Thursday, November 19, 2009

ITP REVIEW: SLAYER: WORLD PAINTED BLOOD












BAND: SLAYER (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, USA) GENRE: THRASH METAL LABEL: AMERICAN RECORDINGS/COLUMBIA RELEASE DATE: 11/3/09 (NORTH AMERICA) 11/2/09 (REST OF WORLD)
PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG) :
Show No Mercy (1983-Metal Blade)
Haunting The Chapel EP (1984-Metal Blade)
Hell Awaits (1985 -Metal Blade)
Live Undead EP (1985-Metal Blade)
Reign In Blood (1986-American)
South Of Heaven (1988-American)
Seasons In The Abyss (1990-American)
Decade Of Aggression (live) (1993-American)
Divine Intervention (1994-American)
Undisputed Attitude (1996-Warner Bros)
Diabolus In Musica (1998-American)
God Hates Us All (2001-American)
Christ Illusion (2006-American)
World Painted Blood (2009-Columbia/American)
*ALSO PLENTY OF COMPILATIONS, SOUNDTRACKS, LIVE and DVD RELEASES.



BEST RELEASE (S): REIGN IN BLOOD (1986), HELL AWAITS (1985), SOUTH OF HEAVEN (1988) , SEASONS IN THE ABYSS (1990), GOD HATES US ALL (2001)

TRACKLISTING : SLAYER: WORLD PAINTED BLOOD:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

ITP RATING: ***
PRODUCTION: *** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ***
PERFORMANCE: ***


What can one say about the legendary California thrash act SLAYER that hasn't been said before? Cult, controversial, the sound on the battlefield or the sound of the apocalypse, and an institution in metal. SLAYER are perhaps the band with the honer of thrash and extreme metals ultimate anthem "Raining Blood". SLAYER inspire some of the most rabid fan worship, and I mean, intense and loyal.Requesting SLAYER during other band/artists shows is as popular as screaming out go for "Freebird". Of course there's the dude who carved the SLAYER logo into his arm (scarification) as the photo of such is featured inside the SLAYER release "DIVINE INTERVENTION". SLAYER have a cult, riotous, violent, dark, energy, screaming SLAYER out of no where seems righteous, and the fans KNOW. With no further introduction.......SLAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYEEEEEEERRRRR!!!!!! (:breaks shit:) SLAYER's "World Painted Blood" kicks off with the title track entering in with an ominous intro, and Dave Lombardo's snare fills, as the intro segues into a good riff, until Tom Araya starts singing. It's SLAYER alright with enough sociopathic lyrics to keep horror movie fans interested: "Killing is my future, murder is my future". However, the guitars on "World Painted Blood" sound thin, not powerful or heavy enough, as TOM ARAYA's vocal phrasings are the only thing truly recognizable and trademark SLAYER in this track. The fact that "riff" kicking off the title track of "World Painted Blood" is buried beneath all this tripe is a shame. Sounds like SLAYER has softened and gone alternative on us..At 4:12 "World Painted Blood" features this awful spoken word piece, until SLAYER picks up the pace. "Unit 731" is classic SLAYER, if not recycled riffs from the bands past, with no dynamics, not much in songwriting, no substance. SLAYER's "Snuff" seems to self plagiarize "Raining Blood" perhaps back wards, but IS listenable with a Seasons Of The Abyss feel. "Beauty Through Order" invokes SLAYER's mid tempo moments, dark in atmosphere as the song would benefit from a wall of sound production. At 2:09 "Beauty Through Order" picks up the pace, thrash core, as at 2:39 a lead riff is invoked as the band ups the ante on the tempo and play with stronger conviction sounding good and tight by the tunes end. "Hate World Wide" is a good tune, if somewhat melodic, not of the dark atmosphere of older SLAYER and kind of a lyrical self parody. I mean. SLAYER's music has never been about love and happiness, entitling the song "Hate World Wide" is kind of, redundant. "Public Display Of Dismemberment" is good, aggressive thrash, with a good breakdown thrown in there, something to mosh too. "Human Strain" is mid paced, dark, and mediocre, uninspired with your typical dark, bleak social political SLAYER lyrical themes. "Americon" is another mid paced, uninspired track of hard rock track. :Yawn: This all leaves me wondering when SLAYER are going to show up with their battle gear on this release. However, "Psychopathy Red" is a mucho better track, with Araya's bass solo audibly clear, played with adrenaline, speed, and intensity, psychopathic music to kill someone to. "Playing With Dolls" features Tom Araya's clean vocals for starters as the track progresses to mid paced hard rock/thrash. Damn boring. SLAYER's "World Painted Blood" closes with "Not Of This God", a slightly up beat SLAYER track for what this release is worth as the song segues into a mid paced tribal beat and then uping the ante to some vicious, classic SLAYER thrash at 3:16..... I don't KNOW why I wasted my time even reviewing SLAYER's "World Painted Blood". Oh, yeh, this IS SLAYER and one would have to give the metal gods the benefit of the doubt despite the bands slow decline since the first five releases. In fact, other than SLAYER's brutal live shows, SLAYER nearly lost me after Diabolus In Musica.                                   However, SLAYER restored my faith with the 2001 release of "God Hates Us All", a post 9/11 classic, and an unlikely soundtrack through the 9/11/2001 crisis. SLAYER's "World Painted Blood" is an uninspired, weak release in this legendary thrash bands catalog as the inconsistency of this release is proof that SLAYER didn't show up with their game face. There is some speed, and variety on SLAYER's "World Painted Blood" but without the 30 minute substance of "Reign in Blood", dark, bleak battle cry of "Seasons Of the Abyss" and the genuine, fore bearing apocalyptic terror/war theme of even "God Hates Us All". I would prefer a punchier production, better songwriting, and stronger riffs. I hope age hasn't caught up with these thrash metal gods, and I know there is a nu thrash revival, and some awesome progressive thrash out there. I just want the Kerry King god bashing lyrics and sicks riffs, and an Araya scream fest and I'm happy. Ultimately, I'm disappointed... STILL, I feel sorry for any band without it's own cult following that would have to open up for SLAYER, as the cult is still alive to the chant of SLLLLLLAAAAAAYEEEEERRRR!



ITP RATING: ***                                                                                                                                                                  PRODUCTION: *** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ***
PERFORMANCE: ***

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-