Slayer - Japanese Albums Collection (1983-2009, 16CD)

Released at the forefront of the early-'80s thrash movement, Show No Mercy proved to be only a small step toward Slayer's domination of the extreme metal scene, basically amounting to a cleaned-up version of black metal stalwarts Venom. Everything about this album, from the production to the musicianship, is amateurish compared to later releases, but in the same way Metallica was on their own debut, Kill 'Em All. Despite the band's shortcomings, a number of future classics are present on this album, including concert favorites "The Antichrist," "Die by the Sword," and "Black Magic." Show No Mercy remains a solid, if inessential, part of the Slayer legacy.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Produced by Slayer. Executive Producer - Brian Slagel.
Engineer by Bill Metoyer, recorded at Track Records, L.A.
Management and represention by Steven Craig

Track List:

01. Evil Has No Boundaries [3:11]
02. The Antichrist [2:50]
03. Die By The Sword [3:38]
04. Fight Till Death [3:39]
05. Metalstorm/Face The Slayer [4:54]
06. Black Magic [4:06]
07. Tormentor [3:45]
08. Final Command [2:33]
09. Crionics [3:29]
10. Show No Mercy [3:08]
11. Chemical Warfare (Bonus Track) [6:02]

Boasting the awesome "Chemical Warfare," a regular staple of Slayer's live shows, the Haunting the Chapel EP was a more crucial stepping stone in the legendary L.A. band's career development than many give it credit for. Issued in between the band's very promising debut and the following year's more sonically ripened Hell Awaits, Haunting the Chapel offers important clues about this transition period, which saw Slayer's rock-based song structures give way to the non-linear, genre-defining style thereafter regarded as thrash metal's signature sound. Among the uniformly solid cuts here, the enduring fan favorite "Captor of Sin" is another highlight, making this a well-recommended release for committed Slayer fans

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Produced by Slayer. Executive Producer - Brian Slagel.
Engineered by Bill Metoyer
Recorded at Track Records, L.A., mastered at Capitol by Eddie Schreyer

Track List:

01. Chemical Warfare [6:02]
02. Captor Of Sin [3:29]
03. Haunting The Chapel [3:56]
04. Aggressive Perfector [3:29]

Recorded and released as a follow-up to the Haunting the Chapel EP, specifically during the tour for that effort (though apparently actually in a studio with a few hypercharged fans in audible attendance), Live Undead shows the band still coming together in ways. Hell Awaits was around the corner and Reign in Blood further off yet, so the set relies on their earliest material, sometimes striking but formative nonetheless. But if nothing else Tom Araya's part snarling and part merry way around death, doom, and destruction was already nearly settled – only one or two Rob Halford-level shrieks sneak through here and there ("The Antichrist" cartoonishly so) – while the full quartet's Judas Priest/Iron Maiden in absolute overdrive approach was already paying off. Dave Lombardo's drumming handled the steadier stomp of songs like "Die by the Sword" solidly while going to town on "Captor of Sin" and particularly "Evil Has No Boundaries," the best performance of the seven songs. Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King – the latter featuring a slightly unfortunate hairdo on the back cover – strike just enough of a balance, however unexpectedly, between technical skill and flailing chaos. Hell Awaits eventually brought all the newer changes out in fuller force, even with subpar production, so Live Undead isn't really necessary except for the hardest of hardcore fans in the end, especially in comparison to Decade of Aggression. Still, it does have its "it could only be Slayer" moments – including Araya's almost casual way of rudely introducing "Captor of Sin."

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Producer by Bill Metoyer & Slayer
Recorded live in New York City on their 1984 Haunting North America tour.
Digitally remastered at Future Disc, November 1993. Mixed at Track Record, L.A.

