Slayer - God Hates Us All (2001)

There is no surprise that Slayer chose "God Hates Us All" as their next album title. While I do not think it is a direct reference to what they did in their last album, I can imagine that God did not like that one all too much (or anyone else for that matter). No, the title stems instead from the track "Disciple", and it is both an impactful slogan and a good hint at what the band is speaking about in the lyrics. No matter what, it is also a sign that the band was back at their old tricks again, making millions of fans breath a sigh of relief.

Yes, "God Hates Us All" is no weird 90's nu-metal experiment, it is straight up Slayer thrash instead. While it may not have the same furious spirit as some of their early releases, it is still good thrashing fun for the entire family, just what you want from a band like Slayer. The guitars are angry, the vocals are angry, the drums are angry, and the bass is as happy as can be... just kidding, it is angry as well. You can just feel the anger that fuels this album, and it is a very lovely feeling.

The band is obviously in the hunt for redemption with this album, and they do get it to some extent. I do think that the songs here though are ranging between good to mediocre, and the lack of a true knock out punch makes "God Hates Us All" feel a little more lack luster in its approach. There is still a lot of songs to enjoy here though, like "Disciple", "Exile", "Cast Down" and "War Zone", so you can tell that the band has not been lazy in the song writing process.

With that said though, I feel like "God Hates Us All" is an album that could have been done even better if the band had cut out a couple of songs. The album is not really too long (roughly 42 minutes), but it is packed with 13 songs, which is the most we have seen in a single Slayer album still to this date. With some of the fat trimmed away, this could have been a fantastic album. It is still a pretty damn consistent album from start to finish, but that makes me want a more compressed version even more. After all, the best Slayer albums are short and sweet.

What more can I really say here? This is the Slayer that we want, not that weird band we got in "Diabolus In Musica". "God Hates Us All" is angry, heavy, and overall a really solid album where the band never really shines, but delivers the goods in a very admirably way. It is a comeback that was much needed, and it shot the band into the 21st century with some good momentum. All in all, it is vintage Slayer, no more, no less.

Songs worthy of recognition: Disciple, Cast Down, War Zone

Rating: 7/10 Paybacks

www.slayer.net/
twitter.com/slayer

More reviews of Slayer
Show No Mercy
Hell Awaits
Reign In Blood
South of Heaven
Seasons In The Abyss
Divine Intervention
Diabolus In Musica
Repentless