Trollheart

Well there's certainly no problem in picking out the two most important metal albums released in September, two highly-anticipated offerings from two of the biggest bands on the planet, neither of which have released an album for several years. And it's to the kings of thrash we head first.

Repentless --- Slayer --- 2015 (Nuclear Blast)

I wasn't totally blown away by 2009's World Painted Blood, though in fairness it did come as the final course in a chowdown on Slayer's studio material as I inaugurated the Featured Artist section last year, but even so. A lot has happened in Slayerland since then. I don't care how big and hard and tough the guys are, Kerry Tom and Dave must have felt a gut-wrenching pain at the unexpected death of guitarist, songwriter and founder member Jeff Hanneman in 2013, and indeed Tom had considered breaking up the band, noting that it would be “literally like starting over” if they continued on. But in the event, they came to terms with the loss of their friend and bandmate, and some of the material he was working on prior to, and even during his illness --- unaware I think of how close to death he actually was --- sees the light of day on this new album.

They have a new label, for the first time in over twenty years, as they move to heavy metal favourites Nuclear Blast, and they have a new drummer. Sort of. Paul Bostaph, who has been on and off their main sticksman when Dave Lombardo is not around, returns to the fold for the first time since 2001, and here I want to put forward a theory that you will all laugh at no doubt. The last album Bostaph worked on was God Hates Us All, which was released on September 11 2001. Whether that was intentional or not I don't know, but it surely created controversy. Now, as he returns fourteen years later, the new album is also released on September 11, and with a title that says “Fuck you, we're not sorry!” So are Slayer saying in about three ways here that they don't regret releasing God Hates Us All on the day of the 9/11 attacks? Or is it all just in my mind? Perhaps Repentless refers to Hanneman, a life lived without regret or fear, and a much missed comrade whose memory will live on through Slayer's music. Either way, it's an interesting theory. Here's another: I originally had the title to that 2001 album in an acronym and only just now filled it in, and you know? "God hates us all" can be written as "God Hates USA" if you leave out the last two letters! Oooh! Conspiracy or what?

But you don't care about my theories, or to put it another, more metal way, “Fuck your theories Trolly (I asked you not to call me Trolly; I won't ask again!) --- who gives a shit? Tell us what the fuckin' album is like! Oh, and what the fuck happened to my beer?”

Well, you wish is my cue to say fuck you too, I'm not your servant. But I'll tell you anyway, because this is after all what the whole point of my writing this is. I see poor old JC is on the cover again. They haven't mellowed their attitude towards religion then, even in the face of the loss of one of their number. Ah, consistency: you can't beat it! Or, actually, is it him? It looked like Christ originally but now that I see the larger picture.... Well if it is him then it again ties in with the other album, so I choose to believe it is he of whom they once ranted "There never was a sacrifice!" The gratitude of some people, huh? Speaking of consistency, there's a rather deceptive slow buildup on guitar to the opener, “Delusions of saviour”, and it turns out to be, of all things, an instrumental rather in the early Iron Maiden mould. Interesting. Once we get into the title track though it's the Slayer of old, with perhaps hidden messages in the lyric: ”I hate the life, hate the fame, hate the fuckin' scene!” and maybe a promise to their fans: ”I'll be beating this guitar until the day I die!” A nod to Hanneman too when Tom sings ”No looking back, no regrets, no apologies/ What you get is what you see.” A great solo from Kerry King and you can see the man is back.

I find Tom's voice --- dare I say it? --- gentler. No, that's not the word. It's not gentle, but it hasn't got the sharp bite of albums like South of Heaven, Diabolus in Musica and of course Reign in Blood. Still, he's getting on now, pushing fifty-five, so you can't I suppose expect his voice to last forever, especially in this particular subgenre. “Take control” is another somewhat politically-themed song, nowhere near as brutal as I remember Slayer being when I listened to their earlier albums last year, but still a good gut-punch with angry lyrics, while “Vices” slows things down to a heavy grind, pumping along with relentless purpose, while new man Gary Holt burns out a superb solo. “Cast the first stone” keeps things generally slow, heavy yes but quite grindy with some more fine solos, both by mainstay and founder Kerry King and by Holt. It kind of marches on; evidence that Slayer are ageing and toning down the speed of their music accordingly?