Track List:

01. Black Magic [4:06]
02. Die By The Sword [4:03]
03. Captor Of Sin [3:27]
04. The Antichrist [3:14]
05. Evil Has No Boundaries [2:59]
06. Show No Mercy [3:05]
07. Aggressive Perfector [2:31]
08. Chemical Warfare (Studio Version) [6:03]

When it was released in 1985, Slayer's second full album, Hell Awaits, seemed to many a nearly impenetrable cacophony of sound. However, it proved to be incredibly ahead of its time instead, and has since been confirmed as a mandatory item in the band's remarkable discography. Why? Well, despite its many memorable tunes, the songwriting on Slayer's 1983 debut, Show No Mercy, was firmly entrenched in blues-based punk/metal, and it wasn't until the following year's more excessive Haunting the Chapel EP that the band began adding the unusual arrangements, varying tempos, and dissonant nuances that paved the way to a wholly distinctive sound all their own. These experiments (rooted in the at once ingenious and ingenuous innovations of Venom's early work) were fleshed out even further on Hell Awaits; starting with the terrifying title track, continuing through the mesmerizing "At Dawn They Sleep," and arguably pushed over the limit of reason by the corrosive "Hardening of the Arteries." Here, the listener is introduced to a far more technical, almost progressive, side of Slayer – a side never heard before and rarely since, for that matter. Meanwhile, comparatively straightforward thrashers like "Kill Again" and "Necrophiliac" made it plain that the group's love of pure speed remained intact, even if here, their sharp-edged riffs were often buried in overwhelming distortion. And perhaps most crucial of all, the musical backdrops unleashed by all the above (as well as equally worthy entries "Praise of Death" and "Crypts of Eternity") actually managed to inflict a true sense of horror and fear on par with their lyrics – therefore marking Hell Awaits as the first album unmistakable as coming from anyone else but Slayer. True, it was ultimately eclipsed by its peerless successor, Reign in Blood (still largely considered the greatest thrash metal album ever recorded), as an irresistible force, but one could still make a confident point that Hell Awaits' uniquely daunting compositions arguably proved just as influential to future extreme metal acts.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

All songs written and
Recorded at
Produced by

Track List:

01. Hell Awaits [6:16]
02. Kill Again [4:54]
03. At Dawn They Sleep [6:16]
04. Haunting The Chapel [3:57]
05. Praise Of Death [5:20]
06. Necrophiliac [3:45]
07. Captor Of Sin [3:29]
08. Crypts Of Eternity (Bonus Track) [6:37]
09. Hardening Of The Arteries (Bonus Track) [4:00]

Widely considered the pinnacle of speed metal, Reign in Blood is Slayer's undisputed masterpiece, a brief (under half an hour) but relentless onslaught that instantly obliterates anything in its path and clears out just as quickly. Producer Rick Rubin gives the band a clear, punchy sound for the first time in its career, and they largely discard the extended pieces of Hell Awaits in favor of lean assaults somewhat reminiscent of hardcore punk (though distinctly metallic and much more technically demanding). Reign in Blood opens and closes with slightly longer tracks (the classics "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood") whose slower riffs offer most of the album's few hints of melody. Sandwiched in between are eight short (all under three minutes), lightning-fast bursts of aggression that change tempo or feel without warning, producing a disjointed, barely controlled effect. The album is actually more precise than it sounds, and not without a sense of groove, but even in the brief slowdowns, the intensity never lets up. There may not be much variation, but it's a unified vision, and a horrific one at that. The riffs are built on atonal chromaticism that sounds as sickening as the graphic violence depicted in many of the lyrics, and Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's demented soloing often mimics the screams of the songs' victims. It's monstrously, terrifyingly evocative, in a way that transcends Reign in Blood's metal origins. The album almost single-handedly inspired the entire death metal genre (at least on the American side of the Atlantic), and unlike many of its imitators, it never crosses the line into self-parodic overkill. Reign in Blood was a stone-cold classic upon its release, and it hasn't lost an ounce of its power today.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Produced by Rick Rubin and Slayer
Engineered by Andy Wallace. Recorded in 1986, Los Angeles, CA
Mixed at New Fresh in New York City. Mastered by Howie Weinberg

Track List:

01. Angel Of Death [4:53]
02. Piece By Piece [2:03]
03. Necrophobic [1:41]
04. Altar Of Sacrifice [2:51]
05. Jesus Saves [2:54]
06. Criminally Insane [2:23]
07. Reborn [2:12]
08. Epidemic [2:23]
09. Postmortem [2:45]
10. Raining Blood [5:00]

