Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (Dlx) [Extra tracks, Limited Edition]

Slayer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 25, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Extra tracks, Limited Edition
• Label: American Recordings
• ASIN: B0000UJM2C
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,508 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Angel of Death

2. Criminally Insane [Remix]

3. Postmortem

4. Raining Blood

5. Aggressive Perfector

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Sex. Murder. Art.

2. Dittohead

3. Divine Intervention

4. Serenity in Murder

5. 213

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Ice Titan [Live][#]

2. The Antichrist [Rehearsal]

3. Fight Till Death [Rehearsal]

4. Necrophiliac [Live]

5. Piece by Piece [Studio Rough Mix/Outtake (W/Original Bass Intro)][Outta

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Darkness of Christ [Live]

2. Disciple [Live]

3. War Ensemble [Live]

4. Stain of Mind [Live]

5. Postmortem [Live]

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

NEW & IN FACTORY SEALED WITH ALL THE STICKERS! Limited Edition Box Set ORIGINAL LONG BOX VERSION Includes with 4 CD + 1 DVD comes with SLAYER WALL BANNER FLAG SLAYER BACK STAGE COLLECTOR'S PASS 60 PAGE FULL COLOR BOOKLET

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So THIS is what we've been waiting all this time for...?!, December 12, 2003

By 

emperorcaligula (Glen Burnie, MD.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (Dlx) (Audio CD)

Let me start by saying that I missed the Best Buy sale and actually dropped full price for this, so already I'm rubbed the wrong way...

This thing has been hyped for over two years now (maybe more)...we were told that it would be packaged in an artillery shell, that it would contain remakes of early classics, that it would have a DVD containg all their promo videos, as well as behind the scenes personal stuff filmed on Kerry's camcorder, blah, blah, blah. Having shelled out almost an entire C-note for this, I have to say that I am not only disappointed but honestly feel that I've been ripped off. 'Soundtrack to the Apocalypse' is nothing more than a cash grab, pure and simple.

Here are my grievances:

1. THE PACKAGING - I heard that the artillery shell was canned and replaced with an ammo box. Okay, fine. What we get is a cheap cardboard box that's supposed to look like an ammo box...and it doesn't.

2. THE TRINKETS - so what do you get for the extra price of this limited edition? A "backstage pass replica" that's nothing more than a plastic card with a Slayer logo on it dangling from a neck cord. Ooh, wow, neato. NOT. A cheap, unimaginative wall banner. And a new version of the 1990 "blood pack" containing a live show from their first tour for 'God Hates Us All', which was the weakest Slayer show I've seen (the subsequent Jagermeister tour was much better); it's the same pack with the floating skulls and looks like it was left over.

3. THE MATERIAL - the first two CD's are stuff that any self-respecting Slayer fan has already bought or downloaded, but where's "Sick Boy", or their hilarious butchering of "Born to Be Wild"? CD three does offer some interesting and funny stuff (Tom's now-infamous live introduction to 'Necrophiliac' circa 1986-87 is finally given an official release...heh heh), but where are the those remakes we were promised, huh? Disc four is a DVD comprised of good-quality bootleg stuff, but I have many Slayer bootlegs that are much better and more interesting. The promo video clips? Nowhere to be found. The personal footage? A clip of the band accepting some award from Dino of Fear Factory...that's it. HELLO?!

About the only really great thing about this box set is the enclosed booklet, which is in fact excellent, containg many cool photos, facts, history, and fan impressions. The guy that wrote this should have been put in charge of the entire project, I think.

Call me cynical, but this whole thing feels like some high school science project that was put off until the last minute and hastily done the night before the due date. Let me say this: if the goodies that were promised for this box set end up being presented in some "super ultra-deluxe limited edition" down the road that cost even more than this does, well...

What an apocalyptic letdown.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad deal for the price, December 1, 2003

By 

Ghost of Metal Past (Circle Pines, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (Audio CD)

First of all - this is not the be all and end all of box sets. But this regular version is far from being a rip off (I even got it for only $39). Obviously, this set is a better deal for people who do not have all of their previous releases. But there is also some other stuff that hasn't been released before on the rarities disc and DVD that I think is worth having.

Let's break it down disc by disc.

Disc 1: This is a 'best of' studio track CD going from Reign in Blood through Season in the Abyss, plus three tracks from Decade of Aggression. I never bought Decade of Aggression so at least there is something on it that is not duplicates of what I already own.

Disc 2: 'Best of' from Divine Intervention through God Hates Us All, plus studio tracks from soundtracks and Japan releases. I never bought Undisputed Attitude or Diabolus in Musica. There are 14 tracks on this one that I don't have.