Reflective guitar opening “When the stillness comes”, sussurating drums accompanying a repetitive riff before it begins to kick up a little more, then it falls back to a slow grind with a growled vocal from Tom, his words very discernible, whereas before I often found it hard to make out what he was singing. Good solo there at the end, and into “Chasing death”, where things pick up speed a little, though this is certainly not the Slayer of Reign in Blood days. There's a boogie feel to this as it rocks along, and there's something almost funny about the cadences as he rhymes ”Innocence, common sense, I don't see the relevance” and ”Parasite, socialite, you're never gonna win this fight!” Reminds me of Billy fucking Joel on “We didn't start the fire”. No, seriously, it does. “Implode” is another basically slow, boogie-along track --- oh I'm wrong: it just kicked into serious life. Probably the best of the tracks so far, certainly the fastest.

Scorching solo and I like the little in-joke when Tom sings ”I think you know the song/ I'm pretty sure God still hates us all!” And yet another link to the 2001 album, eh? Eh? The song Hannman was working on before he passed is the only one of his to make it onto this album, and “Piano wire” is good but I have to admit, not great, like sadly much of this album. It's another slow marcher, with some pretty good but not new lyrical material, and I'm sure they only included it as a tribute to his memory: had he still been alive and working with them this could have ended up on the cutting room floor. “Atrocity vendor” is a whole hell of a lot better, almost a look back to the Slayer of old, when they literally did not give a fuck and just went for it. Yeah, I knew that sounded familiar: it was a bonus track on their last album, 2012's World Painted Blood. Oh, guys! Still, it's blisteringly fast, heavy as hell and with a screaming solo: now that's what Slayer are about, or used to be! Even the last line is appropriate --- ”Death forever reigns!” (In blood?)

“You against you” is okay but a kind of return to the more grindy marching of the ... hold on now. It just flew into fifth gear and that is some solo from Gary Holt. Could be hope for this yet. Perhaps the album is going to make a strong, up-yours finish? Well we have only one more track to go, but two more solos, one of which is from Kerry King and burns up the frets, and the final one involves the two of them and is a joy to behold. That leaves us with “Pride in prejudice”, which I have to say tones everything back to the slow, grindy snarl that much of this album survives on. There are great solos and Tom sounds suitably angry, but meh, I'm not convinced. A weak ending I feel. But then, a weak ending to a mostly weak album.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Delusions of saviour
2. Repentless
3. Take control
4. Vices
5. Cast the first stone
6. When the stillness comes
7. Chasing death
8. Implode
9. Piano wire
10. Atrocity vendor
11. You against you
12. Pride in prejudice

I don't know whether it came through or not in the review, but I'm mightily disappointed in this album. True, I've only been listening to Slayer for the last year, and that only in one month-long binge through their discography, but from what I heard there I can say with some confidence that this is far from the band I came to know. Batty will of course be able to give you a better idea as to whether this new album measures up to their other material, but for me it's just too safe, too slow mostly and, dare I say it, too old? It almost sounds like Tom is tired, that he's doing this either as a favour to his dead friend or under pressure from Kerry. Either way, he does not sound like he's enjoying it.

But as I've said before, what do I know about Slayer? Maybe their fans will see this as a triumphant return, a vindication that the kings of thrash are still holding on to their throne. And maybe they are. But based on the rest of their discography, this sounds old and stale and almost thrash-by-numbers. Have the mighty fallen from their once unassailable perch? That's up to people more familiar with them, and with thrash metal, to decide.

For me though, I'm afraid it's more a case of not so much repentless as virtually toothless.

And I'm sorry to say, their label has made it virtually impossible to get anything from the album on YouTube. But by now, you've probably all heard it and made up your own minds anyway.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018