Review: Slayer – World Painted Blood

Palmer reviews Slayer’s ‘World Painted Blood’.

Artist: Slayer
Album: World Painted Blood
Year: 2009
Genre: Metal

Slayer – the name alone sparks fond memories of brutal riffs and anti-god lyrics. Songs like “Reign In Blood” and “Angel Of Death” have permanently cemented their place in the annals of Metal history. This classic band has been around since 1981, remaining in the spotlight with generous amounts of controversy and criticism from Catholics, mothers, and anyone else who might be easily offended. In laymen’s terms, they’re effing amazing. Recently Slayer has been off track a bit with incredibly commercial releases like God Hates Us All (2001) and Christ Illusion (2006), which, in a sense, allows them to reach a broader audience. But, you can’t hate them for that, especially when bands like Metallica are living proof that commercialism doesn’t necessarily mean bad music.

Slayer has constantly kept their sound heavy – there’s no looking past that. No matter how much they slow the music down they always remain – to an extent – true to their roots, refusing to sever themselves from the controversial lyrics and imagery portrayed on and in every album. If anything they’ve made their tones, their lyrics, and their themes darker as time has gone on. World Painted Blood does nothing to change that. What it does do is blend their recent commercialized Slayer sound with their old school thrash roots – and it does so successfully.

When I first listened to World Painted Blood I immediately made the connection to Christ Illusion. The albums sound very similar and at first listen one might even consider them both to be two part’s of the same album. To be honest, at first I really didn’t like it. However, on the second play through I found myself picking out riffs and intricate details of each song that allowed me to gain insight and appreciation for where Slayer is coming from. Each song builds and dissolves in mood, allowing for a variety of emotion to be shared between Slayer and its listeners. Any artist that is capable of doing this successfully is OK in my book.

World Painted Blood starts off subtle enough with it’s title track, slowly leading in with ambient noise and snares pounding an almost militaristic beat – as if Slayer is trying to lead an army into it’s hellish world. This introduction is very successful at setting the tone for the rest of the album. By the time Dave Lombardo’s (Drums) toms came in I was ready to charge into the fray. The second that Kerry King’s (Guitar) intricate riffs and Tom Araya’s (Vocals/Bass) intense vocals become involved all bets are off. As usual Araya’s lyrics are both haunting and vivid. Lines such as, “Man himself has become god and laughs at his destruction,” leave quite the imprint on both the ears and the minds eye. There’s truth to what he’s saying. To be honest, this is one of the most identifiable albums Slayer has ever made lyrically.

Kerry King’s guitars are missing the bite of overdriven gain from their previous albums, but with that sacrifice there’s added clarity. It sounds as if King is relying on nothing but the gain from his many Marshall stacks with no added effects. The intricacy of each solo can be heard clearly, which allows the listener to really enjoy the technicality of this master guitar player. It’s jaw dropping actually. If you don’t believe me listen to “Public Display Of Dismemberment” and tell me if it doesn’t make you want to sh*t yourself with amazement. It’s a give and take, but sound quality is a sacrifice I am willing to make when it comes with this kind of clarity.

All in all, I’ve listened to the album several times now. I can say that this isn’t their best (nothing will ever come close to touching Seasons In The Abyss and everything that came before it) but I’ll be damned if anyone on the face of the earth says that this isn’t a solid album. Yeah, it takes some listening to; yeah, you’ve got to approach it with an open mind; and yeah, you probably wont like it the first time you hear it, but it’s Slayer. Give it a chance and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

90/100

Best Tracks: “World Painted Blood”, “Snuff”, “Public Display Of Dismemberment”, and “Playing With Dolls”

- Palmer Sturman
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