{{About|the Slayer song|the phenomenon of blood falling from the sky|blood rain}} {{Infobox song | name = Raining Blood | cover = | alt = | type = | artist = Slayer | album = Reign in Blood | released = October 7, 1986 | format = | recorded = 1986 | studio = Hit City West (Los Angeles) | venue = | genre = Thrash metal | length = 4:14 | label = Def Jam | composer = Jeff Hanneman | lyricist = * Jeff Hanneman * Kerry King | producer = * Rick Rubin * Slayer | misc = {{Audio sample |type= song |file= Slayer - Raining Blood.ogg |description= A sample from "Raining Blood", where the core riff comes into play after a 30-second introduction.<ref name="ferris 138"/><ref name="mudrian 53"/> }} }}
"'''Raining Blood'''" is a song by American thrash metal band Slayer. Written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King for their third studio album ''Reign in Blood'' (1986), the song's religious concept is about overthrowing Heaven.
The song is four minutes and fourteen seconds in duration. It starts with 33 seconds of rain sound effects and ends with a minute of more rain sound effects. Described as a "classic" by AllMusic,<ref name="allmusic album"/> it is noted by fans as one of Slayer's most popular songs. As an almost permanent addition to their live sets, both Hanneman and King acknowledged it as their favorite song to play live. Many of Slayer's live performances of the song have been captured on the band's live albums and also multi-band compilation albums, including ''MTV2 Headbangers Ball'' (2003).
==Writing and concept== "Raining Blood" was written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King.<ref name="notes1">{{cite AV media notes |title=Reign in Blood |title-link=Reign in Blood |others=Slayer |year=1986 |chapter=Raining Blood |type=Compact Disc |publisher=Def Jam Recordings}}</ref> D. X. Ferris said that "when Hanneman wrote the song, he envisioned a scene from a dark street or bloody back alley", and later went on to say that the song "described a banished soul awakened and hungry for vengeance." The second verse was written by King, who "pick[ed] up on Hanneman's title and in his new direction".<ref>{{Harvnb|Ferris|2008|pp=78–79}}</ref> The song, along with the rest of ''Reign in Blood'', was recorded in 1986 in Los Angeles, California, with producer Rick Rubin.<ref>{{cite web |title= An exclusive oral history of Slayer |publisher=Decibel Magazine |url= http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features_detail.aspx?id=4566 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060813155123/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features_detail.aspx?id=4566 |archive-date= 2006-08-13 |access-date=2010-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Ferris|2008|p=68}}</ref>
Hanneman explained that "it's about a guy who's in Purgatory 'cause he was cast out of Heaven. He's waiting for revenge and wants to fuck that place up." King later said that "the rest of the song explains what happens when he starts fucking people up. The lyrics 'Return to power draws near' is because he's waiting to get strong enough again to overthrow Heaven. And then 'Fall into me, the sky's crimson tears' is everybody's blood flowing into him. So basically, 'Raining Blood' is all the angels' blood falling on him."<ref name="ferris 139">{{Harvnb|Ferris|2008|p=139}}</ref>
==Composition== "Raining Blood" is four minutes and fourteen seconds long, and it is ''Reign in Blood''{{'}}s closing track.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Reign in Blood |title-link=Reign in Blood |others=Slayer |year=1986 |chapter=Track listing |type=Compact Disc |publisher=Def Jam Recordings}}</ref><ref name="allmusic album">{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/reign-in-blood-mw0000191741|title=Reign in Blood - Slayer |work=AllMusic |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> The song is one of three songs from the album that exceeds three minutes in length.<ref name="allmusic album"/> Steve Huey from Allmusic proposed that "''Reign in Blood'' opens and closes with slightly longer tracks (the classics 'Angel of Death' and 'Raining Blood') whose slower riffs offer most of the album's few hints of melody."<ref name="allmusic album"/> The song's music was written solely by guitarist Hanneman<ref name="notes1"/> (who was also a primary writer of the song's lyrics), who presented both hostility and anger in his writing.<ref name="allmusic album"/> Huey also noted that "the riffs are built on atonal chromaticism that sounds as sickening as the graphic violence depicted in many of the lyrics", and said that it was "monstrously" and "terrifyingly evocative".<ref name="allmusic album"/>
