Angel of Death (Slayer song)

"Angel of Death" is the opening track on American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood.

They detail the Nazi physician Josef Mengele's human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.

"Angel of Death" led to accusations of Nazi sympathizing and racism against the band, which they vigorously denied but which followed them throughout their early career.

[2] Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman wrote "Angel of Death" after reading books about Nazi physician Josef Mengele while on tour with the band.

I'd read a lot about the Third Reich and was absolutely fascinated by the extremity of it all, the way Hitler had been able to hypnotise a nation and do whatever he wanted, a situation where Mengele could evolve from being a doctor to being a butcher.People took Hanneman's interest in Nazi history and his collection of Nazi medals (his most prized item being a German Knight's Cross)[12] as evidence of sympathizing.

[2] The band members are often asked about the accusations in interviews, and have stated numerous times that they do not condone racism and are merely interested in the subject.

[14] Hanneman also wrote "SS-3", a song about senior SS commander Reinhard Heydrich, which appeared on the band's 1994 album Divine Intervention.

"[G]uitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman deliver their intricate riffs [and] drummer Dave Lombardo performs some of the most powerful drumming ever recorded" at 210 beats per minute.

Clay Jarvas of Stylus Magazine observed how the song "smokes the asses of any band playing fast and/or heavy today.

Lyrically outlining the horrors to come, while musically laying the groundwork for the rest of the record: fast, lean and filthy.

[24] "Angel of Death" was featured in the opening scene of the 2002 stunt comedy Jackass: The Movie, where Johnny Knoxville rents and modifies a car before engaging in a crash-up derby.