11) Diabolus In Musica (1998)

What happens when a popular thrash metal band from the ‘80s attempts to keep in touch with metal audiences who fell onto the nu-metal bandwagon in the ‘90s? Diabolus In Musica (or ‘The Devil In Music’) is what happens, always referred to as Slayer’s ‘experimental’ album as well as their worst – with good reason. This didn’t necessarily mean that they were changing their formula completely, like Metallica did with ‘The Black Album’ earlier that decade, as there is thrash rudiments unneglected from the fold, but this was Slayer’s first album where Hanneman and King tuned down their guitars to C#.

However, merely rejecting Diabolus In Musica as ‘experimental’ is very misleading, if for no other reason than the album becomes over-saturated by its second half due to the boring re-hash of devilish, tri-tonal riffs that would have seen the band members possibly executed in The Middle Ages (as playing tri-tonal notes was considered Satanic in this historical period). On songs like ‘Death’s Head’ and ‘Stain Of Mind’, Slayer apply nu-metal riffage with headbanging results; but these riffs would feel more at home on a System Of A Down record (because Daron Malakian’s guitar tone).

The opening track ‘Bitter Peace’ is one of the better tracks this album has to offer. It begins with this slow and crude guitar riff that postulates a malevolent atmosphere before, in typical Slayer fashion, the song descends into a wild thrash-fest where Paul Bastoph’s drums are particularly prominent. Hanneman’s lyrics “Sick lust for skeletal flesh / A taste for all decay” and “Become death’s vile parade / March on, embrace the violent mind” scrutinise the diabolic nature of humanity. On the other hand, ‘Perversions Of Pain’ is plodding filler and signals a permanent downturn in the album’s quality.

Diabolus In Musica is an album that favours blood-curdling riffage to the point where there is very little melody to accompany it – the song ‘Desire’ is the only exception to this. But as the listener reaches the closing tracks ‘Scrum’, ‘Screaming From The Sky’, and ‘Point’, they have just about had enough. It’s Slayer’s least immediately attractive record to date because it sees them trying to execute a nu-metal sound that they were not ready to bring upon themselves. (LISTEN)

10) God Hates Us All (2001)

It was around the time of Ozzfest ‘99 that Slayer began writing new material for their follow-up album to the debacle that was Diabolus In Musica. Originally, the album was going to be called Soundtrack To The Apocalypse (which would be the title of their 2003 box-set) but the band opted for God Hates Us All. Moreover, Slayer’s long-time producer Rick Rubin was not prepared to participate in another hard-hitting, aggressive album, and the band’s members, particularly King, felt Rubin could not help them implement their current nu-metal-driven style. Consequently, Matt Hyde was hired to lead the production.

The release date for this album was to be July 10^th, 2001 but was delayed due to concerns with audio mixing and the group’s label American Recordings changing their distributor. Little did Slayer know that this would inadvertently lead to one of their major controversies. God Hates Us All was released, with no small amount of grim irony, on September 11^th, 2001. Indeed, emotions were very high, and times were tumultuous, to say the least, for the American population. To couple this unthinkable tragedy with an album that sponsors anti-religious views and the concept that God hates you when someone, or something, immoral jeopardises your well-being, it was unsurprising that swathes of people detested the album’s arrival. On that same day, Slayer were meant to be flying out to Europe to join Pantera on tour, but this obviously never happened. Surprisingly, none of this contributes to why God Hates Us All is so low in the running; the album’s content alone was sufficient in determining this.

The intro ‘Darkness Of Christ’ is a minute-and-a-half background montage of quintessential Slayer instrumentation that leads onto the very provocative second track ‘Disciple’. The only positive aspect of this track are the tri-burst guitar riffs as the inflammatory lyrics simultaneously act in defiance. Lyrics like “God hates us all / He fuckin’ hates me” and “I reject this fuckin’ race / I despise this fuckin’ place” highlight everything that is wrong with this album. This is not to do with the fact that these words will deeply offend religious believers (that’s a given for any Slayer album), but God Hates Us All implodes in on itself, crushed under the weight of its own outrageousness, and the effects it has had on the actual music are profoundly consequential.

