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The group started out playing covers of songs by bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Venom at parties and clubs in Southern California. Slayer was formed in 1981 by Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo, and Tom Araya in Huntington Park, CA.
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However, its music has been highly influential, often being cited by many bands as an influence musically, visually and lyrically the band's third album, Reign in Blood (1986), has been described as one of the heaviest and most influential thrash metal albums.
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The band's lyrics and album art, which cover topics such as murder, serial killers, torture, genocide, politics, theories, human subject research, organized crime, secret societies, mythology, occultism, Satanism, hate crimes, terrorism, religion or antireligion, Nazism, fascism, racism, xenophobia, misanthropy, war and prison, have generated album bans, delays, lawsuits and criticism from religious groups and factions of the general public. In the original lineup, King, Hanneman and Araya contributed to the band's lyrics, and all of the band's music was written by King and Hanneman. Drummer Jon Dette was also a member of the band. Slayer's final lineup comprised King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph (who replaced Lombardo in 1992 and again in 2013) and guitarist Gary Holt (who replaced Hanneman in 2011). Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo, and bassist and vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California.
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