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By RYAN MAVITY
Nearly 30 years into their career, Slayer is still going strong. Those that need proof need only take a listen to the band’s newest release, World Painted Blood, a release that continues a creative rebirth for the band that started with 2001’s God Hates Us All.
Let’s just get the inevitable comparison out of the way. No, World Painted Blood is not another Reign In Blood. Or South Of Heaven. Or Seasons In The Abyss. Instead, World Painted Blood is sort of an amalgam of Seasons In The Abyss’ varied song structure filtered through the hardcore inspired production of their 90s work.
The album starts with the “Angel Of Death”-style title track, which starts with a blistering riff, slows down with Tom Araya’s spoken word middle eight before cranking things back up to Mach 5 for the finish. “Unit 731” and “Psychopathy Red” are classic Jeff Hannemann-penned thrashers, while “Snuff,” “Hate Worldwide” and “Not Of This God” are Kerry King’s odes to murder and religion. The best tracks are two South Of Heaven-style numbers, the delightfully creepy “Beauty Through Order” and “Playing With Dolls.” Araya shows off his range with these songs, alternating his morbid, serial killer singing with his usual tortured yell.
Unlike 2006’s Christ Illusion, which had a fairly narrow lyrical focus on religion and war, World Painted Blood is more varied. Topics include crematoriums (“Unit 731”), snuff films (“Snuff”), genocide (“World Painted Blood”), serial killer Elizabeth Bathory (“Beauty Through Order”), dismemberment (“Public Display of Dismemberment”), disease (“The Human Strain”) and torture (“Playing With Dolls”). No wonder Fangoria gave this album four stars. The only misstep is “Americon,” which tries to make a big statement about the U.S. and its lust for oil.
One thing I’ve enjoyed about Slayer’s last few releases is that they’ve been able to give fans what they want, while expanding and varying the formula. To me, Slayer is thrash metal’s answer to Motorhead. A band that has hit on a sound that is unique to them and nobody else can do as well as they do. The fact that Slayer has always come up with new ways to present their trademark sound is a testament to this band’s underrated ability as songwriters.
World Painted Blood is supposedly the first of Slayer’s final three albums. If this record is any indication, it looks like they’re going to go into the grave kicking and screaming.
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