Slayer – Hell Awaits 40th Anniversary Edition 3LP Box Set

Slayer – Hell Awaits 40th Anniversary Edition 3LP Box Set

Hell Awaits is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Originally released in 1985, it marked a major step forward in the band’s sound, pushing their music into darker, faster and more aggressive territory and helping define the extreme edge of 1980s thrash metal.

This special 40th Anniversary Edition 3LP Box Set expands the original album with additional material and a previously unreleased full concert recording from Bochum, 1985. The main album includes Hell Awaits, Kill Again, At Dawn They Sleep, Praise Of Death, Necrophiliac, Crypts Of Eternity and Hardening Of The Arteries.

The box set includes the original album on Fire Splatter Vinyl and a separate 2LP 180 gram black vinyl edition of Live From Bochum 1985. The package also includes a 60-page book, slipmat, posters and reproductions of original tour memorabilia, making it a substantial collector’s edition for Slayer fans.

Released by Metal Blade on 15 May 2026, this edition celebrates one of Slayer’s most important early albums with expanded archival content and premium physical presentation.

Artist: Slayer
Label: Metal Blade
Release date: 15 May 2026
Catalog number: 16198-1
EAN: 0039841619812

On a good hi-fi system, Hell Awaits should sound dense, raw and aggressive: distorted guitars pushed forward, fast double-kick drumming, intense vocal delivery and a darker overall atmosphere than the band’s debut. The live material should add even more immediacy, with the energy and rough edge of Slayer’s 1985 stage sound preserved in full.

Watch the Official Trailer