Even though they had tremendous success during their lifetime, the iconic thrash metal band Slayer has recently announced that they are going to embark on what they call it “The Final Tour.” After this musical marathon, the group simply wants to get over this kind of life. And when you are called Slayer, leaving the stage can be nothing but epic. In November last year, the band launched their final live album “The Relentless Killogy,” which was recorded on the Final Tour.
What makes this ‘Killogy’ so awesome is that it has a record which can be played in hell. You know, for times when you want to party like a rock star, down there. So, Slayer decided to gloriously crown their last tour with a one-of-kind surprise: The HELL-P, which we think that it will drive the band’s fans to go crazy.
The HELL-P is the world’s first fire-resistant record. But what makes this compilation really crazy is that it can actually be played in Satan’s fortress. The 6,66” single — as opposed to usual 7″ — is made from stainless steel. The disc can deal temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius — 1,832 Fahrenheit. Lastly, it is made of metallic copper.
“Four decades ago, SLAYER taught the world what hell sounds like. Nothing was harder, faster, and meaner. To this day they are the icons of Thrash Metal. So, it only makes sense that the one music that is played in hell comes from SLAYER”, explains Thomas Knüwer, Executive Creative Director Kolle Rebbe.
The concept that stands behind the HELL-P is derived from ‘LP’ (short for ‘long play record’), the artificial term HELL-P suggestively underlines the hellish feature of the rock band.
Now, of course, we love Slayer’s music — who wouldn’t?! — and even though we have a strong desire to speak about their music, we won’t. Rather, what awoken our curiosity is the packaging that nicely complements the record. It consists of a cardboard case which comprises a black inner sleeve. Entirely sealed, this sleeve is what contains the HELL-P. And just because of that, you have no other choice to unbox it then use fire and burn the hell out of the packing. Put it in other words, all you have to do is to burn your way to the 6,66-inch single. The HELL-P englobes the title track of Slayer’s latest album “The Repentless Killogy” and the opening song of their Final World Tour setlist: Repentless. Recorded live at the Final World Tour.
“The world’s first fireproof LP, and that for Slayer – the packaging fits the contents perfectly,” says Bettina Dorn, Senior Director Brand Partnership & Licensing, Warner Music Central Europe. “Slayer has shaped Thrash Metal like no other band in the last decades and together with Nuclear Blast Records we are very proud of their latest work, which thanks to Kolle Rebbe could now be heard in hell.”
The HELL-Ps are limited-edition. Only six of them will get to actually hang out with Slayer’s fans. Sadly, their promotion just ended: The brand offered the HELL-Ps until 31st of January 2020 on the label’s website at http://www.nuclearblast.com/hellp.
Responsible for this concept – both packaging and record — that kind of invites you to actually play with fire is “Not of This God,” but of creative agency Kolle Rebbe. “The idea of a record you can play in hell came up during a creative brainstorming session in our agency – by Martin Strobel and Alexander Michaelsen, a truly fantastic creative team. Together we developed the idea further in the following months. From the very beginning, it was clear to us that this idea only deserved one band: Slayer. I grew up with their music and knew that nobody makes better music for hell,” the creative director said to Branding.news via an email.
He also added: “After Slayer’s commitment to the idea, we developed the extensive packaging design and concept together with Martin Lühe and Alexander Schillinsky from our production department, until every single piece was Metal enough (right down to the coffin-shaped matchbox made of pure copper) and finalized the illustrations. Drawn by hand by our incredibly talented graphic artist Janin Heymach, who is now a professional tattooist.”
The 6,66″ single is engraved with “Repentless” and was recorded live at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. The chances of getting your hands on such an album are low — almost to zero. Yet, don’t you worry, because we can give you the visuals that accompany the HELL-P, which are as cool as the album is. Sure, it isn’t like having your own copy, but it is something!