The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi physician Josef Mengele, known as “Todesengel” or “Angel of Death,” who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. “Angel of Death” contributed to the band facing accus...
[Produced by Rick Rubin and Slayer]
[Intro]
Ah!
[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]
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]
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
[Bridge]
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
[Bridge]
Pathetic, harmless victims
Left to die
Rancid angel of death
Flying free
[Instrumental Break]
[Guitar Solos: Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman]
[Chorus]
Angel of death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher
Angel of death
Angel of death
Angel of Death was written by Jeff Hanneman.
Angel of Death was produced by Rick Rubin & Slayer.
Slayer released Angel of Death on Tue Oct 07 1986.
Rick Rubin took a different approach to producing this track in order to get a very clean sound. Since Slayer plays very fast, Rubin left the reverb off to keep it from turning to mush. He also boosted the drums, which kept the guitars at bay. He explained in Rolling Stone,
Dave Lombardo is this in...
According to Decibel, the band members had the following to say about the controversy stemming from songs like “Angel of Death” and Hanneman’s preoccupation with Nazi memorabilia:
Hanneman: I collect medals and other Nazi stuff that my dad got me started on because he gave me all this shit he got o...