with us."
The reissue features audio mastered and restored from the original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony. CD and digital versions also include the bonus track "Invest In Fear" — receiving its first US physical release and first worldwide digital availability.
'Hell Awaits' arrived in a pivotal year for thrash metal alongside debut albums from MEGADETH, EXODUS, KREATOR, POSSESSED, DESTRUCTION, and OVERKILL. Preorders are available now at metalblade.com/slayer.