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Trollheart · 10-11-2014, 08:42 AM

Although the title was appropriate, considering that to some extent Slayer had spent several years in the abyss, with fans still clamouring for the true successor to “Reign in blood” and not at all happy, overall, with “South of Heaven”, this album could as easily have been titled “Back to Thrash”, because that's essentially what happened, what they went for. Faster, harder, more brutal playing, more gutteral vocals and themes that eschewed much of the fantasy elements that had informed their music up to now. To put it in a nutshell, and as no doubt Kerry King would have snarled, they weren't fucking around no more!

Seasons in the abyss --- Slayer --- 1990 (Def American)

A big, growly guitar punch leaves you in no doubt as to what to expect before Dave Lombardo's drums cannon out at you like a fusilade as “War ensemble” continues Slayer's decrying of battle and conflict, perhaps odd given their “bastard hard” image, but then, many Metal bands have spoken out against war. After all, who really supports it? Araya screams the vocal with delighted abandon, as if glad to be getting back to basics, and Kerry King just solos all over the place. The songs are generally longer on this album than the previous two, with most around the three or four minute mark, while the closer comes in as the longest ever to date, edging over six and a half minutes.

Of these, “Blood red” is the shortest, just two minutes and forty seconds, slowing things down slightly with something of a cruncher, but still of course heavy enough to crush your skull, and those of any careless enough to be near you. “Spirit in black” speeds everything back up, and despite being over four inutes long it's played so fast that it's over before you know it, taking us into “Expendable youth”, bringing the tempo back a little as it marches along, while “Dead skin mask” gives us the first real listen to Tom's voice without growls or screams in attendance as he speaks the intro in a normal tone before his growl comes back in as he begins singing. The percussion is militaristic as Lombardo drives the tune along, and I feel it bears some resemblance to Metallica's classic “Enter Sandman”.

“Hollowed point” blows down the walls with way too much C-4 and comes out fighting, kicking and screaming as King lets loose with a tremendous barrage of spot-on riffs, Lombardo hammering his kit like there's no tomorrow, and the basic feeling is that of being bludgeoned to death with a guitar, but in the best possible way. The drumbeat opening to “Skeletons of society” is very reminiscent of Maiden's “Run to the hills”, but it drives along well in a sort of Sabbath/Dio mould, with a double vocal from Arya which works very well in the chorus. “Temptation” keeps the tempo high, and indeed “Born of fire” raises the bar, speeding along like a boy racer trying to escape the cops. That takes us to the closer, and title, and as mentioned, longest track to wrap up Slayer's fifth album. With a slow, grinding, very Sabbathesque opening and some slow, atmospheric guitar from Hanneman and King, you could almost think it might be Slayer's attempt at a ballad. Yeah, if you was a fool, that is! Slayer don't do ballads!

But it is certainly the slowest track on an album that has pretty much blinding speed as its trademark and mainstay, and with a two and a half minute instrumental introduction it's easily the closest to the old progressive metal that crept into much of “Show no mercy”; it's also far and away my favourite on the album. A superb and yet much more understated than normal solo from Kerry just completes this song and brings the album to a really satisfying conclusion.

TRACKLISTING

1. War ensemble
2. Blood red
3. Spirit in black
4. Expendable youth
5. Dead skin mask
6. Hollowed point
7. Skeletons of society
8. Temptation
9. Born of fire
10. Seasons in the abyss

Whether as a direct attempt to win back the fans they may have lost with the previous album, or as a way to prove they still had it and had not sold out after really hitting the big time with “Reign in blood”, Slayer here show a marked desire and determination to return to their roots, to get back to basics and reaffirm the faith of their fans in them. The songs are faster, harder and better constructed, and yet, almost paradoxically, the last track seems to nod back to the days of their debut, a sound they had been said to have been trying to leave behind, or develop beyond.

Whatever the thinking behind the change in musical direction, this must have worked because every Slayer album from here on in would feature the same sort of brash, brutal, uncompromising style that would keep this band from California sitting at the very top of the Thrash Metal tree, their feet planted firmly on the skulls at the base of their iron throne, and though many would try down the years to unseat them, they would remain there for a very long time.

After seasons in the abyss, Slayer were back!