The track ‘God Send Death’ inhabits one of the worst metal guitar solos ever recorded with unlistenable screeching of what sounds like a wah-wah pedal with little rejuvenation coming from the inclusion of whammy bars. The solo leaves nothing but a disgruntled mess behind for the listener. What also becomes conspicuous is King and Hanneman’s hefty reliance on swearing in songs like ‘Threshold’ and ‘Exile’ with “Lose my fuckin’ mind all the fuckin’ time” and “Give me a reason not to rip your fuckin’ face off”. To be clear, swearing can be a great tool to convey intent and emotion in music but Slayer do not fully grasp this concept here. Let’s face it, hip-hop albums like Straight Outta Compton would not be the same without swear words.

Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled debut is an exemplar of an incendiary album that does not sacrifice its musicality. God Hates Us All rejects musicality in favour of ad nauseum God-bashing, if you will, that even the likes of the late Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins would find drab and tiresome, let alone Araya’s unvaried vocals. Essentially, God Hates Us All is the band members preaching “We hate God and here are our twelve reasons why” over monotonous and one-dimensional guitar riffage. It falls headlong down a similar rabbit hole that its predecessor did, and really isn’t much better. (LISTEN)

9) Divine Intervention (1994)

After their successful ‘80s campaign, it would only make sense for Slayer to release another album tantamount to the eminence of what they accomplished in this decade. That is exactly what they did not do with 1994’s Divine Intervention. This was Bostaph’s first outing with the band after he replaced original drummer Dave Lombardo. What is truly baffling about this Slayer project is how abysmal the production is, yet surely by this point, the technology available to them should have ensured against this.

One of the reasons that fans and critics saw Divine Intervention as a negative turning point in Slayer’s discography was due to the pressure being exerted by their record label, American recordings, to make hit singles. The group’s response was essentially: “Screw you, we’re not doing that”. Despite this, Slayer do not lose much of the vigorous brutality that makes them who they are – but this trait only carries them so far on this occasion.

Another reason for the album’s downfall was the fact that they had to work in different studios for only a few weeks at a time which, through no fault of the band’s, led to muddy and underwhelming results. I recommend that people go and watch a video titled ‘Slayer’s Tom Araya – Wikipedia: Fact Or Fiction?’ on Loudwire’s YouTube channel where Araya talks about this in slightly more detail.

The dynamics of Bostaph’s drum fills that initiates the album on the opening track ‘Killing Fields’ are unbelievably quiet, even though the fills themselves are excellent. Araya gets philosophical with the verse “A choice is made of free will / Just like the choice to kill / Decisions to lose control / My self-destructive rationale” where he implies that any human choice, whether it be harmful or not, is decided upon their free will alone. The following track ‘Sex. Murder. Art.’ is an archetypal Slayer two-minute, give-it-everything-you’ve-got track that deals with the artistic pleasure some serial killers experience when committing unspeakable acts upon their victims (“You’re nothing / An object of animation / A subjective mannequin / Beaten into submission / Raping again and again”).

It’s not just Bostaph’s drums that fail to impress the listener – the production of the guitars is also deeply flawed. While the tracks ‘213’ and ‘SS-3’ are upheld by esoteric references to Jeffrey Dahmer (a former serial killer) and Reinhard Heydrich (a high-ranking Nazi officer) and delectably heavy riffage, everything feels rushed and displaced. Araya’s thoughts and emotions don’t convey themselves as strongly as on previous records. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great ideas on this album, but Slayer failed to capitalize on them. Divine Intervention simply didn’t cut the mustard, with the poorly constructed production leaving a lot to be desired. (LISTEN)

8) Christ Illusion (2006)

Slayer’s fanbase hailed the return of Lombardo to the drums, after he left when the band recorded Seasons In The Abyss 16 years before. In spite of this joyous affair, the minute Christ Illusion hit the shelves at record stores, controversy inevitably ensued once more with the events of 9/11 coming forth once again (but more on that in a moment). In India, Christ Illusion elicited so much controversy that EMI had to recall every single copy from the country. It was the album’s artwork that first turned heads, with a dismembered Jesus Christ as the focal point surrounded by decapitated heads. The alternative artwork was hardly less polemic: a bloody hand with a nail hole in the middle signifying Jesus’ crucifixion.

