SLAYER - "GOD HATES US ALL" (AMERICAN RECORDING)
SLAYER - "GOD HATES US ALL" (AMERICAN RECORDING)
It's been far too long since a Slayer CD was released. If you add to that the fact that the release was delayed quite a bit (I remember an imminent release date around summer 2000), and what you have is a much anticipated album. News snippets added that the band would be going more kindof back to their "South of Heaven" style roots, which practically made the fans froth at the mouth.
"God Hates us All" has been released now, finally. The Big Question is, of course, "was it worth the wait?"
I didn't like "Diabolos in Musica" that much. "Divine Intervention" was pretty OK. I never really liked "Hell Awaits" much, except for the title track. I saw Slayer during the 1990 "Clash of the Titans" tour and more or less liked nothing what I heard. I am, therefore, no typical Slayer fan. I didn't really start to get into them until I got the "Decade of Aggression" live album. So with this in mind, read on...
"God Hates us All" is possibly the angriest Slayer album ever. My review notes had "Araya screams his head off" jotted down at every single song except for the intro. Musically, the album is also pretty fast and full of catchy hooks and cool riffs. "Disciple" will be a true Slayer classic in time, with furious drumming and memorable riffs. "God Send Death" boasts some of the coolest guitar duets in years, "Cast Down" and "Bloodline" have eminently memorable riffs, "War Zone" is full of rabid energy, and "Seven Faces" starts off deceivingly slow and then results in the usual Total Slayer Mayhem.
The album features all the necessary ingredients for a good Slayer album. It does harken back to the olden days a bit, without losing touch with the world of today's music. I will be playing this one a whole lot, it may very well end up in my personal Top 10 of 2001, despite the rather similar vocal style throughout the album.
Click here to check out or buy this CD
RK
Written September 2001