The Angry Scotsman
Slayer makes their comeback album.
First Metallica, then Megadeth, now the kings of unrelenting thrash have their turn with "World Painted Blood". Much like the previously mentioned bands, I thought Slayer was long done, their glory days being the 80's and it's really time to just hang it up. Well this big four had something left in the tank as well. I was quite surprised when I first heard this album.
A return to their old days, "World Painted Blood" is thrashy. No questions asked good ol thrash metal. Slayer thankfully abandons their nu metal explorations, even leaving behind the Drop C and B tunings returning to the familiar Slayer territory of E flat. However, what really caught my ear was something else.
This is more than simply 40 minutes of start to finish thrash. It is actually quite melodic, (for Slayer standards) and the songwriting impressed me most. Not just riffs crammed into songs, abrupt changes, blazing solos, (though all that is here in abundance). No, every one of these songs sound different. It's refreshing. Also is the actual songwriting which does have some different elements like the build in "World Painted Blood" the awesome middle section in "Not of this God" the overall mid tempo crescendo based song "Americon" and the intriguing "Playing With Dolls" which is perhaps my favorite on the album, and a powerful one! While all the songs are thrashy yet varied, the degrees are different on each song, and it never feels formulaic. In terms of song structure and composition this is one of the better albums Slayer has made!
The music itself is impressive, with great riffing, (in classic Slayer harmonized style), atonal soloing, (though a tad more diverse than usual) some unique moments and awesome drumming. Dave is more straightforward here than "Christ Illusion" but its more than adequate and the drums are higher up in the mix. They really slam and you hear every hit, it's great to hear and really moves the album along! Tom's vocals are pretty good. A bit rough at times but natural, at least, and more than get the job done. "Playing With Dolls" is one of the better performances.
Also, lyrics are never a big deal for me, especially in metal and even more so for Slayer, but thank god they dropped the 14 year old style, and played out, anti religious and shock themes. Not that serial killers, medical horror and politics are groundbreaking... but this is Slayer.
"World Painted Blood" is the band's best album since "Seasons in the Abyss" and really does feel like the natural progression from it, (ignoring the 90's and 2000's of course). This is a great album, with really no bad song. A throwback to classic Slayer yet moves forward. Something the band deserves credit for.
Four Stars