Rick Rubin is the guy who helped build Def Jam out of an NYU dorm and then spent decades bouncing between hip-hop, rock, and heavy metal without losing the plot. Before the producer legend, he was literally onstage: 1981–1984 he played guitar in his DIY punk band Hose, gigging around the NYC scene and sharing bills with hardcore staples like Minor Threat and Hüsker Dü. I hear that punk minimalism in his later work—from LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys to Metallica, Slayer, and Johnny Cash—always chasing the cleanest possible version of the song.
SLAYER - Reign in Blood 12" Vinyl LP Album
- Geffen Records Release
"Reign in Blood" is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on 7 October 1986 . The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. "Reign in Blood" was universally well received by both critics and fans, and was responsible for bringing Slayer to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. Kerrang! magazine described the record as "the heaviest album of all time," and a breakthrough in thrash metal and speed metal. Alongside Metallica's "Master of Puppets", Anthrax's "Among the Living "and Megadeth's "Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?", "Reign in Blood" is considered one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time, thrash metal in particular.