Clay Jarvis from ''Stylus Magazine'' wrote that the song possessed "a red-herring, scorched-earth intro, eerie thunderstorm-and-tom-tom-triplet interlude and one of the most recognizable riffs in metal history. It is a dynamic, explosive and fitting end to a remarkable, violent experience."<ref name="stylus">{{cite web |title=Reign in Blood |author=Jarvis, Clay |publisher=Stylus Magazine |date=1 September 2003 |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/slayer/reign-in-blood.htm |access-date=7 April 2007 |archive-date=11 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511163047/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/slayer/reign-in-blood.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> D. X. Ferris, author of the 33⅓ book ''Reign In Blood'',{{sfn|Ferris|2008}} wrote that the song "lunges to life with its core riff, the ten most recognizable notes in metal, a diminished-scale run down the fretboard that's the most badass guitar riff since Black Sabbath's 'Sweet Leaf'."<ref name="ferris 138">{{Harvnb|Ferris|2008|p=138}}</ref> Guitarist Kerry King said that "The intro is big with the two harmony and then the first beat that Dave [Lombardo] does, that double-kick thing, and it's like this backwards gallop that gets the crowd going wherever you are."<ref name="mudrian 53">{{Harvnb|Bennet|2009|p=53}}</ref>
''Revolver'' stated the song contains the earliest example of what is now considered a breakdown.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Revolver |title=11 Greatest Breakdowns of All Time |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/11-greatest-breakdowns-all-time/ |access-date=2025-12-23 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> Halfway through this section of the song, Kerry King begins playing a melodic lead line overtop the rhythm section. Matt Mills of ''Metal Hammer'' stated that the breakdown "bypasses rational thought and catches you straight in the 'fat riff and simple drumbeat'-loving part of your brain."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Millspublished |first=Matt |date=2023-09-28 |title=The 10 heaviest metal breakdowns of all time |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/heaviest-metal-breakdowns-metallica-slayer-lamb-of-god |access-date=2025-12-23 |website=Louder |language=en}}</ref>
The piece ends with a full minute of "rain sound effects," closing ''Reign in Blood''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bennet|2009|p=54}}</ref>
==Personnel== * Tom Araya – bass, vocals * Kerry King – guitars * Jeff Hanneman – guitars * Dave Lombardo – drums
==Live performances== "Raining Blood", along with ''Reign in Blood''{{'}}s opening track "Angel of Death", is an almost permanent addition to Slayer's live set-list, and was Hanneman and King's favorite track to play live.<ref name="Knac.com interview with Jeff Hanneman">{{cite web |title= Knac.com interview with Jeff Hanneman |author= Davis, Brian |publisher= KNAC.com |date= 26 July 2004 |url= https://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3153 |access-date= 13 December 2006}}</ref> At the end of the ''Still Reigning'' DVD, there is a finale with the band covered in fake blood during the performance of "Raining Blood".<ref name="Slayer: Still Reigning The landmark metal album performed in its entirety.">{{cite web |title= Slayer: Still Reigning The landmark metal album performed in its entirety |author= Patrizio, Andy |publisher= IGN |date= 11 January 2005 |url= http://au.dvd.ign.com/articles/579/579116p1.html |access-date= 5 February 2007}}</ref> When asked which song holds best, both Slayer guitarists replied "Raining Blood". Hanneman admitted that he "still love[s] playing that song live. You'd think we'd be tired of it – I mean, I'd love to know how many times we've played it live. That would be really interesting." King said "we could be playing in front of Alanis Morissette, and the crowd loves the part."<ref name="mudrian 53"/>
King told D. X. Ferris that "whenever 'Raining Blood' comes in the set, it just electrifies the whole crowd. People just shit when you hit the first few notes. Like 'Jesus Christ it's a guitar, settle down.'"<ref name="ferris 139"/> In the past, Slayer used fake blood to cover their bodies when performing the song live. However, when asked about using fake blood in future performances, King remarked "It's time to move on, but never say never. I know Japan never saw it, South America and Australia never saw it. So you never know."<ref name="King interview">{{cite web |title= Songs about God and Satan – Part 1: An Interview with Slayer's Kerry King |author= Atkinson, Peter |publisher= KNAC.com |date= 24 April 2006 |url= https://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4550 |access-date= 9 February 2007}}</ref>
==Appearances== The song was featured in the 127th ''South Park'' episode, "Die Hippie, Die", which aired on March 16, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://southpark.cc.com/clips/103818/ |title=Die Hippie, Die |work=South Park Studios |access-date=August 15, 2010}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> 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."<ref name="King interview" />
