Hear what Tom Araya ACTUALLY does on bass in the mix | Slayer reaction
Slayer vocalist Tom Araya is one of the most recognisable vocalists in Thrash Metal. But what about Tom as a bass player? Especially on the early Slayer albums, where one might only guess what he sounds like. So in this video let’s take a look at some of the isolated bass parts by Tom Araya from the early Slayer albums, and then discuss a little something about those.
We will take a look at such songs as:
Slayer – Angel of Death
Slayer – War Ansemble
Slayer – South of Heaven
Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
Slayer – Raining Blood
Slayer – Black Magic
00:00 – Intro
00:25 – Let’s hear it
02:38 – Tom Araya basses
03:45 – Tom or Kerry?
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Background music: “Uberpunch” Alexander Nakarada (serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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All content falls under fair use: any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.
#Slayer #Bass #ThrashMetal

@MetalPilgrim
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Whom should I do such exercise with next?
@Daniel-e5b8j
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
So which albums did king and why?
@MarioSilva-jg5nh
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Complicated bass never sounds good. Especially if everything else is complicated
@IsraelMunoz-n9f
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Didn't Kerry King played bass for him on albums
@billypetrovich
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Araya’s bass is exactly what Slayer needed, neither more nor less. For me it’s perfect and I love it so much
@YashVardhanTanwar
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Just a little bit of propaganda at the very end, like a few sprigs of parsley. Can't do without shoving it down everyone's throats, now can we?
@artemanan4540
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Sometimes he does sound like Sir Paul ❤
@Rawb3rt
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Wtf was the point of this video exactly?
@louissuppa490
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
It's not Tom big guy it's Kerry doing the recording
@thediseaseisthecure
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Love Slayer, bass playing is shite
@JosephJuszkowski
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
He can sing and play bass at the same.
I can't do either.
@Janeiro74
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Пока по английски говорил, так хорошо было…))
Скоро забудем родной язык, и будем по английски говорить….или может на межславянском))).
Победит ЛЮБОВЬ, И СВЕТЛЫЙ РАЗУМ.
А не политики…
@KBXband
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I'd say he was good ENOUGH. Slayer didn't need its own Cliff Burton.
@Yatahey-s8e
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I can’t hear any bass in slayer
@TomVeness
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Tom Arya kicks arse!!! Yeah his bass lines might be basic but he’s the head man of fucking SLAYER!!!
If anyone bags his playing, pick up a bass, keep time, scream like Tom Arya can whilst doing all vocals… I rest my case!!! Yes I’m a bass player too
@DanielGonzalez-tw8nu
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Tom is not the most creative player but people suggesting he can’t play are dead wrong. I’ve seen Slayer live numerous times and Tom can definitely keep up. Also, somewhere in YouTube land there’s a live Slayer gig with the bass cranked and you can definitely hear Tom loud and clear.
@FrankTheLeo
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Slava Ukraini!
@thedissonant
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
He plays the bass so there is a bass. Playing the bass is "just" a part of what he does in Slayer which is being the embodiment of what fans want to see in the band.
Ever seen these moment when between songs he doesn´t do anything but looking at the crowd giving them the chance to look back in his eyes and face? This man´s bass sound could be virtually non-existent like Newstedt´s on …and justice" and no one would care.
@j7cc
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Don't mess with Tom ! 🤘
@Wiilly__D
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
In Toms defense the bass isn't the easiest instrument to play and sing.
@j.bloaks29
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Lars and tom should do collab called slayTallica
@timtim-hf3ut
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I always heard kerry king played the bass tracks on all the albums
@TimothyHeffner-l1o
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Average bass player. I think he played more of a rhythm bass
@juankmarcelo1762
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Yes, he is great and his bass is crazy It just arrived Today
@danadane2501
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
What Tom Araya played, fit perfectly. The some of all parts together in Slayer were better than any individual part. With the exception of Jeff Haneman, the man was hands down the best musician and songwriter in the band!
@brianhines5801
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Kerry King plays bass on the albums ,not Tom
@gen-re-public
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
A few years ago, I was invited to play at this Slayer cover band, but the guitar player was also the singer, so I just had to play bass.
I realised that playing that stuff was super easy, and hearing some of the isolated tracks just made me laugh.
@followdanger890
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
When the bass is the loudest at a slayer concert, I wanna kiss the soundboard guy
@jrochannel307
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
3:13. Wait, so Tom is a lefty?
@johnnynordeste
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Long-time Slayer fan here from way back when. I don't think anyone is trying to put Tom Araya's bass playing in the upper-echelons of musical prowess, but Tom Araya definetely played exactly what was needed for the type of music Slayer produced. Is he a Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, or Chris Squire? No, and at no point is he trying to be. I can't tell if this type of content on YT is just ragebait, clickbait, or if the creator is actually serious about picking this shit apart to educate musicians in some way, or yet still, if this entire thing is supposed to be some kind of vague dig at Tom's playing.
@jeffreyjtrejos
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I don't know why you would call these bass parts "isolated". It is misleading, making me think that you somehow isolated the real tracks. Just say, "This is me playing the parts the way I think they go." A lot of people do the same thing, calling the parts "isolated", but a lot of people are honest and just show themselves playing the covers. I really don't care what you do by yourself at home when you practice. It just bothers me when people like you, on the internet, try to pass off their own playing for the real thing.
@RD310-w4o
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
South of Heaven and Mandatory Suicide are examples of songs where his basslines are pretty interesting. Otherwise, he just follows the guitar.
@simonball772
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I'm playing bass in a slayer tribute, and my absolute faves to play are Mandatory Suicide, Dead Skin and Seasons. War Ensemble is a close 4th, but its sooooo fast it takes a while to get back up to speed before each gig…same with Post mortem and Silent Scream…those boys played fast!
@jmacaroni74
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Kerry said he played all the bass tracks when recording
@Phil454LSX
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
As Cliff Burton taught us … the bass does not always have to follow the guitars.
@daverichards9141
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
He isn't Cliff Burton, so what.
@ew10662
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Yes he’s great!
@marsquake0311
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I've never really heard his bass in the mix anyway.
@nickyvestergaard6689
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
He's the frontman of one of, if not the best bands ever.
He is that great!
No need to analyze anything else.
@DroghedaXgrindcore
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
There was an '86 live show on YouTube that is bass heavy. He plays ok. Sounds good with some bass too…😂 imagine that.
@andreasi2433
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Tell us you've never seen Slayer live without saying you've never seen Slayer live haha
@patrickbevelock2171
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Does bass guitar need to be complex
@patrickbevelock2171
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Everyone knows he's not a strong bass player. His strength is his voice .
@dangerbob2000
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Tom is not a metal guy and top of that he’s singing and playing extremely fast songs. He’s good at what he does.
@crosswalklarry
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Bass lines that could be played by a person playing for 1 year. Tom also didnt play on most recordings.
@JCrowemag
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Would it be Slayer without Tom? NO
@BisonWeapon1911
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Its not great bass playing and its barely audible in the album mixes. But what i think is being missed here is singing and playing is difficult. I totally understand why the lines are simple.
@wagsbass
April 27, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Probably the worst bass player ever