Slayer World Painted Blood Review

By: Stephen Tompkins

Slayer albums since 1998 have lacked the brutality that made Slayer who they were in the '80s and early ‘90s--and fans have put up with its bullshit for too long. Its been three years since the release of Slayer's latest execrable release, Christ Illusion. So, Slayer's forthcoming 10th studio album World Painted Blood, available November 3rd, had better hit hard. Especially since it will be one of Slayer's last three albums ever. I want to hear more Seasons In the Abyss and less Diabolus in Musica.
Although not all of the tracks have been leaked I had a chance to check a few of them out, and it looks as though Slayer may have realized what it was doing wrong for the past 11 years.
When the 7" version of "Psychopathy Red," was released on April 18, blogs everywhere raved about Slayer employing its '80s thrash metal sound that was lost in the shuffle over the past decade, and I totally agree--Slayer has fully reclaimed its sound.
"I think this one has a little bit of everything — more so than anything we've done since Seasons. So I would imagine people are gonna compare it to that one," Slayer guitarist, Kerry King said on the band’s website.
The lyrical matter is on point. See “Psychopathy Red,” a song about a famous Russian serial killer, where lead singer Tom Araya sings:
"Body count Laying down mutilated/It's your time to die/Desolate/Lurk your satisfaction climax with your death/All alone/You're praying intimidated with my lust for fear Dehumanize/Crying out stimulated/Your screams fill my soul."
The rest of the tracks follow suit. "Hate Worldwide," covers Slayer elements fans seek There is the squealing guitar, channeling "Aggressive Perfector," the down-tempo breakdown reminiscent of "Criminally Insane," and Araya hitting the ultra high notes seen on "Angel of Death."
The title track "World Painted Blood," is straight thrash 'til death, the only downside being that King's infamous guitar triplets (see "Raining Blood" on Reign in Blood at about 1:26) have slowed, but the aggressive output is still there.
If the remainder of Slayer's releases encompass the viciousness of World Painted Blood, it won’t matter what region of the world you live in, because it will be Seasons in the Abyss all-year-round.