Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with its 1986 release 'Reign in Blood', and is credited as one of the "big four" thrash metal bands, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Between 1991 and 2013, the band sold 4.9 million albums in the United States.