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Rating:
7.7 |
Slayer - World Painted Blood
28 October 2009
01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God
The local indy record store ran a pic of Slayer on the cover of their most recent promo zine, along with a partial exchange from an (imaginary?) interview which went as follows:
Q: What's the title of the new Slayer album?
A: World Painted Blood.
Q: What's it sound like?
A: What on Earth do you think?
It's pretty much exactly what you think. 10 or so songs clocking in around 40 minutes (11 tracks, 39 minutes and change this go around), some slower paced tracks, one or two creepy psychotic murderer tracks and a couple short but sweet barn burners played at 900 miles an hour (that's 1,448 kph to our metric friends) and lots of, uh, spirited and chaotic solos that make GIT grads cringe.
Slayer is back with balls of steel.
Sure, Tom's voice sounds a little more time-ravaged on occasion, his bass is only slightly more audible than Jason Newsted's on …And Justice For All after Lars raped it, and Kerry still writes the occasionally self-indulgent lyrics ("my scars - insane/my life - profane"), but the truth is they have been around the block many, many times - hell, they're older than most of your parents are - and they still thrash. Hard.
World Painted Blood is the best they've done, top to bottom, since, and perhaps including, Divine Intervention.
"Beauty Through Order" and "Playing With Dolls" are both the slower, longer, mid-paced tracks that build up over time, similar to older tracks like "Mandatory Suicide."
"Unit 731", "Psychopathy Red", "Hate Worldwide" and the wonderfully named "Public Display of Dismemberment" blaze along rapidly like "Sex. Murder. Art.", "Silent Scream", "Hallowed Point", or pretty much any of tracks 2-8 off Reign In Blood… and are Slayer at close to their ripping best.
And Dave Lombardo is still a beast. A fucking unstoppable beast.
Truthfully, this album, at least to me, is stronger top to bottom than 2006's Christ Illusion - only "Americon" seems like filler, and even classic Slayer albums have had their share of filler tracks, most notably Season In The Abyss … to borrow from Mugatu in Derek Zoolander, "Blood Red? Expendable Youth? They're the same song! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
The single biggest issue I have with it is the production. The same bearded guy who was involved with Metallica's Death Magnetic was involved with this one… and as with the most recent effort of their fellow Big Four compatriots, it is probably the most glaring flaw here as well. It's not as bad as the "turn everything up to 11, if it sounds like shit no one will notice because they'll be deaf" job done to DM, but WPB still is really thin sounding, particularly on low-E chugging riffs and Dave Lombardo's drumwork. As much as I dig what's going on behind the kit, the impact is just not there like it was in, say, "War Ensemble." Dear next thrash band to have he who shall remain nameless involved in the process… if he pokes his head in your studio during the recording process, please tazer his ass, wrap him in duct tape, deposit him in a storage locker with some crazed fan to baby sit him until the album is recorded, printed, shipped, and in stores. I don't even know if he really had a direct impact in either recording, but it is tough to believe it's more than coincidence and he makes a decent scapegoat.
In closing, it's Slayer. What on Earth did you think it would sound like?
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Performance:
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8 |
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Songwriting:
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8 |
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Originality:
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7 |
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Production:
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6 |
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Written on 11.11.2009 by
BitterCOld
BitterCOld has been officially reviewing albums for MetalStorm since 2009.
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Comments page 2 of 2
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O god... I can't fucking believe the useless discussion I just read... I feel bad for my eyes.
BitterCOld, you could have just ignored the post and spent the time with your beer and/or wife. 
Anyway, the album was kind of meh to me. Nothing really spectacular. Not bad... But I'm not gonna buy it. |
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| As I said with Christ Illusion this album sounds even more generic. God Hates Us All had that signature Kerry/Jeff riffing with nice tempo changes that the past two albums has been missing and it seems very uninspired. I have been a fan since Haunting the Chapel and have been left with with the feeling that the album should have been packaged like the old generic foods with just thrash metal on front. Nothing special about World Painted Blood IMO. |
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Written by Timelord on 19.11.2009 at 21:41
As I said with Christ Illusion this album sounds even more generic. God Hates Us All had that signature Kerry/Jeff riffing with nice tempo changes that the past two albums has been missing and it seems very uninspired. I have been a fan since Haunting the Chapel and have been left with with the feeling that the album should have been packaged like the old generic foods with just thrash metal on front. Nothing special about World Painted Blood IMO.
Very true man! I miss the riffing tempo of God Hates Us All, that album was powerful, fast, the vocals at top (even with the small rap passages). These last two albuns were huge disappointments, nothing to feel excited about, a good passage here or there, but overall nothing impressive or memorable.
