Hell Awaits is the second studio album by American thrash metal band, Slayer. Hell Awaits was released in March 1985. The album was released through Metal Blade Records.
Hell Awaits features Slayer's most progressive and diverse work compared to their older releases. According to guitarist Kerry King, he and Jeff Hanneman were into Mercyful Fate at that time and that led them to do longer and more progressive songs.
To promote the album, the band took part in the Combat Tour with Venom and Exodus. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt commented, "We immediately bonded with the Slayer guys. It was two bands of friends playing with one band of heroes, you know? We were just star-struck." Gary Holt later joined the band in 2015.