Slayer Announces The Vinyl Conflict Box Set

For the first time in its near 30-year history, Slayer, the single most distinctive and radical thrash metal band ever, will see its ten American Recordings albums released as a limited-edition, high-end box set - The Vinyl Conflict (American Recordings/Sony Legacy). Ten albums on 11 discs, The Vinyl Conflict will feature the band's entire Def/American Recordings catalogue: Reign in Blood (1986), South of Heaveneasons (1988), Seasons In The Abyss (1990), the double-record Live Decade of Aggression (1991), Divine Intervention (1994), Undisputed Attitude (1998), God Hates Us All (2001), Christ Illusion (2006), and World Painted Blood (2009). The Vinyl Conflict will be released on October 12, 2010; check Slayer's website (www[dot]slayer[dot]net) or Amazon[dot]com for pricing.

"Most longtime Slayer fans may not have these records at this point," said American Recordings' Dino Paredes, "or their copies are completely beat-up, so to have the complete catalogue in this first-class presentation is terrific. For the newer fans, this is their opportunity to really get into this band the way that they could have if they were born 20 years earlier."

American/Sony Legacy invested a great amount of care into making The Vinyl Conflict, treating the albums the way they would treat a great jazz, classical, Bob Dylan or Miles Davis record, something that isn't normally done for metal records. All ten albums have been re-mastered from the original analog flat master tapes and were pressed on the highest quality, 180-gram audiophile vinyl at RTI, the most respected pressing plant in the U.S. and among the best in the world. Lacquers were cut and re-cut several times to ensure the highest sound quality. The individual vinyl discs will come in a standard, clear inner sleeve to preserve the vinyl, are then housed in high-quality litho-wrapped jackets, and then boxed in a hardcover slipcase. Additionally, reproductions of the original LP inner sleeve artwork were converted to 12X12 inserts.

"The vinyl box is a real treat for fans, especially with today's renewed and increased interest in vinyl," added Sony Legacy's Adam Farber. "It's been years and years since the Slayer vinyl has been in print - only the two most recent albums are currently available on vinyl, the rest have been out of print for years and very hard to find. These albums sound spectacular - they sound like you've never heard them before."

"Everything about 'The Vinyl Conflict' - the look of it, the feel of it - it's very strong, very powerful, very Slayer," added Paredes, "from the music to the dripping, bloody pentagram on the front of the box. It's perfect."

The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot wrote that Slayer is "one of the great American rock bands of the last 30 years, forget about genre." Indeed, few bands come close to matching the intensity that Slayer - guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo - bring to its live shows, having been named "Best Live Band" by numerous media outlets including Revolver, SPIN, and Metal Hammer. The band has received numerous nominations and awards, including four Grammy nods and two wins.

Currently, Slayer is co-headlining the first leg of the American Carnage Tour with Megadeth that kicked off August 11 and goes through September 4. In addition, the band's three classic in-concert DVDs - Live Intrusion, War at the Warfield, and Still Reigning, will be released August 17, separately and as a limited-edition, 3-pak box set.

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Tags:  Slayer, boxset, vinyl  

Jason Fisher    August 16, 2010