The song was also included in the ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' in-game radio station "V-Rock".<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r614786|pure_url=yes}} |title=Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Vol. 1: V-Rock review |last=Phares |first=Heather |work=Allmusic |access-date=August 15, 2010}}</ref> "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: a 2008 job advertisement for future ''Guitar Hero'' playtesters listed the song as one of four that potential applicants had to be capable of playing on the highest difficulty level.<ref name=gametesters>{{cite web |url=http://game-testers.com/video-game-qa-tester-jobs/test-the-new-guitar-hero-neversoft-is-hiring-now/ |title=Test the New Guitar Hero!-Neversoft is hiring now! |date=3 December 2008 |publisher=Become A Video Game Tester |access-date=18 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209054652/http://game-testers.com/video-game-qa-tester-jobs/test-the-new-guitar-hero-neversoft-is-hiring-now/ |archive-date=9 December 2014}}</ref> The song is also featured in ''Guitar Hero: Smash Hits'', with the first and only five note chord in the series.<ref>[http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/62412/guitar-hero-smash-hits/review/ "Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for Xbox 360 – Reviews"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165856/http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/62412/guitar-hero-smash-hits/review/ |date=2018-01-11}}. G4tv.com. . Retrieved 2010-07-11.</ref> It was released as a downloadable song for ''Rock Band 3'' on April 10, 2012, along with "South of Heaven" and "Seasons in the Abyss". It was also released as a downloadable song for ''Rocksmith 2014'' on May 19, 2015, as part of the Slayer Song Pack.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Rocksmithgame/status/600696214300983297 |title='5 Slayer classics including "Raining Blood" & "Angel of Death" arrive as #Rocksmith2014 DLC this week!' |publisher=Twitter |date=May 19, 2015 |access-date=May 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/342841/ |title=Rocksmith® 2014 – Slayer Song Pack |publisher=Steam |access-date=May 30, 2015}}</ref>
At the mixed martial arts event UFC 97 on April 18, 2009, fighter Chuck Liddell made his penultimate appearance in the UFC and used "Raining Blood" as his entrance music.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/silva-wins-liddell-loses-at-ufc-97-1.821682 |title=Silva wins, Liddell loses at UFC 97 |author=The Canadian Press |author-link=The Canadian Press |date=April 19, 2009 |work=CBC.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=June 15, 2009}}</ref>
"Raining Blood" was featured in season 4 of the animated series ''Invincible'', in the episode "Hurm".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/slayer-soundtrack-invincible-sequence-hell-satan-2026 |author=Louder | author-link=Louder |date=March 24, 2026 |access date=April 1, 2026}}</ref>
==Cover versions== The song has been covered by Malevolent Creation, Havok, Natalie Prass, Body Count, Vader, Diecast, Quiet Company, Reggie and the Full Effect,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/search/track/Raining+Blood/order:default-asc|title=All artists that have performed Raining Blood|work=Allmusic|access-date=2010-08-12}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> and Erik Hinds, who covered the entire ''Reign in Blood'' album on a H'arpeggione.<ref name="RIB - Erik Hinds">{{cite web |title=RIB – Erik Hinds |author=Couture, François |publisher=Allmusic |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1779818|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=2007-04-07}}</ref> The guitar riffs from "Raining Blood" and "Mandatory Suicide" were sampled by rapper Lil Jon in the song "Stop Fuckin Wit' Me" from the 2004 album ''Crunk Juice''.<ref>Jeffries, David. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r711479|pure_url=yes}} "allmusic ((( Crunk Juice > Overview )))"]. Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-07-11.</ref> It was Rick Rubin's only collaboration with Lil Jon on the record.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r711479|pure_url=yes}} "allmusic ((( Crunk Juice > Credits )))"]. Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-07-11.</ref> Jon wanted to create a "black version" of Suicidal Tendencies' song "Institutionalized".<ref name="Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz Stop Fuckin Wit Me">{{cite web |title=Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz "Stop Fuckin Wit Me" |author=Breihan, Tom |publisher=Pitchforkmedia.com |date=2005-01-14 |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/track_review/30037-stop-fuckin-wit-me |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309012952/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/track_review/30037-stop-fuckin-wit-me |archive-date=2008-03-09 |access-date=2007-04-04}}</ref> The New Zealand drum and bass group Concord Dawn produced a drum and bass cover version on their album ''Uprising'', on which they partially sample the famous opening riff of the song, the adult comedy series Fur TV made a parody under the name "Raining Brown".
