Synopsis
Slayer perform "Raining Blood" in a raw concert setting, with rapid cuts between the musicians, close-ups of the audience, and wide shots of the stage. The monochrome footage emphasizes the band's hostile, stripped-down intensity rather than presenting a scripted storyline. The clip is paired with "Black Magic," turning the performance into a compact showcase of Slayer's live attack, from Tom Araya's commanding vocals to the twin-guitar assault and Dave Lombardo's relentless drumming.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was released in 1991 as a promotional clip pairing "Raining Blood" with "Black Magic." It was created to support the live album *Decade of Aggression*.
- The performance footage comes from Slayer's October 14, 1990, show at Wembley Arena in London.
- The Wembley concert was filmed with the possibility of becoming a full home video, but the band later rejected the footage as unsuitable for a complete release. Selected material was instead used for promotional purposes.
- During the Wembley shoot, the band was asked to mime "War Ensemble" to a backing track for additional camera angles. The audience reacted badly, so Slayer played the song live again.
- Although the song originated on 1986's *Reign in Blood*, this clip arrived several years later and presents it as an established live centerpiece rather than a new studio single.
- "Raining Blood" describes a banished figure gathering strength to overthrow Heaven. The apocalyptic imagery in the lyrics helped make the song a natural fit for Slayer's blood-soaked concert presentation.
- The song became one of Slayer's most enduring live numbers. A later performance filmed for *Still Reigning* became especially notorious for ending with the band drenched in stage blood.