It seemed that Christ Illusion was setting itself up to become a God Hates Us All version 2.0. Appreciatively, Slayer are more creative with their subject matter this time round but once more kept to the low guitar tunings simulacrum of Slayer’s work for the past decade or so, including D#, C# and even Drop B tunings. It is assuring that the tracklisting is much more memorable, and at last Slayer execute nu-metal-esque riffage that truly sounds brilliant, but, alas, in very few places.

‘Catatonic’ is a sludge powerhouse uplifted by a textbook King-Hanneman guitar solo featuring slick hammer-on and tapping techniques. King’s lyrical themes on this song explore how, in his mind, certain religious people view the world. “I can’t see purity / Just imperfection and obscenity” establishes an imaginary lens of vulgarity followed by “Asphyxiate the world / The world is blind without me” mocking the self-righteousness and priestly arrogance of some religious believers. ‘Cult’ further offends religion by equating it to that of which the song title suggests. Sadly, King goes for the needlessly rabble-rousing approach to his lyrics, like he did on God Hates Us All. The following lyrics seem edgy but are ultimately dull at the same time: “Religion is hate / Religion is fear / Religion is war / Religion is rape”. This is something that would be more appropriate on a fervent atheist’s placard at their first anti-religious march. These kinds of lyric structures are something Slayer should not be doing ten albums into their career because, after a while, it becomes boring and uninspiring.

The Bible contains myriad quotes advocating for love and peace with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, existing as the paradigm of said notions. Principally, Slayer jeer and scoff at these Bible quotes on the opening track ‘Flesh Storm’ where King suggests that “Violence is our way of life” and thinks it insane (“psychotic devotion”) that humanity could ever experience peace in the idyllic sense. Hence, as the album title suggests, everything Christ promoted is just an illusion.

This perception is backed up by the album’s harrowing magnum opus ‘Jihad’ where 9/11 is played out, but from the terrorists’ perspective. Musically, this is one of Slayer’s most renowned tracks that begins with an intensely tenacious melody before King and Hanneman unleash hell on their guitars with skilled thrash picking. Several of Hanneman’s lyrics were allegedly derived from the last words of Mohamed Atta, one of the lead terrorists responsible for flying the first plane into the World Trade Center.

Christ Illusion is definitively a richer man’s God Hates Us All but the problems that circumscribed the latter still prevail which in turn restricts the former from elevating its way higher up this list. (LISTEN)

7) Repentless (2015)

Proceedings, from here on out, get a whole lot better for Slayer. The second of two albums to revive Slayer’s much-deserved superiority was 2015’s Repentless, produced by Terry Date, released six years after 2009’s World Painted Blood, the longest gap between any two Slayer albums. After the heart-breaking passing of Jeff Hanneman a couple of years prior, guitarist Gary Holt stepped up to the plate. His work with former thrash metal band Exodus meant that he was more than qualified. According to Holt, he impressively “went in and did all the solos for that album in a day”. Moreover, this was the first Slayer album to feature Bostaph for the second time, since God Hates Us All after Lombardo left the band once more. To give credit where it’s due, King worked exceptionally hard on this album as he wrote nearly all the music and lyrics.

Albeit the death of Hanneman looming over Slayer, the band members decided to keep going because that is what he would have wanted them to do. When asked in a Loudwire interview if Hanneman would have been proud of Repentless, Araya simply responded with “Yeah, I think he would’ve”. The opening two-minute intro ‘Delusions Of Saviour’ captivates Slayer’s iniquity and heinousness with exalting guitar layering towards the end from Holt and King, who are harmoniously matched throughout.

This then fades into the equally ungodly title track which was described by King as a “Hanneman-ethan” (i.e. Hanneman’s perspective of the world around him). The chorus “Live fast, on high / Repentless, let it ride” highlights the fundamental essence of Hanneman’s existence. All he wanted to do was write violent songs and play them live (“Playing this shit is all that keeps me alive”) to show his frustration with war, fame, and society at large. ‘Piano Wire’ would be his final songwriting contribution towards his life’s work. Although the riffage on this track could have been more original and less meat-and-potatoes, it’s no less listenable.