When it comes to death metal, no band is more convincing than Slayer. For other bands, focusing on death, Satanism, the supernatural, and the occult became a cliché; but Slayer's controversial reflections on evil always came across as honest and heartfelt. The group's sincerity is the thing that makes South of Heaven so disturbing and powerful – when the influential thrashers rip into such morbid fare as "Spill the Blood," "Mandatory Suicide," and "Ghosts of War," they are frighteningly convincing. With their fourth album, Slayer began to slow their tempos without sacrificing an iota of heaviness or incorporating any pop elements. South of Heaven would be Slayer's last album for Def Jam. When Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons (brother of Joseph "Run" Simmons of Run-D.M.C.) parted company, Slayer went to Rubin's new company Def American, while LL Cool J, Slick Rick, and other rappers recorded for Simmons at Def Jam.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Produced by Rick Rubin, co-produced by Slayer.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Mixed at Newfresh in New York City.
CD Mastering at Barry Diament Audio, New York City.

Track List:

01. South of Heaven [5:01]
02. Silent Scream [3:05]
03. Live Undead [3:50]
04. Behind the Crooked Cross [3:15]
05. Mandatory Suicide [4:05]
06. Ghosts of War [3:53]
07. Read Between the Lies [3:20]
08. Cleanse the Soul [3:02]
09. Dissident Aggressor [2:35]
10. Spill the Blood [4:51]

After staking out new territory with the underrated South of Heaven, Slayer brought back some of the pounding speed of Reign in Blood for their third major-label album, Seasons in the Abyss. Essentially, Seasons fuses its two predecessors, periodically kicking up the mid-tempo grooves of South of Heaven with manic bursts of aggression. "War Ensemble" and the title track each represented opposite sides of the coin, and they both earned Slayer their heaviest MTV airplay to date. In fact, Seasons in the Abyss is probably their most accessible album, displaying the full range of their abilities all in one place, with sharp, clean production. Since the band is refining rather than progressing or experimenting, Seasons doesn't have quite the freshness of its predecessors, but aside from that drawback, it's strong almost all the way from top to bottom (with perhaps one or two exceptions). Lyrically, the band rarely turns to demonic visions of the afterlife anymore, preferring instead to find tangible horror in real life – war, murder, human weakness. There's even full-fledged social criticism, which should convince any doubters that Slayer aren't trying to promote the subjects they sing about. Like Metallica's Master of Puppets or Megadeth's Peace Sells…but Who's Buying, Seasons in the Abyss paints Reagan-era America as a cesspool of corruption and cruelty, and the music is as devilishly effective as ever.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Produced by Rick Rubin, co-produceb by Andy Wallace and Slayer.
Engineered and mixed by Andy Wallace.
Recorded at Hit City, Hollywood Sound and Record Plant.
Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk, New York, NY

Track List:

01. War Ensemble [4:52]
02. Blood Red [2:48]
03. Spirit In Black [4:07]
04. Expendable Youth [4:10]
05. Dead Skin Mask [5:20]
06. Hallowed Point [3:24]
07. Skeletons Of Society [4:41]
08. Temptation [3:26]
09. Born Of Fire [3:08]
10. Seasons In The Abyss [6:34]