Disc 3: Audio rarities. Range from raw recordings from the very early days in 1983 to recent live cuts from God Hates Us All. Two of the most interesting cuts are from Jeff Hanneman's home recordings that give you an idea how Raining Blood and South of Heaven were fleshed out from the original concept. I could do without the 'maggot story' included with Necrophiliac and the track with Atari Teenage Riot.

Disc 4 (DVD): This is great. Some of it is pretty raw but you really get to see how the band has evolved from four inexperienced guys wearing eyeliner crowded onto a small club stage to the precisely executed chaotic auditorium shows of today. Please note that this DVD is primarily for the historical value for interested fans. If you want a top-quality concert performance with excellent audio and sound quality, get the War at the Warfield DVD.

The 72-page booklet also adds some value. It has some interesting anecdotes and is more than a generic rehash of the band's official bio.

So, if you only own a couple Slayer CDs this set should provide a cheaper alternative to getting the entire back catalog. If you have all the studio albums it depends how bad you want to hear the rare stuff and view the DVD. I think its worth it.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This sub-par box set needs to Die By The Sword, December 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (Dlx) (Audio CD)

Let me preface this review by noting that all of the people I've seen who criticize the people who have rightfully pointed out the shortcomings of this set have been by and far illiterate come-latelys. I've been into Slayer since "Show No Mercy" was released--don't tell me I have no right to critique a $90 box set just because mommy and daddy bought you "Divine Intervention" and you think Slayer are above judgment. But I'm about to put this overpriced aberration on the Altar of Sacrifice.

I don't really care about the packaging too much. A metal box would have been nicer than a cardboard one, sure, but I bought the set for the music, not the packaging. But take a look at the discs themselves. All except the DVD are black. Now, as far as I know, a laser beam can't go through totally opaque plastic...Folks, we're being peddled professionally-made CD-Rs. Let's look at the discs Piece By Piece.

Discs 1 and 2 are best-of discs, with disc 2 including some more recent rarities and B-sides. They've chosen to totally neglect all studio versions from the band's Metal Blade years, so I'm already predisposed against them. You can't tell me "Die By The Sword" doesn't belong among this band's best-ofs.

Disc 3 consists of "rarities." Now, to be fair, I realize many of you haven't heard much of this stuff. Out of all the 80s era material on the disc, I had everything as a dub or bootleg except for TWO songs. It's nice to hear live versions of some of their early tunes, but they're available out there through trading! How about some real rarities, like the cover of the Gumby theme song? How about the rehearsal version of "Warlock's Revenge," the other early NWOBHM-inspired tunes played live with "Ice Titan," or the never-released "The High Priestess?" Where are the rest of the Jeff Hanneman recordings? They're incomplete here. Rather than attempting a cross-section of rarities from the band's career, I would have just liked to see one or two complete vintage shows, as was done with the Iron Maiden box set.

The DVD has some nice material (I think the first two '83 DVD tracks are probably the best thing out of this set), but again, it spreads itself too thin by trying to cover every Slayer era.

I can appreciate the rationale behind the gig on the bonus CD, since it has Lombardo's return, so it's historically important, but it's certainly not a standout show, and again, the early material is decidedly neglected (note how there's nothing from "Show No Mercy" proper).

While there's some good material on here, this box set is trying to fulfill too many purposes at once for the amount of material it contains. A box set does not immediately equate to a best-of (nor a retrospective). But this is being marketed as the Slayer be-all, end-all, and as a fan of their first two albums, I have to laugh at that and how little of that era they really displayed. I really don't care about seeing their recent material in a box set--in 20 years, if that's still stood the test of time, they can release another box set then! Even Slayer themselves must realize their older stuff is better; that's why they're playing "Reign In Blood" in its totality during current gigs!

If you're a new fan or you really like their later stuff, this lackluster set of 4 CD-Rs and a DVD may be worth your while. But Aggressive Perfectors won't find anything here that isn't represented equally as well (or even better, in some cases) on live audio/video bootlegs. Even paying the lower price of the non-deluxe edition for some CD-Rs with only a few truly rare songs is nonsense to me. Again, whoever put this shoddy collection together could have taken a big hint from the "Eddie's Archives" box.

Seeing as how they're already resting on the laurels of "Reign in Blood," it's doubtful Slayer will ever truly Kill Again. I'm somewhat saddened that this box was so long in the making, yet leaves so much old stuff still untouched in the Crypts of Eternity.

Too little, too late.