South of Heaven is an album by thrash metal band Slayer. It could be classified as speed metal. It was recorded in 1987, and was released in 1988 (see 1988 in music) through American Recordings.

This album marked a deliberate departure from Slayer's previous albums, with slower songs, a more melodic vocal style, spoken word vocals on "Mandatory Suicide" and even acoustic guitars on "Spill The Blood". Slayer have stated that this was the only album that they planned out in advance—they felt that they couldn't outdo the speed of Reign in Blood.

The album faced vocal opposition by many of their fans, though the album is not a complete departure from their previous sound, featuring songs as fast as any they had previously released, such as "Silent Scream".

South of Heaven is now, along with Reign in Blood and Seasons in the Abyss, considered to be a classic metal album.

Table of contents
1 Track listing
2 Chart position
3 Personnel

Track listing

  1. "South Of Heaven"
  2. "Silent Scream"
  3. "Live Undead"
  4. "Behind The Crooked Cross"
  5. "Mandatory Suicide"
  6. "Ghosts Of War"
  7. "Read Between The Lines"
  8. "Cleanse The Soul"
  9. "Dissident Aggressor"
  10. "Spill The Blood"

Chart position

1988 South Of Heaven        The Billboard 200          No. 57

Personnel

  • Tom Araya - bass, vocals
  • Jeff Hanneman - lead guitars
  • Kerry King - lead guitars
  • Dave Lombardo - drums