Decade of Aggression is Slayer's live double disc. It was recorded in 1990 and 1991, with mobile units in Lakeland, FL, at Wembley Arena in London, and in San Bernardino. A live set from this band is risky business because it's Slayer live that gained an international reputation for taking on all comers and ripping them to shreds on a stage. The fear is simply that the audio recording alone — without the subsequent live DVDs they've issued — won't capture the sheer overblown intensity of the unit in a concert setting. The bad news is that it doesn't; the good news is that it comes a lot closer than one might imagine before hearing it. It's a double live album that approaches the league of Ted Nugent's Double Live Gonzo!, the Who's Live at Leeds, and the Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East when it comes to representing a band perfectly. This is the original incarnation of Slayer with blastbeat progenitor Dave Lombardo beating hell out of the drum kit, guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, and vocalist/bassist Tom Araya. They run through the material on virtually all of their studio albums to that point, going all the way back to 1983's Show No Mercy with the tracks "The Anti-Christ" and "Black Magic." While it's true that the majority of the tunes here come from South of Heaven, Reign in Blood, and Seasons in the Abyss, that's as it should be, reflecting live the band's compositional and overdriven blend of thrash, hardcore, and classic death metal. Producer Rick Rubin stays out of the way; his production seems to be in terms of shaping the live sound to make it sound like this is all one gig. It's exhilarating ("South of Heaven") and exhausting ("Dead Skin Mask"), and by the time they get to "Angel of Death" closing the first disc, most listeners will be drained. That said, disc two is just as furious, with classic Slayer performances of "Born of Fire," "Spirit in Black," and the closer, "Chemical Warfare." Decade of Aggression is a record for any serious Slayer fan to own, and one that serves as a fine — if excessive — introduction to any late bloomers out there.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Produced by Rick Rubin
Tracks 1-11 Recorded live at Lakeland Coliseum, Lakeland, Florida 7/13/91
Tracks 1-2, 7 Recorded live at Wembley Arena, London, England 10/14/90
Tracks 3-6, 8-10 Recorded live at Orange Pavilion, San Bernandino, California 3/8/91

CD1 Track List:

01. Hell Awaits [6:51]
02. The Anti-Christ [3:55]
03. War Ensemble [4:53]
04. South Of Heaven [4:25]
05. Raining Blood [2:32]
06. Altar Of Sacrifice [2:48]
07. Jesus Saves [4:12]
08. Dead Skin Mask [4:58]
09. Seasons In The Abyss [7:01]
10. Mandatory Suicide [4:01]
11. Angel Of Death [5:22]

CD1 Track List:

01. Hallowed Point [3:38]
02. Blood Red [3:12]
03. Die By The Sword [3:17]
04. Black Magic [3:35]
05. Captor Of Sin [3:25]
06. Born Of Fire [3:00]
07. Skeletons Of Society [4:51]
08. At Dawn They Sleep [6:26]
09. Postmortem [4:05]
10. Spirit In Black [4:22]
11. Expendable Youth [4:28]
12. Chemical Warfare [5:25]

The rock & roll landscape changed dramatically between Seasons in the Abyss in 1990 and Divine Intervention in 1994. With the rise of alternative rock, many metal and hard rock bands that had been enormously successful at the dawn of the '90s were struggling by the middle of the decade. Instead of doing something calculated like emulating Nirvana or Pearl Jam — or for that matter, Nine Inch Nails or Ministry — Slayer wisely refused to sound like anyone but Slayer. Tom Araya and co. responded to the new environment simply by striving to be the heaviest metal band they possibly could. Less accessible than Seasons but equally riveting, Divine Intervention marked drummer Paul Bostaph's studio debut with the band. Bostaph proved to be a positive, energizing influence on Slayer, which sounds better than ever on such dark triumphs as "Killing Fields," "Serenity in Murder," and "Circle of Beliefs." Characteristically grim and morbid, Slayer focus on the violently repressive nature of governments and the lengths to which they will go to wield power. And true to form, Slayer's music is as disturbing as their lyrics.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Paul Bostaph

Produced by Slayer. Executive Producer: Rick Rubin. Co-Produced by Toby Wright.
Engineered and Mixed by Toby Wright. Additional enginners: Jim Scott, Jim Champagne.
Recorded at Oceanway, Los Angeles, CA and Sound City, Van Nuys, CA.
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering.


Track List:

01. Killing Fields 3:58
02. Sex. Murder. Art 1:50
03. Fictional Reality 3:38
04. Dittohead 2:31
05. Divine Intervention 5:33
06. Circle Of Beliefs 4:30
07. SS-3 4:06
08. Serenity In Murder 2:37
09. 213 4:52
10. Mind Control 3:04