At least Christ Illusion had ''Catatonic''  |
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 arj - 03.02.2010 at 11:15
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I dont think the production is that awfull as it was in the metallica album probably because the style of music that Slayer play sounds better with this production than the style metallica plays. is just say that maybe thrash with this production sounds better than heavy.
also i think that araya sings really great. his singing in christ illusion -as i remember- was much worse. also about lombardo i dont know. what i like in his drumming -at least- in this album is the fill-in's. but in the fast and violent moments i dont like the drums. i feel they are not as aggressive as they should be. |
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| I think this fits in with Diabolus ... but blows Christ Illusion away ... only time will tell on the future of Slayer in my book ... |
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| Forgot the album in 3 days. Imagine that I saw them live in 1998 and have been my favorite band for years. They just did not progress. For some people that is ok but to me it sounds like a broken radio. |
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I gave this turd a 6!
It doesn't get much play, pretty boring to my ears.
God Hates Us All is my top Slayer.
Lets get Paul behind the kit again... |
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| World Painted Blood is an awesome song. |
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Written by Motionless on 07.04.2010 at 16:12
Forgot the album in 3 days. Imagine that I saw them live in 1998 and have been my favorite band for years. They just did not progress. For some people that is ok but to me it sounds like a broken radio.
I also forgot the album right away and only really liked one song which name i don't remember anymore for i haven't listened the record since the beginning. A broken radio is the right allegory for this record. |
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Written by arj on 03.02.2010 at 11:15
FUCKING SLAYER
Good constructive post!  |
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vezzy - 06.01.2012 at 17:22
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Written by BoxCar Willy on 06.01.2012 at 16:41
Good constructive post!
It is best to deride people in an appropriate timeframe (AKA not a year and a half later, unless it's something REALLY bad). |
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Written by vezzy on 06.01.2012 at 17:22
Written by BoxCar Willy on 06.01.2012 at 16:41
Good constructive post!
It is best to deride people in an appropriate timeframe (AKA not a year and a half later, unless it's something REALLY bad).
Way to steal my thunder...  I didn't see how old the post was. |
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Written by vezzy on 06.01.2012 at 17:22
Written by BoxCar Willy on 06.01.2012 at 16:41
Good constructive post!
It is best to deride people in an appropriate timeframe (AKA not a year and a half later, unless it's something REALLY bad).
Three years later, it's still a shitty album |
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If you'll listen to your god, your god listen to something else. Fuck you haters.
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| Im pround to be a part of the metric system |
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| Like the bit about Dave Lombardo being an unstoppable beast. Great drummer. |
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Written by Cynic Metalhead on 28.07.2012 at 07:34
If you'll listen to your god, your god listen to something else. Fuck you haters.
People don't like to admit that Slayer is still the best oldest thrash band and no other band can raise above them. Jealousy. |
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Written by Himedal on 29.04.2013 at 10:55
People don't like to admit that Slayer is still the best oldest thrash band and no other band can raise above them. Jealousy.
There are many bands that can raise above them.
However, it is true that they are the only one from the "big four" who are still worth a damn. (Although it might influence my opinion on this that I never really liked the other three anyways ) |
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Written by Uldreth on 30.04.2013 at 20:40
There are many bands that can raise above them.
Thrash bands? I don't think so  |
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Written by Daniell on 06.05.2013 at 12:39
Written by Uldreth on 30.04.2013 at 20:40
There are many bands that can raise above them.
Thrash bands? I don't think so
I love Slayer, but I think that the last few Testament, Exodus, and Overkill albums are better than anything Slayer has released in a long time. |
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Written by Demonmayonnaise on 10.05.2013 at 20:55
I love Slayer, but I think that the last few Testament, Exodus, and Overkill albums are better than anything Slayer has released in a long time.
I agree to some extent. "Ironbound" is better than "World Painted Blood", for example.
But, first of all, I was referring to young, revivalist bands, while you're mentioning old bands, as old as Slayer.
Secondly, Testament is a shitty band that released one great album ("The Legacy") a few decent ones ("New Order", "The Gathering"), and plenty of shitfests, with "Low", Demonic" and "Practice What You Preach" being total and utter crap. |
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Written by Daniell on 10.05.2013 at 22:40
Written by Demonmayonnaise on 10.05.2013 at 20:55
I love Slayer, but I think that the last few Testament, Exodus, and Overkill albums are better than anything Slayer has released in a long time.
I agree to some extent. "Ironbound" is better than "World Painted Blood", for example.
But, first of all, I was referring to young, revivalist bands, while you're mentioning old bands, as old as Slayer.
Secondly, Testament is a shitty band that released one great album ("The Legacy") a few decent ones ("New Order", "The Gathering"), and plenty of shitfests, with "Low", Demonic" and "Practice What You Preach" being total and utter crap.
I don't think that "Low", "Demonic", or "Practice What You Preach" were crap. "The Ritual" was a snooze fest. "Souls of Black" isn't good either. But "The Formation of Damnation" and "Dark Roots of the Earth" are both pretty awesome. |
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