Studio Album · No. 4

South of Heaven Songwriting Credits by Slayer

1988 Def Jam 10 tracks 36:54

Produced by Rick Rubin, Slayer  ·  Engineered by Andy Wallace, Howie Weinberg

Def Jam Thrash Metal
90%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 9 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Slayer carries a lyricist or composer credit.

90%
9 trackswritten by Slayer 1 trackoutside writers
Slayer's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist90%
Composer90%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
6
Lyricists
2
Producers
1988
Released
Data Insight

Araya writes lyrics on six of the ten, his biggest share so far, and Hanneman writes the music on almost all of them. The split between words and music becomes formal here: the sleeve marks who did which.

South of Heaven came out on Def Jam in July 1988, deliberately slower than the album before it.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
South of Heaven
Tom ArayaJeff Hanneman Tomás Enrique Araya DíazJeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
2
Silent Scream
Tom ArayaJeff HannemanKerry King Tomás Enrique Araya DíazJeffrey John HannemanKerry Ray King Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
3
Live Undead
Tom ArayaKerry KingJeff Hanneman Tomás Enrique Araya DíazKerry Ray KingJeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
4
Behind the Crooked Cross
Jeff Hanneman Jeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
5
Mandatory Suicide
Tom ArayaJeff HannemanKerry King Tomás Enrique Araya DíazJeffrey John HannemanKerry Ray King Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
6
Ghosts of War
Kerry KingJeff Hanneman Kerry Ray KingJeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
7
Read Between the Lies
Tom ArayaKerry KingJeff Hanneman Tomás Enrique Araya DíazKerry Ray KingJeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
8
Cleanse the Soul
Tom ArayaKerry KingJeff Hanneman Tomás Enrique Araya DíazKerry Ray KingJeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
9
Dissident Aggressor
Glenn TiptonRob HalfordK. K. Downing Glenn TiptonRob HalfordKenneth Downing Jr. Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)
10
Spill the Blood
Jeff Hanneman Jeffrey John Hanneman Rick RubinSlayer Slayer (Performer)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 12 contributors

JH
Jeff Hanneman
Writer
On this album9 written
JJ
Jeffrey John Hanneman
Writer
On this album9 written
KK
Kerry King
Writer
On this album6 written
KR
Kerry Ray King
Writer
On this album6 written
TA
Tom Araya
Writer
On this album6 written
TE
Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz
Writer
On this album6 written
GT
Glenn Tipton
Writer
On this album1 written
KK
K. K. Downing
Writer
On this album1 written
KD
Kenneth Downing Jr.
Writer
On this album1 written
RH
Rob Halford
Writer
On this album1 written
RR
Rick Rubin
Producer
On this album10 produced
S
Slayer
Producer · Performer
On this album10 produced

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Frequently Asked Questions South of Heaven

Who wrote South of Heaven?
Jeff Hanneman on nine of the ten tracks, mostly the music, with Tom Araya and Kerry King on six each for the lyrics. "Dissident Aggressor" is a Judas Priest cover.
Did any single chart in the Hot 100?
No single from the album entered the chart.
How did it sell?
The discography publishes certifications rather than a sales figure for it. It is certified gold by the RIAA.
Who engineered it?
Andy Wallace, with Howie Weinberg mastering.
Who produced it?
Rick Rubin with the band.
Why is it slower?
The band decided not to try to outrun Reign in Blood and wrote at a lower tempo instead.
How long is the album?
36:54 across ten tracks.

Sources

Wikipedia: South of Heaven Wikipedia: Slayer discography Wikipedia: Slayer Cover Art Archive: South of Heaven by Slayer