10-11-2014, 08:42 AM	#2334 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Although the title was appropriate, considering that to some extent Slayer had spent several years in the abyss, with fans still clamouring for the true successor to “Reign in blood” and not at all happy, overall, with “South of Heaven”, this album could as easily have been titled “Back to Thrash”, because that's essentially what happened, what they went for. Faster, harder, more brutal playing, more gutteral vocals and themes that eschewed much of the fantasy elements that had informed their music up to now. To put it in a nutshell, and as no doubt Kerry King would have snarled, they weren't fucking around no more! Seasons in the abyss --- Slayer --- 1990 (Def American) A big, growly guitar punch leaves you in no doubt as to what to expect before Dave Lombardo's drums cannon out at you like a fusilade as “War ensemble” continues Slayer's decrying of battle and conflict, perhaps odd given their “bastard hard” image, but then, many Metal bands have spoken out against war. After all, who really supports it? Araya screams the vocal with delighted abandon, as if glad to be getting back to basics, and Kerry King just solos all over the place. The songs are generally longer on this album than the previous two, with most around the three or four minute mark, while the closer comes in as the longest ever to date, edging over six and a half minutes. Of these, “Blood red” is the shortest, just two minutes and forty seconds, slowing things down slightly with something of a cruncher, but still of course heavy enough to crush your skull, and those of any careless enough to be near you. “Spirit in black” speeds everything back up, and despite being over four inutes long it's played so fast that it's over before you know it, taking us into “Expendable youth”, bringing the tempo back a little as it marches along, while “Dead skin mask” gives us the first real listen to Tom's voice without growls or screams in attendance as he speaks the intro in a normal tone before his growl comes back in as he begins singing. The percussion is militaristic as Lombardo drives the tune along, and I feel it bears some resemblance to Metallica's classic “Enter Sandman”. “Hollowed point” blows down the walls with way too much C-4 and comes out fighting, kicking and screaming as King lets loose with a tremendous barrage of spot-on riffs, Lombardo hammering his kit like there's no tomorrow, and the basic feeling is that of being bludgeoned to death with a guitar, but in the best possible way. The drumbeat opening to “Skeletons of society” is very reminiscent of Maiden's “Run to the hills”, but it drives along well in a sort of Sabbath/Dio mould, with a double vocal from Arya which works very well in the chorus. “Temptation” keeps the tempo high, and indeed “Born of fire” raises the bar, speeding along like a boy racer trying to escape the cops. That takes us to the closer, and title, and as mentioned, longest track to wrap up Slayer's fifth album. With a slow, grinding, very Sabbathesque opening and some slow, atmospheric guitar from Hanneman and King, you could almost think it might be Slayer's attempt at a ballad. Yeah, if you was a fool, that is! Slayer don't do ballads! But it is certainly the slowest track on an album that has pretty much blinding speed as its trademark and mainstay, and with a two and a half minute instrumental introduction it's easily the closest to the old progressive metal that crept into much of “Show no mercy”; it's also far and away my favourite on the album. A superb and yet much more understated than normal solo from Kerry just completes this song and brings the album to a really satisfying conclusion. TRACKLISTING 1. War ensemble 2. Blood red 3. Spirit in black 4. Expendable youth 5. Dead skin mask 6. Hollowed point 7. Skeletons of society 8. Temptation 9. Born of fire 10. Seasons in the abyss Whether as a direct attempt to win back the fans they may have lost with the previous album, or as a way to prove they still had it and had not sold out after really hitting the big time with “Reign in blood”, Slayer here show a marked desire and determination to return to their roots, to get back to basics and reaffirm the faith of their fans in them. The songs are faster, harder and better constructed, and yet, almost paradoxically, the last track seems to nod back to the days of their debut, a sound they had been said to have been trying to leave behind, or develop beyond. Whatever the thinking behind the change in musical direction, this must have worked because every Slayer album from here on in would feature the same sort of brash, brutal, uncompromising style that would keep this band from California sitting at the very top of the Thrash Metal tree, their feet planted firmly on the skulls at the base of their iron throne, and though many would try down the years to unseat them, they would remain there for a very long time. After seasons in the abyss, Slayer were back! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-13-2014 at 05:32 AM.