I think many of Slayer's songs are good nonfiction art. They are off putting at first and it's stuff I rarely listen to but the music rocks, especially after getting past being startled or put off by the lyrics.
I recommend just listening to the drums at first, then finding the groovy parts of their most popular songs which can take some patients. Also watching them live is a thing to behold.
The lead singer is a Christian so hopefully that can help if you are hesitant or put off by the lyrics and music. It's not my art of course but I thinks its important, unique and worth checking out.
I began to appreciate their music by watching them live during online concert feeds while waiting for other bands to play.
The musicianship is incredible and the songs on further analysis are artful and deep.
The lyrics in some of my favorite songs from them were offensive before I understood many of these songs are almost non-fictitious biographies or documentaries and the horror aspect is depicting the subjects addressed poignantly.
An easy example they have song with a chorus that says "god hates us all". For me it was hard to hear/listen to at first. But this isn't a claim that god really hates us all. It's coming from a perspective of a person who is clearly pretty unhappy. Listening to their other songs led me to realized they are not speaking in first person or about their own views, its a story or description of the world, perceptions of other people and or other peoples worldview, really using rock to call out and spread awareness of evil. It's an expression of a persons perceived reality and their decision to reject god or better put, what they think of as god.
Another song is called angel of death. The song has lyrics about the holocaust. The song is based on the true story of Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician known as the “Angel of Death” for his inhumane experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. It comes from the perspective of the evil doers, a raw account of and really shedding light on darkness.
In places like war zones, where people are being led to their death and real horror is everywhere, these startling, off putting lyrics sadly are closer to reality than most people would want to imagine. But i think it's important to consider and for people to hear. The music being so powerful and rockin, if you like rock, is really valuable because if you want to hear the great unmatched unique art and musicianship, you almost have to consider the lyrics. These songs can be food for thought, really contemplative.
In my opinion they are important expressions of what terrible things people do / can do and victims experiences in a time where people don't want to see or feel what they are mindlessly contributing to by supporting a war machine.
The topics are terrible so the darkness of the music is fitting, and for me that adds to the songs being accurate depictions and artful documentaries in a way. The topics are describing real darkness in humanity. I think when these subjects are out of sight of the masses and people are generally unaware or can easily ignore the tragic realities others are forced into it's easier for evil doers to continue.
Awareness is good and being flanked to consider things that happened / happen and pondering thought processes of those capable of the horrors described hopefully helps it end.
Spreading awareness through music, making people think of just how terrible some atrocities were and are. How awful war is. Imagining and shedding light on scary but unfortunately possible thought processes. Really spreading awareness to troubled and sheltered masses / youth.
Their music and depiction of evil in history brings a dimension of reality, evokes a realness through the art. Provoking emotions that are at first off putting but really eye opening, powerful and deep.
Unique, deep, thought provoking art. Combined with some of the best drumming ever. That's what drew me in, just focusing on the drumming (wow!), then everything else sounded less noisy and I could hear it all fitting together.
Amazing guitar. Great bass / lead singer. They rock, they jam and they were one of the first to sound like they do, pretty original and artful music in my opinion.