One of Slayer's most disturbing compositions (and that's saying a heck of a lot), "Serenity in Murder" still wasn't strong enough to warrant its own maxi-single release. But the fact that American Recordings was at the time attempting to relaunch Slayer following a long public absence and the loss of drumming colossus Dave Lombardo goes a long way in explaining this release's existence. One of the better tracks on the thrash kings' disappointing sixth album, Divine Intervention (a none-too-subtle and ultimately failed attempt to re-create their classic Reign in Blood through pure speed-core intensity), the song is couched here by three unquestionable classics of old: "Angel of Death," "Mandatory Suicide," and "War Ensemble" – as if that alone would validate its own excellence. It doesn't – but hey, there are those other three tracks.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Paul Bostaph

Produced by Tony Wilson.
Tracks 3 and 4 Recorded by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation, P3 Live, in Stockholm, December 16, 1994.
Produced by Nenne Zettenberg. Engineered by Staffan Sch?jer, Janne Waldenmark, Uffe Ostling.
Tracks 1 and 2 recorded by the BBC Mobile at Brixton Academy, November 9, 1994.
Produced by Tony Wilson. Engineered by Dave Dade. Mixed by Mike Fraser
Track 5 produced by Slayer.
Track 6 is a short interview with Slayer during their "Divine Intervention" tour in Japan.

Track List:

01. At Dawn They Sleep (Live) [6:27]
02. Dead Skin Mask (Live) [5:21]
03. Divine Intervention (Live) [5:09]
04. Dittohead (Live) [2:47]
05. Serenity In Murder (Album Version) [2:40]
06. Special Message [2:57]

Slayer's Undisputed Attitude feels more like a stopgap than an actual Slayer record. Rather than another set of blasting, disturbing originals like 1994's Divine Intervention or 1995's Serenity in Murder EP, this album is a collection of covers. Containing 14 tracks, the band covers everyone from Minor Threat to T.S.O.L., from D.I. to Iggy Pop. Given Slayer's Huntington Beach, CA, homeland, the hardcore roots are plain enough. But HB is also a big metal town, and these cats as youngsters were exposed to everything from Motörhead to Black Sabbath and the early L.A. metal scene. True to their course, however, they've never sounded like anyone but themselves. Even on a collection of covers (with a pair of originals thrown in to boot), the Slayer imprint is unmistakable, and while taking a breather from fresh ideas on their own projects, this disc sounds like the bandmembers were having a blast if not exactly breaking new ground. All but two of these cuts are less than three minutes long, with a number of them come in under two – in keeping with true hardcore fashion. Even on the completely over-the-rail covers of Minor Threat's "Filler/I Don't Want To Hear It" and "Guilty of Being White," the guitar breaks are unmistakably their own. Paul Bostaph's thin drumming (as opposed to founding drummer Dave Lombardo's) is actually more suited to this material. The cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" contains the title "I'm Gonna Be Your God" – it wouldn't do for Slayer to be thought of in any way submissive, would it? (Although none would have cared but them, which tells you where they're coming from.) The band basically improves upon T.S.O.L.'s "Spiritual Law," and the long reach into D.I.'s catalog for no less than five cuts – four of them done in a pair of medleys – offers a few more examples of where Slayer come from. They are extremely heavy and extremely brief cuts, but pack a wallop. For those looking toward Slayer's more direct roots, there are a pair of early experiments from a project Jeff Hanneman was in, "I Can't Stand You" and "Ddamn," and a Slayer newbie called "Gemini," clocking in just under five minutes and offering a glimpse into the future of sludge and doom metal before it twists and turns on a dime and becomes a more typically trademarked Slayer number. Undisputed Attitude is a curiosity; it's far from an essential collection by Slayer. The true faithful will want this and most likely really get off on it. For those who admire what the band had accomplished musically to this point, it feels like a bit of a letdown, really.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Paul Bostaph

Produced by Slayer and D.Sardy, Executive Producer: Rick Rubin
Mixed by D.Sardy, Engineered by Greg Gordon
Recorded at Capital Studios, California, USA
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering

Track List:

