Raining Blood

"Raining Blood" is the final track from thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album, Reign in Blood, and is quite possibly their most famous song as it is their signature song. The song has become a live staple played at almost every Slayer show since its release, and is featured on every Slayer live album and DVD. This song is also featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. "Raining Blood" is in the key of E-Flat minor, although definite tonality is difficult to place on the song as the tonic note is used only as a starting point for different riffs, not chord progressions, like most metal in this genre. Also, like most metal of this type, there is no distinct vocal melody, instead relying on changing, varied riffs that are played as accompaniment to give tonal reimbursement to the song. The opening riff is similar in form to the melody of Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King. The song was featured in the 127th South Park episode "Die Hippie, Die" aired on March 16, 2005. The plot centers on the town of South Park, which has been overrun by hippies. Eric Cartman states "Hippies can't stand death metal" and proceeds to hijack a hippie concert by drilling through the mass of hippies with a giant armoured drilling vehicle. He makes it onto the main stage to change the audio to "Raining Blood", in turn upsetting the hippies and making them flee. Slayer guitarist Kerry King found the episode humorous and expressed his interest in the show, mentioning it in an interview, saying "It was good to see the song being put to good use. If we can horrify some hippies, we've done our job." "Raining Blood" was also included in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in-game radio station V-Rock. "Raining Blood" is a playable song in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, where it is renowned for being one of the hardest songs in the Career Mode setlist, mainly due to one section- Mosh 1- where you must execute pull-offs at a rate of ~14 notes per second. It is also featured in the skateboarding game Skate. "Raining Blood" has also become a staple at Pittsburgh Penguins games at the Mellon Arena, as it was most recently played during game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. Tori Amos has done a cover version of Raining Blood, which can be found in her album of cover versions titled Strange Little Girls.

[Produced by Rick Rubin] [Instrumental intro] [Verse] Trapped in purgatory A lifeless object, alive Awaiting reprisal Death will be their acquittance The sky is turning red Return to power draws near Fall into me, the sky's crimson tears Abolish the rules made of stone [Bridge 1] Pierced from below, souls of my treacherous past Betrayed by many, now ornaments dripping above [Bridge 2] Awaiting the hour of reprisal Your time slips away [Bridge 3] Raining blood From a lacerated sky Bleeding its horror Creating my structure Now, I shall reign in blood [Instrumental outro] [Lead - King]