Angel of Death

Written by guitarist Jeff Hanneman after he bought two books about Nazi physician Josef Mengele, famous for carrying out gruesome experiments in the concentration camp Auschwitz. For almost five minutes this song tells the horrifying tale of Mengele's exploits in the camp, never being afraid to leave anything out or taking sides. This in turn led to Slayer being accused of having Nazi sympathies, an accusation that would follow them for the rest of their career. The band has responded by pointing out that the song accurately describes the events of Mengele's life in the same fashion as a documentary film would, and that they-- themselves a multi-ethnic group with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya being Chilean and drummer Dave Lombardo being Cuban-- find it obvious that they did not support Mengele or Nazism. Cover versions include: Swedish melodic death metal band Sins Of Omission on Flesh On Your Bones, CD released 2001 by Black Sun Records. Swedish death metal band Liers In Wait on Slatanic Slaughter II A Tribute To Slayer, Compilation CD released 1996 by Black Sun Records.

[Produced by Rick Rubin and Slayer] [Intro] Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah [Verse 1] Auschwitz, the meaning of pain The way that I want you to die Slow death, immense decay Showers that cleanse you of your life Forced in like cattle You run Stripped of Your life's worth Human mice, for the angel of death Four hundred thousand more to die [Chorus 1] Angel of death Monarch to the kingdom of the dead [Verse 2] Sadistic, surgeon of demise Sadist of the noblest blood Destroying, without mercy To benefit the Aryan race Surgery, with no anesthesia Feel the knife pierce you intensely Inferior, no use to mankind Strapped down, screaming out to die [Chorus 2] Angel of death Monarch to the kingdom of the dead Infamous butcher Angel of death [Verse 3] Pumped with fluid, inside your brain Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes Burning flesh drips away Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil Frigid cold cracks your limbs How long can you last In this frozen water burial? Sewn together, joining heads Just a matter of time 'Till you rip yourselves apart Millions laid out in their Crowded tombs Sickening ways to achieve The Holocaust [Verse 4] Seas of blood, bury life Smell your death as it burns Deep inside of you Abacinate, eyes that bleed Praying for the end of Your wide awake nightmare Wings of pain, reach out for you His face of death staring down Your blood's running cold Injecting cells, dying eyes Feeding on the screams of The mutants he's creating Pathetic harmless victims Left to die Rancid angel of death Flying free [Lead - King and Hanneman] [Chorus 2] Angel of death Monarch to the kingdom of the dead Infamous butcher Angel of death Angel of death