FUCKIN SLAYER!!That’s all there is to say when the subject of SLAYER comes up. And since there’s a new SLAYER album out called World Painted Blood, I’ll say it again – FUCKIN SLAYER!!! I’ve been a fan since 1983’s Show No Mercy and here it is 26 years later and their 11th studio album and I’m still excited about these guys.
By now, everyone knows where they stand with SLAYER – you either love them or you are wrong. World Painted Blood picks up where 2006’s Christ Illusion left off. It’s fast, pissed off, thrashing METAL. There have been a lot of reviews comparing this album to Reign In Blood, and while World Painted Blood is a good album, it’s nowhere near that all time classic. Actually, parts of the album remind me more of Show No Mercy-era SLAYER because of some of the untamed energy. Apparently some of the songs were written in the studio with all band members present which they haven’t done in a long time.
Like any SLAYER album, it’s easy to figure out who wrote what song based on lyrical content. Kerry King is responsible for mega-angry anthems like “Public Display of Dismemberment,” “Amerion” and “Hate Worldwide” (opening lyric “I stab you, right between the eyes”). Jeff Hanneman contributes dark, creepy songs like “Playing With Dolls” and “Psychopathy Red.” Tom Araya screams himself silly on every single one of these songs.
The riffs are brutal and fast, the guitar solos skid all over the place and Dave Lombardo’s beats are beastly and frantic. Production wise, the guitar sound is similar to Christ Illusion but maybe a bit more “modern metal” sounding as opposed to “classic metal” tones. World Painted Blood was produced by Greg Fidelman, the same guy who did Metallica’s Death Magnetic but thankfully the mix and mastering of the new SLAYER is not maxed out and overly compressed. In fact, when Metallica started getting heat for making another crappy sounding album SLAYER rushed out the song “Psychopathy Red” to let everyone know not to blame the producer.Overall, this is a much more pleasant listening experience than the brutally heavy but monochromatic sounding God Hates Us All album. I challenge anyone to listen to that one from start to finish in one sitting and not suffer some ear fatigue. God Hates Us All was also a pretty long album and this new one clocks in at a sane 40 minutes. The entire album is solid start to finish with no real weak songs, but also no real classics either. The title track, “Beauty Through Order” and “Not Of This God” have some of the more memorable riffs. “Snuff” is probably my favorite since it starts right off with dueling leads like at the end of “Raining Blood” before making room for Tom’s booming voice.
SLAYER seems pretty pumped up about this album so expect them to play a bunch of songs on it on their upcoming tour in early 2010 with Megadeth and Testament. Revolver Magazine also has a new all-SLAYER issue out on the stands documenting the history of the band. Looking at all the vintage shots of SLAYER is the perfect companion piece to World Painted Blood.
--Woody
Buy here: World Painted Blood (CD & DVD)
http://www.slayer.net/
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