Slayer - God Hates Us All (American / Mercury, 2001)
Get out your crucifixes, run for cover and whatever you do don't lend this to your local vicar. Slayer (or to be more exact their latest opus God Hates Us All) is in the house - and bloody hell does it rock. Slayer have brutally delivered an album that is more fired up, remorseful, evil, blasphemous and foul mouthed that they - or few other bands in the metal circle - have ever made.
Not, we add, an attempt to emulate Reign In Blood, (Slayers 80's thrash album classic) or anything we haven't came across before lyrically when there's people like Marilyn Manson, Cradle Of Filth and the rest - but Slayer's message remains as chilling as it is abrupt.
It still manages to rattle your cage, still manages to make you feel uneasy. That's exactly what they were hoping for. With a cover sporting a bloodstained, defaced bible and for the first time in Slayers existence a perpetual barrage of swearing throughout, not to mentioned the normal cursing of everyone in and outside of the spiritual realms, this is not for the faint hearted.
But there's just no denying Slayer of their dues. With knob master Rick Rubin overseeing the disc, Americas arguably greatest thrash outfit has created something truly loaded with heavy tuned bolts of the highest magnitude. Disciple with its 'God Hates Us All' chorus shows us the real reasons heavy metal fans buy sofas - to hide behind cue moments like these.
War Zone and Here Comes The Pain, both previously contributed to soundtracks, make expected but nonetheless welcome appearances, and thrown in with other track titans such as Bloodline and The Seven Faces, the quality at times is simply breathtaking.
Think the musical equivalent of having your throat slit, think Slayer. King and Haedmann's guitars bruise, Bostoph's drumming is the best way to a migraine headache yet and Tom Aryrias vocals are more spit laden than ever, offering his most aggressive and alternative performance yet. How he will respond to these songs live remains to be seen. Slayer still lack suitable shade, and while possessing a guitar duo that remains one of the best in the electric guitar universe, the repetition of solos from earlier days leaves an undesirable effect on God Hates Us All. And if Tom Araya is a Catholic after listening to this, then the Pope might as well be the Antichrist - it'll make ya soul scream, that's for sure.
That aside, it's a monster of an album - and one of which sonically Slayer can be very proud. Verdict - @@@@
Andy Law
Get out your crucifixes, run for cover and whatever you do don't lend this to your local vicar. Slayer (or to be more exact their latest opus God Hates Us All) is in the house - and bloody hell does it rock. Slayer have brutally delivered an album that is more fired up, remorseful, evil, blasphemous and foul mouthed that they - or few other bands in the metal circle - have ever made.
Not, we add, an attempt to emulate Reign In Blood, (Slayers 80's thrash album classic) or anything we haven't came across before lyrically when there's people like Marilyn Manson, Cradle Of Filth and the rest - but Slayer's message remains as chilling as it is abrupt.
It still manages to rattle your cage, still manages to make you feel uneasy. That's exactly what they were hoping for. With a cover sporting a bloodstained, defaced bible and for the first time in Slayers existence a perpetual barrage of swearing throughout, not to mentioned the normal cursing of everyone in and outside of the spiritual realms, this is not for the faint hearted.
But there's just no denying Slayer of their dues. With knob master Rick Rubin overseeing the disc, Americas arguably greatest thrash outfit has created something truly loaded with heavy tuned bolts of the highest magnitude. Disciple with its 'God Hates Us All' chorus shows us the real reasons heavy metal fans buy sofas - to hide behind cue moments like these.
War Zone and Here Comes The Pain, both previously contributed to soundtracks, make expected but nonetheless welcome appearances, and thrown in with other track titans such as Bloodline and The Seven Faces, the quality at times is simply breathtaking.
Think the musical equivalent of having your throat slit, think Slayer. King and Haedmann's guitars bruise, Bostoph's drumming is the best way to a migraine headache yet and Tom Aryrias vocals are more spit laden than ever, offering his most aggressive and alternative performance yet. How he will respond to these songs live remains to be seen. Slayer still lack suitable shade, and while possessing a guitar duo that remains one of the best in the electric guitar universe, the repetition of solos from earlier days leaves an undesirable effect on God Hates Us All. And if Tom Araya is a Catholic after listening to this, then the Pope might as well be the Antichrist - it'll make ya soul scream, that's for sure.
That aside, it's a monster of an album - and one of which sonically Slayer can be very proud. Verdict - @@@@
Andy Law
