Haunting the Chapel originally came out in 1984, less than a year after the debut Show No Mercy, as a three-track EP. The sound turned rawer and faster: Dave Lombardo used his double bass drum more widely and Jeff Hanneman's lyrics dealt more explicitly with hell and damnation. Chemical Warfare stayed in the live set for decades afterwards. Later pressings added Aggressive Perfector, which had appeared earlier on the compilation Metal Massacre III. The material points ahead to the heavier Hell Awaits of a year later.

This edition is an LP on red and white melt vinyl, cut at 45 rpm.