01. Disintegration/Free Money (Verbal Abuse cover) [1:41]
02. Verbal Abuse/Leeches (Verbal Abuse cover) [1:58]
03. Abolish Government/Superficial Love (T.S.O.L. cover) [1:47]
04. Can't Stand You (Pap Smear cover) [1:28]
05. Ddamm (Pap Smear cover) [1:01]
06. Guilty of Being White (Minor Threat cover) [1:07]
07. I Hate You (Verbal Abuse cover) [2:16]
08. Filler/I Don't Want to Hear It (Minor Threat cover) [2:28]
09. Spiritual Law (D.R.I. cover) [3:00]
10. Sick Boy (G.B.H. cover) [2:14]
11. Mr. Freeze (Dr. Know cover) [2:24]
12. Violent Pacification (D.R.I. cover) [2:38]
13. Memories of Tomorrow (Suicidal Tendencies cover) [0:55]
14. Richard Hung Himself (D.I. cover) [3:22]
15. I'm Gonna Be Your God (The Stooges cover) [2:59]
16. Gemini [4:54]

CDS 'Live Intrusion':

01. Witching Hour (feat. Machine Head) (Venom Cover) [3:01]
02. Divine Intervention [5:10]
03. Dittohead [2:42]

By 1998, it seems that Slayer has fully explored the possible variations on their signature style; they've had all the influence and impact they're going to, which means that in order to keep their fans' reverence and critics' respect, it's much more advisable for new Slayer material to offer competent retrenchments rather than experimentation with current trends. And they do indeed follow the former approach on Diabolus in Musica (Latin for "the devil in music"), an album that will certainly please fans while offering little that hasn't been heard before. If Divine Intervention tried (perhaps too hard) to re-create the full-on rush of the classic Reign in Blood, then Diabolus in Musica employs more of the in-between feel of Seasons in the Abyss, albeit with a thicker-sounding production and slightly more emphasis on texture than the formerly almighty riff. It may lack some of the spark and vitality of their 1980s recordings, but it's nothing to be ashamed of either. Even if their liner art keeps getting more and more graphic, the music is still the same old Slayer, and that's pretty much what sellout-wary diehards want to hear.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Paul Bostaph

Produced by Rick Rubin. Co-Produced by Slayer.
Engineered by Greg Gordon. Recorded at Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk, New York, NY .

Track List:

01. Bitter Peace [4:32]
02. Death's Head [3:29]
03. Stain Of Mind [3:25]
04. Overt Enemy [4:42]
05. Perversions Of Pain [3:31]
06. Love To Hate [3:06]
07. Desire [4:19]
08. Unguarded Instinct (Bonus Track for Japan) [3:43]
09. In The Name Of God [3:38]
10. Scrum [2:19]
11. Screaming From The Sky [3:13]
12. Wicked (Bonus Track) [6:01]
13. Point [4:14]








Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Paul Bostaph

Produced by Rick Rubin, Co-produced by Slayer.
Engineered by Greg Gordon. Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk, New York, NY.
Track 1: Taken from SME International release 'Diabolus in Musica'
Track 2-5: Live at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles, CA 5/30/98

Track List:

01. Stain Of Mind [3:26]
02. Raining Blood (Live) [2:22]
03. Angel Of Death (Live) [4:57]
04. Mandatory Suicide (Live) [4:00]
05. Chemical Warfare (Live) [5:33]

Incredibly brutal, God Hates Us All is Slayer's most effective album since Seasons in the Abyss (1990), thanks in large part to Matt Hyde's raw production and a handful of killer songs. The previous few Slayer albums – Divine Intervention (1994), Undisputed Attitude (1996), and Diabolus in Musica (1998) – were relatively disappointing, at least for anyone familiar with the band's defining triptych of Reign in Blood (1986), South of Heaven (1988), and Seasons in the Abyss (1990). While God Hates Us All isn't on a par with those classics, without much argument one could call it a return to form for Slayer. A couple "War Ensemble"-style thrashers, "Disciple" and "New Faith," get the album off to vicious start; "Payback" concludes the album likewise. On the other hand, "Bloodline" is a slower-paced, evocative song in the style of "Reign in Blood" and "South of Heaven," including a melodic chorus. These are the highlights of God Hates Us All, and while there are some passable songs sequenced throughout the 13-track album, it's solid and well-balanced overall. Especially since it arrived after a long absence, God Hates Us All should be a relief for long-time Slayer fans who were afraid the band had fallen off during the '90s, and it well may surprise newcomers unfamiliar with the band's prime recordings from the mid- to late '80s.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Paul Bostaph

Recorded at Warehouse Studios, Vancouver, Canada.
Mixed at Larrabee East, Los Angeles, California.
Mastered at Oasis Mastering, Studio City, California.