===Tori Amos=== In 2001, the song was covered by Tori Amos on her studio album ''Strange Little Girls''. The cover of "Raining Blood" was suggested by bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen, who told Amos that she "had tried pretty much every other genre of music, from rap to new wave to punk to country to pop, why not some metal?"<ref name="Pretty Good Years">{{cite book |last=S. Jacobs |first=Jay |title=Pretty Good Years: A Biography of Tori Amos |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2006 |pages=106–107 |chapter=Glory of the Nineties |isbn=1-4234-0022-4}}</ref> Meldal-Johnsen chose the album ''Reign in Blood'', and after listening to it, Amos agreed to make a cover version of "Raining Blood".<ref name="Pretty Good Years" /> In an interview, she stated that upon first hearing the song, the imagery she thought of was "this beautiful vulva [laughs] ... raining blood over this male abusive force".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/02683-tori-amos-interview |title=The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Tori Amos Interview: Song, Slayer & Staying True To Her Vision |website=The Quietus|date=10 September 2009 }}</ref>
King states the cover was odd; "It took me a minute and a half to find a spot in the song where I knew where she was. It's so weird. If she had never told us, we would have never known. You could have played it for us and we'd have been like, 'What's that?' Like a minute and a half through I heard a line and was like, 'I know where she's at!{{'}}"<ref name="A Conversation With Kerry King">{{cite web |title= A Conversation With Kerry King |author= Barker, Samuel |publisher= Rockzone.com |date= 2002-02-09 |url= http://www.rockzone.com/interviews/slayer.shtml |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020228204422/http://www.rockzone.com/interviews/slayer.shtml |access-date= 2007-02-09 |archive-date= 2002-02-28}}</ref> In response, Slayer sent some T-shirts to Amos, which she said was appreciated.<ref name="Meade">{{cite web |url=https://www.musiqqueen.com/2001/11/06/archetypes-and-wine-tori-amos-roundtable-interview/ |title=Archetypes and Wine: Tori Amos Roundtable Interview |last=Meade |first=Zaedryn |date=September 10, 2001 |work=MusiqQueen |access-date=August 13, 2010}}</ref>
==Reception== ''Stylus Magazine''{{'}}s Clay Jarvis said that the song is fit to be the closing song for ''Reign in Blood'', and also noted that the song, along with other songs from ''Reign in Blood'', has "manic, hacksaw guitars, monsoons of double-bass drum rolling and from-the-throat barking—all note-perfect and precise—that still smokes the asses of any band playing fast and/or heavy today".<ref name="stylus"/> J. Bennett affirmed that the song "still make[s] other metal bands sound like frail pussies".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bennet|2009|p=49}}</ref> Steve Huey said that it was a classic, and that its "slower riffs offer most of the album's few hints of melody".<ref name="allmusic album"/> Erik Hinds from About.com said that the piece has unexpectedly become a ballad.<ref>Hinds, Erik. [https://www.answers.com/topic/reign-in-blood-2005-album-by-erik-hinds-1 "Reign in Blood: Album review and songs from About.com"]. About.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.</ref> Derrick Harris, an editor of the official newspaper of University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, said that it had a "blistering solo".<ref>Harris, Derrick. [http://media.www.spectatornews.com/media/storage/paper218/news/2001/09/06/Spotlight/Cd.Review.Old.Slayer.Album.Makes.Up.For.What.New.Bands.Lack-89354.shtml "CD REVIEW: Old Slayer album makes up for what new bands lack"]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}. ''The Spectator''. 2001-09-06.</ref> It peaked at number 64 in the United Kingdom, where it would stay on the chart for three weeks.<ref name="UKsingles"/>
"Raining Blood" has retrospectively been considered one the band's best songs and one of the best songs in metal. In 2012, ''Loudwire'' ranked the song number one on their list of the 10 greatest Slayer songs,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://loudwire.com/best-slayer-songs/ |title=10 Best Slayer Songs |first=Graham |last=Hartmann |website=Loudwire |date=September 26, 2012 |accessdate=February 22, 2022}}</ref> and in 2020, ''Kerrang'' ranked the song number two on their list of the 20 greatest Slayer songs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-slayer-songs-ranked |title=The 20 greatest Slayer songs – ranked|first=Sam|last=Law|work=Kerrang |date=September 29, 2020 |accessdate=February 22, 2022}}</ref> In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the song number eight on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=2023-03-13 |title=The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-heavy-metal-songs-1234688425/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Charts == {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- !Chart (1987) !Peak <br/>position |- {{singlechart|UK|64|date=1987-06-13|rowheader=true|access-date=May 30, 2015|refname=UKsingles}} |- |}
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== *{{cite book |last=Winegarner |first=Beth |title=Read the Music |year=2006 |publisher=Lulu |isbn=978-1-84728-716-8 |pages=5–15|chapter=Chapter 1: Words Like Weapons}} *{{cite book |last=Ferris|first=D. X. |title=Reign in Blood |series=33⅓ |year=2008 |publisher=Continuum |isbn=978-0-8264-2909-4}} *{{cite book |last=Bennet|first=J. |editor=Mudrian, Albert |title=Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces |year=2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-306-81806-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780306818066/page/48 48–55] |chapter=Chapter 4: Who'll Stop the Reign?}}
{{Slayer}} {{Authority control}} {{Good article}}
Category:1986 songs Category:Def Jam Recordings singles Category:Slayer songs Category:Tori Amos songs Category:Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Category:Songs about death