Band:	Slayer
Album:	God Hates Us All
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	September 2001

01. Darkness Of Christ
02. Disciple
03. God Send Death
04. New Faith
05. Cast Down
06. Threshold
07. Exile
08. Seven Faces
09. Bloodline
10. Deviance
11. War Zone
12. Scarstruck [2002 Collector's Edition bonus]
13. Here Comes The Pain
14. Payback
15. Addict [2002 Collector's Edition bonus]

What a difficult thing it is to review an album as controversial (in many ways) as "God Hates Us All" by the thrash gods, Slayer. Some people love it, others hate it. One thing is for sure: everybody has some sort of opinion on it. There are various arguments flying around concerning the quality of this album. Some people say that Slayer hung out with the nu-metal crowd too much, others that they aren't fast anymore... But come on guys, they are still Slayer!!!!! This album still rocks more than most other albums of 2001, even if it isn't the best Slayer album ever!

The music here contains everything a Slayer fan would want: some really fast tempos, Araya's screams and some trademark King/Hanneman guitar licks and solos. It also contains some additions to the standard Slayer sound: slower, hardcore'ish riffs, syncopating rhythms and low guitar tunings. What will certainly make some people happy is that the alleged nu-metal influence is almost non-existent here. Slayer's new sound is much closer to hardcore than it is to any Korn clone. The lower guitar tunings only seem to make the sound more sinister. And by the way, Araya doesn't rap on "Threshold", he just sings like he did before on such songs like "Read between the lies" from South Of Heaven. Overall, the album has much fewer nu-metal influences than expected. What is a surprise is actually the return to the old Slayer sound on many songs. Out of all, "Payback" is probably the most nostalgic track; reminding me in many ways of "Angel Of Death" (just listen to how both songs start). The album is also faster than its predecessor, "Diabolos In Musica". Overall, about half of the album is really fast and the other half slightly slower. This sort of ratio worked very well on "Seasons In The Abyss" and it works here too.

Musically "God Hates Us All" is a very good album. What really kicked my ass however, are the lyrics that Araya screams throughout the album. Without a doubt, they are some of the most sick and violent lyrics yet in a Slayer album! Ranging from direct anti-Christian images to typical thrash gore, all presented in a much more "street-wise" than ever way, they add a lot to the aggressiveness of the album, making the whole experience cathartic. And that is what in my eyes is the biggest advantage of "God Hates Us All"? It's been a while since Slayer presented us with something truly, relentlessly heavy. "Diabolos" was a much more sophisticated album; however, "God Hates Us All" is back to the visceral Slayer experience: pure rage in its rawest form. And that is what Slayer was all about from the beginning. That is why this album deserves a high score, even if some of the songs aren't as good as others.

In conclusion, "God Hates Us All" is a very good album, seeing Slayer back in a niche where they belong. They once again recorded an uncompromising set of hate anthems that are going to nail the attention of any real metal fan.