Track List:

01. Darkness Of Christ [1:30]
02. Disciple [3:36]
03. God Send Death [3:46]
04. New Faith [3:06]
05. Cast Down [3:27]
06. Threshold [2:29]
07. Exile [3:55]
08. Seven Faces [3:42]
09. Bloodline [3:21]
10. Deviance [3:09]
11. War Zone [2:45]
12. Scarstruck (Japanese Bonus Track) [3:29]
13. Here Comes The Pain [4:32]
14. Payback [3:03]
15. Addict (Japanese Bonus Track) [3:42]

The reunion of the original Slayer lineup appears for the first time in the studio since 1990's Seasons in the Abyss (a record that topped off one of the great four-album stands in metal history: Hell Awaits, Reign in Blood, and South of Heaven preceded it). Drummer Dave Lombardo's retaking of the drum chair places the band back on the edge, pushing themselves and the genre to look back at where they've been and where they go from here. For a band that has been together as long as Slayer has, they have never made concessions and have stubbornly refused to sound like anyone but themselves. Christ Illusion is a raging, forward-thinking heavy metal melding with hardcore thrash; this is what made them such a breath of fresh air in the first place. And while they no longer sound terrifying, that was never their point anyway. Slayer rips through these ten songs, complete with lightning changes, off-kilter rhythms, and riff invention, together with plodding crescendos, sick-as-hell guitar breaks, and dark, unrelentingly twisted-as-f*ck lyrics that reflect a singular intensity. The big themes on Christ Illusion center on the perverse myth of religion and its responsibility for, and cause of, war. One can talk about the power big-money has at stake in the Middle Eastern havoc, but the root, according to some of these songs, is the culture war between two competing myths, Christianity and Islam, that this time out could result in the apocalypse. On the opener, "Flesh Storm," Tom Araya roars the refrain above the guitars and frantic drumming: "It's all just psychotic devotion/Manipulated with no discretion/Relentless/Warfare knows no compassion/Thrives with no evolution/Unstable minds exacerbate/Unrest in peace…only the fallen have won/Because the fallen can't run/My vision's not obscure/For war there is no cure/So here the only law/Is men killing men/For someone else's cause."

Elsewhere, such as "Eyes of the Insane," the story comes in the first person from the point of view of a soldier who is suffering the effects of PTSD, yet he may or may not still be on the battlefield. Lombardo's drums open it slowly, then the Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King guitar gods create an intensely harrowing and angular riff that changes from verse to verse, through the refrain and bridge, and comes back again. Yeah, Slayer actually crafts and writes songs. Check the little skittering vamp that leads into "Jihad," where Lombardo just shimmers his hi-hat before the band begins to enter and twist and turn looking for a place to create a new rhythmic thrash that's the most insane deconstruction of four/four time on tape. The indictment of "holy war" is possible only through the telling of the narrative from a Jihadist's point of view. The blazing, low-tuned heaviness of "Consfearacy" turns the entire principle of patriotism's blind ideals into an evil joke. Araya's voice is mixed way up this time, every utterance is understandable, thanks to producer and mixer Josh Abraham and label boss Rick Rubin. This scathing rejection of religion as the cause for world conflict is best characterized in "Cult." The low-tuned, two-string vamp that slithers into the foreground creates a tension as Lombardo's cymbals call the band into the riff that opens the tune. It's slow, meaty, unrelenting in its tautness. When Araya's voice comes in, the whole track is off the rails and stays there: "Oppression is the holy war/In God I distrust…Is war and greed the Master's plan? The Bible's where it all began/Its propaganda sells despair/And spreads the virus everywhere/Religion Is hate/Religion Is fear/Religion is war…." Whether you agree with Slayer's anti-religion militancy is one thing, but their view that it underscores this war and so many preceding it has to be taken with some seriousness. And musically, they are in a league of their own. Christ Illusion creates an interesting dilemma for people of faith who like heavy metal: the stance against war here is unreproachable, but can one hang with the conflicting point of view that faith in a god is responsible for it? Given the defined presence of the vocals, one cannot simply listen to the voice as another instrument, as in much of heavy metal. One has to deal with the music and the words this time out, and yes, they're printed in the lyric booklet. Christ Illusion is an antiwar record that asks people to think for themselves. At one point Araya makes his choice, "six six six," but even that's in reaction, an irony. Christ Illusion is brilliant, stomping, scorched-earth thrash metal at its best. Lyrically, it may offend people, but getting the listener to think and make choices is what this music is all about. An anti-Christian/anti-Islam/anti-theocratic, antiwar album, Christ Illusion is essential for anyone interested in the genre.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Recorded at NRG, North Hollywood, and Westlake Studios, Los Angeles.
Mixed at Pulse Recording, Silverlake, CA.
Mastered at Sony Music Studios, New York, NY.

