Slayer to Release 40th Anniversary Edition of ‘Hell Awaits’ Album With Live Recordings

Metal Blade Records will release a 40th anniversary edition of Slayer's second studio album, Hell Awaits, on May 15, 2026. The reissue packs the original seven-track record with 18 live songs from a 1985 concert in Bochum, Germany.

"It's the record where Slayer became Slayer," said guitarist Kerry King in a press release on Metal Blade's website.

A vinyl box set priced at $124.99 features three LPs with a Fire Splatter colored pressing of the original record and a two-LP set of the Bochum performance. Inside you'll find a 60-page book, a replica ticket from the show, a tour laminate, a tour poster, a slipmat, band posters, a merch flyer, and a Satanic Wehrmacht newsletter replica.

The most limited edition is a blood-filled vinyl version limited to 666 copies worldwide, which costs $161. A CD Earbook version costs $84.99 and features three CDs with the same audio as the box set, plus a 60-page book and poster.

The band started in 1981, and Hell Awaits came out in April 1985. This record marked a big shift from their 1983 debut, Show No Mercy, with longer song structures that pushed past what fans expected. Three of the seven tracks go past six minutes, while most songs on the first record run under four minutes.

"Jeff [Hanneman] 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 for Hell Awaits," 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."

Vocalist Tom Araya spoke about the recording. "I don't recall the songs being hard to sing," he said. "Singing fast and clearly has always been something that I strived for."

Pre-orders are available through Metal Blade Records and the band's website. The blood-filled vinyl can only be bought through the Slayer store.