Slayer

Slayer is metal. Period. Twenty-one years into its illustrious career, the quartet refuses to latch on to anything remotely resembling a trend. No sampler or turntable wizardry, no bloated nü-metal ballads and nary a hint of rock-rap have crept into Slayer's skull-crushing output. Instead, the band funnels raw power through truckloads of Marshall stacks and a mammoth, gong-adorned drum kit. One of the least radio-friendly outfits in rock history, Slayer has built an impressive array of underground death-metal anthems, ranging from the sonic shock of "Angel of Death" to the end-of-the-world thrash of its post-September 11 opus God Hates Us All. Though Slayer still draws comparisons to '80s vets such as Metallica and Megadeth, its catalog doesn't sound remotely dated. And in a live setting, Slayer shows no mercy.