Track List:

01. Flesh Storm [4:15]
02. Catalyst [3:08]
03. Skeleton Christ [4:22]
04. Eyes of the Insane [3:23]
05. Jihad [3:31]
06. Consfearacy [3:08]
07. Catatonic [4:55]
08. Black Serenade [3:16]
09. Cult [4:40]
10. Supremist [3:51]

There will no doubt be a lot of hoopla concerning the name Slayer have chosen for World Painted Blood. In many ways, it could have been called Reign in Blood Revisited. But the word "revisited " is the key. Some compositions on this new recording have more of the band's early-style melody in them, with lightning flare-up riffs between verses; quick, unexpected guitar pyrotechnics; and blastbeat power drumming from Dave Lombardo (the band's original drummer who returned to the lineup for 2006's Christ Illusion) pushing it all into the red. But there are mannerisms and strategies from the band's later albums at work as well – even if they are unconsciously employed. Christ Illusion reached deep into Slayer's old bag of tricks to reorient themselves to more speed-based playing after the midtempo records of the late '90s, and there was a fantastic concentration on riffs and call and response between the guitars and rhythm section. On World Painted Blood the focus is more on songs, and therefore the return of the "melodic" aspect of the band's past – and let's face it, during the classic years Slayer were peerless in that department. The riffs make sense in the context of Tom Araya's sung verses, and so do the considerable beats. Check the opener with its intricate instrumental intro bracing the listener for the eruption of power that follows – Araya's spoken word interludes notwithstanding. "Americon" combines wah-wah riff heaviness with thundercrack drumming and Araya's downtuned bassline. Check the speed and intense guitar exchanges in "Public Display of Dismemberment" and "Psychopathy Red" for the best evidence of Slayer at their most powerful on this set. Despite great songs and great playing, there are more midtempo tracks here than on Christ Illusion, and Greg Fidelman's production style takes a different tack altogether for this guitar-manic crew. Lombardo's drums are WAAAAAAAY up in the mix, as are Araya's vocals – you can understand every word, even on the thrashers; the guitars are simply further down in the mix and sometimes it becomes difficult to discern Araya's bass. Therefore, the first listen or two to World Painted Blood might be a bit confusing for the seasoned Slayer fan, but that changes quickly, and the sound of those drums blasting in one's head will become a more than welcome presence in the mix.

www.allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Bass : Tom Araya
Guitars : Kerry King
Guitars : Jeff Hanneman
Drums : Dave Lombardo

Producer and mixed by Greg Fidelman. Executive producer: Rick Rubin
Recorded by Greg Fidelman and Dana Nielsen at The Pass, Los Angeles, CA.
Assistant egineers: Sara Killion. Mastered by Vlado Meller at Universal Mastering, New York, NY.

Track List:

01. World Painted Blood [5:53]
02. Unit 731 [2:40]
03. Snuff [3:42]
04. Beauty Through Order [4:37]
05. Hate Worldwide [2:52]
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment [2:35]
07. Human Strain [3:09]
08. Americon [3:23]
09. Psychopathy Red [2:26]
10. Playing With Dolls [4:14]
11. Not Of This God [4:21]
12. Psychopathy Red (Explicit Live Version) [2:47]