Slayer � God Hates Us All
Label: American Recordings
Rating: 
 

With "God Hates Us All" Slayer once again solidifies their reign as the kings of thrash. While some of their contemporaries have mellowed with age, Slayer keeps the peddle to the metal and continues to deliver a full-throttle sonic assault. 

The CD kicks in with a short introductory track "Darkness of Christ" then Slayer doesn't pull any punches as they launch into "Disciple", a track that will soon be known as a thrash classic. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman ply their aggressive guitar chops aided by the pounding rhythms courtesy of drummer Paul Bostaph and the heavy basslines of Tom Araya. In the vocal department, Tom Araya comes on like a monster with earsplitting screams as he breaks into the chorus proclaiming "God Hates Us All!" 

"God Send Death" is a merciless metal explosion with one of Slayer's most intense solos ever. The extreme power of Slayer only intensifies from there as each track takes you to the next level of heaviness. From "New Faith" to "Exile", "War Zone" and the classic Slayer sounds of the closing track "Payback"-- "God Hates Us All" accomplishes what many deemed impossible, Slayer once again topped themselves with their best album since "Reign in Blood". 

Don't let the fact that they recorded the album at The Warehouse; a studio owned by pop-rocker Bryan Adams, confuse you. The Vancouver studio will never be the same again, I wouldn't be surprised if the intensity wears off on Adams, so keep a look out for a thrash album from Bryan soon(ok that might be a little over the top, but you never know). 

Legendary producer Rick Rubin also played a part in the make-up of the album. After taking two of the finished tracks into the studio to remix, the band was blown away with the results so they decided to let Rubin apply his magic to the already killer tracks laid down by the band and produced by Matt Hyde. 

"God Hates Us All" shouldn't disappoint longtime fans, whether you discovered Slayer with their classic "Reign in Blood" or 1998's "Diabolus in Musica".  For younger metal fans, this release should help them graduate from the minor leagues nu-metal to the thrash metal majors. With many of today's hottest nu-metal bands owing a lot to the influence of Slayer, this CD offers their fans a chance to by-pass the watered down copycats and go directly to the source. 
 

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