old skull

slayer - 'christ illusion'
released: august 8, 2006
american recordings

songs: 1. flesh storm 2. catalyst 3. eyes of the insane 4. jihad 5. skeleton christ 6. consfearacy 7. catatonic 8. black serenade 9. cult 10. supremist

The trouble with redefining any musical genre, and one with such demanding and involved fans such as metal in particular, is that you'll forever be living under the weight of what you've done. It's hard to think of a band more burdened with history than Slayer. yes, there are other bands with a bigger and, arguably, more significant history within metal (not many, though), but the sheer fanaticism of the longtime Slayer afficionados ensures that they get no forgiveness whatsoever for anything less than the utter brilliance of their holy trinity, 'Reign In Blood', 'South Of Heaven' and 'Seasons In The Abyss'. Ever since then (and 'Seasons' is already 16 years old, in case you're forgetting how time flies!), the reaction to every slayer record has been more or less the same - good record, a couple of really great songs that make it into the live set, but it's no -insert your past fave here-.

Well, there's precious little that can be done to change that default reaction now, but 'Christ Illusion' goes a good step further to making everyone a bit happier. Personally, I have quite enjoyed 'God Hates Us All', but after repeated listenes the idea starts to emerge that 'Christ Illusion' is the best thing slayer have done since, well, you know, those. It has become usual to associate Slayer's not-as-good-as period with the absence of drummer Dave Lombardo. While it's unfair to place all the pressure on him to make Slayer different, the fact is that his return does lend a new punch to some compositions. Dave is the best drummer in the world, and the blitzkrieg beat of 'Cult' or the cascading rhythm of 'Skeleton Christ', to cite but two examples, have his signature all over it.

There is also much less filler. Most bands would sell their grannies for Slayer's filler, but 'Christ Illusion' is the most consistent, varied record in many years from them. It storms off the gates with a song that will surely wreak havoc on many a moshpit in future tours, 'Flesh Storm', which leads into the equally fast and furious 'Catalyst'. It harks back to the perfect 'War Ensemble'/'Blood Red' opening of 'Seasons', both in speed and in energy. From then on, it's a rollercoaster ride of crushing riffs and some unexpected tempo changes, like the unusual 'Jihad' or the catchy 'Consfearacy'. Tom Araya's vocals are also much improved over the last few records, where he strangely turned to a repetitive screaming. He now provides a very strong vocal delivery to some of the best Slayer lyrics ever. Kerry King in particular has dropped a bit of the dumb-jock feel of late and seems to be full of anti-religious bile, which is a good thing. The thoughtful war considerations on 'Eyes Of The Insane' are also a highlight in that department.

So if you're still hung on those old records, lighten up and give 'Christ Illusion' a chance. It's fast, it's brutal, most songs are memorable, Dave's back and the artwork has even been banned in some places. It's like metal is dangerous all over again.

The best mix of old and new (the good new) slayer you could wish for.

the good: best slayer album in 16 years, storming opening pair of songs, dave's back
the bad: okay, okay, still not as good as the classics, and some songs like 'flesh storm' clearly stand out from the rest