‘Atrocity Vendor’ contains moments of speed-picking galore that builds up in tempo to blood-pumping proportions. ‘Chasing Death’ and ‘Implode’ represent the nihilistic realms of King’s songwriting as the former discusses alcoholism (with possible reference to Hanneman). The latter, which was free to download when released a year earlier, talks about the end of the world (“The world drowning in its own blood”). ‘Implode’ was Holt’s first ever recording with Slayer, and he brazenly expresses his talent with his killer guitar solo.

At this stage, everyone who has listened to all of Slayer’s albums knows that there’s more than likely one song that begins with a clean guitar melody that sets a dark precedent. ‘When The Stillness Comes’ is that song where the darkness clean melody is matched by the tenebrous foundations of Araya’s single-note bassline the carries the song onwards. In addition, his vocals instil a kind of acrimony which deviates from the usual screaming simulacrum. To put the icing on the cake, Slayer sign off with a powerful message about the insincere remorse (i.e. repentless) of US police corruption in ‘Pride In Prejudice’ with “Abuse of power, civil unrest” and “One gunshot sets the precedence”.

As a full-stop to a 37-year career, Repentless was eminently solid and thoroughly enjoyable. (LISTEN)

6) World Painted Blood (2009)

Slayer’s 11^th album World Painted Blood concludes the countdown of their post-1990 discography, and was their last LP to be produced by Rick Rubin. World Painted Blood would also be Hanneman’s last album before his death in 2013 due to alcohol-related cirrhosis, and Lombardo would leave the band again soon after. But make no mistake, World Painted Blood was Slayer’s renaissance album, a return to form and easily one of Slayer’s most accessible and easily digestible records.

The production on this album surpasses anything they had done for the past 15 years. Beginning with Diabolus In Musica, Slayer’s basic mentality from that point was favouring volume over music. World Painted Blood was completely different in this regard: the dynamics were balanced skilfully which enhanced Araya’s presence as the lead singer, and overly crass audio mixing no longer disorientates his words. This was the first time the band wrote their material in the studio rather than entering when they had lyrics fully prepared.

The true credit lies with the King’s and Hanneman’s guitars. The guitar solos protruding from this LP feel more defined and audibly decipherable. Look no further than the tracks ‘Hate Worldwide’ and ‘Public Display Of Dismemberment’, the former of which was released as a single, for face-distorting bends, licks, whammy dives and shreds that will make any metalhead get up and start air-guitaring. The first single to be released ‘Psychopathy Red’ is yet another Slayer track inspired a serial killer: Andrei Chikatilo (a.k.a ‘The Red Ripper’). Hanneman’s vehement, unfettered lyrics include “Feed my lust for fear / Dehumanise / Cry out stimulated / Your screams fill my soul”. The last single to be released was the flabbergasting six-minute title track which straightaway launches the album into the stratosphere. This track is testament to the unblemished production with Lombardo’s double bass drumming and cymbal crashing keeping the heart of the song beating. The guitar riffs are as captivating and appealing as they’ve been for years and are redolent of ‘80s highlights like ‘Angel Of Death’.

The apocalyptic ‘Human Strain’ is the dark horse of this album where Araya’s line “Drink the tainted blood” is a significant hook. It is surprising that ‘Americon’ did not become a single as it has the ingredients to become so. According to Urban Dictionary (I promise this is relevant), an Americon is “An idiot American, usually Christian/Catholic, obsessed with money, doesn’t give a shit about anyone other than himself”. Here, the band take this definition and pin it on America itself with the example of exploiting oil from other countries (“Americon, it’s all about the mother fucking oil / Regardless of the flag upon its soil”) and “the rest of the world must tolerate”. The lamenting fade-in/fade-out wah-wah wails from the guitars after each verse adds a nice touch to the evil undertones of the song.

World Painted Blood proved the original line-up was always the best line-up, and is Slayer’s greatest album outside of their heyday. (LISTEN)