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"With "God Hates Us All", Slayer have refocused on what they do best: chaotic, furious, visceral and uncompromising Thrash metal."
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4/5
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After a complicated decade, Slayer returned to the studio in 2000 with an appetite increased tenfold by the lean years. Keen to break out of their routine, the band parted company with Rick Rubin and hired Matt Hyde as producer. Hyde took his new bandmates to Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, a surprising choice motivated by financial considerations. To put the musicians in the mood, however, the studio was fitted out: walls covered in pornography, chalk lines on the floor for a "crime scene" feel, and skulls on the speakers...
More than a simple return to grace, "God Hates Us All" is above all filled with a sense of revenge that surprises on first listen, even taking into account the band's past history. The involvement of Kerry King, who was completely absent from the previous album and who wrote 80% of the content here, is obvious. The spectre of "Diabolus In Musica" has not entirely disappeared, as evidenced by the gloomy mid tempo of 'Deviance' and 'Seven Faces', but its monstrous riffs lend an enormous inertia to the compositions.
The impact is frontal and traumatic on tracks like 'Payback' and 'New Faith', full-fledged slaughters that take us back to the heyday of "Dittohead" or even "Jesus Saves". Hanneman is not to be outdone, signing 'Disciple' and 'Threshold' as ultra-effective songs. Tom Araya, too, is inhabited as never before, with a phenomenal energy that transforms most of the tracks into bloody firebombs. Finally, Paul Bostaph signs his last collaboration with the band. An elbow injury forced him to leave Slayer shortly afterwards, and perhaps sensing his time was coming as the quartet's drummer, he outdid himself with a remarkable performance.
Lyrically, the album is once again dominated by the presence of Kerry King, who brings a raw touch to the themes addressed. Less "parodically" Satanist than usual, closer to reality, the lyrics are exceptionally vulgar. The total number of "fucks" and other derivatives of a generally depreciatory judgement of women may seem excessive at times, but it was right to mark the occasion. With this album, Slayer wanted to strike a blow, and this was no time for vaguely literary elucidations.
Violent, bitter, jubilant, "God Hates Us All" is a trophy for the self-sacrifice of a band unlike any other. Having gone from pioneer to caricature, Slayer regained their nobility in 2001. A decadent, perverse nobility that forgets itself in an orgy of decibels. Lost in the moment, the band make the most of every second, delivering one of their best studio performances ever. - Official website Did you know?
"God Hates Us All" was released a few days before September 11, 2001, the date of the World Trade Center attacks. Given the album's title, it was hard to imagine a more opportune date.
"God Hates Us All" is Slayer's biggest commercial success, reaching number 28 on the Billboard 200 in the USA. It is also certified gold by the RIAA.
"God Hates Us All" was originally to have been called "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse". In the end, this title was adopted for the band's 2003 box set.
Seven-string guitars were used on 'Scarstruck' and 'Here Comes the Pain', a first for Slayer.
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Darkness Of Christ - 01:30 02. Disciple - 03:35 03. God Send Death - 03:45 04. New Faith - 03:01 05. Cast Down - 03:21 06. Threshold - 02:25 07. Exile - 03:50 08. Seven Faces - 03:36 09. Bloodline - 03:32 10. Deviance - 03:04 11. War Zone - 02:41 12. Here Comes The Pain - 04:25 13. Payback - 02:58
LINEUP:
Jeff Hanneman: Guitares Kerry King: Guitares Paul Bostaph: Batterie Tom Araya: Chant / Basse
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READERS
4.3/5 (3 view(s))
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STAFF:
4/5 (3 view(s))
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"Osmium out now !" |
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