...makes us stronger, but honestly, I have never felt a new strength after listening to this output. "God Hates Us All" is a fitting title. Nobody can say any longer that he loves us, because exactly 15 years ago, he did not prevent the release of this miserable work that begged for the deceptive love of the zeitgeist. In 2001, self-respect and integrity seemed to be foreign words for Slayer. The musicians kowtowed to people who had never been interested in their first albums. How embarrassing for a band with a once legendary status.
Already the first track after the nonsensical intro points out that Slayer have taken a dangerous route. Instead of returning to the pure form of thrash, the music that made them great and simultaneously the music that they made great, the dudes meander between some old-school riffs, then modern tones and annoying breaks that kill the atmosphere, the power and the coherence of the song. These breaks seem to be an end in itself, but the truth is even worse. They are Slayer's tool in order to gain new customer groups and this blatantly obvious strategy sucks. "God Send Death", actually a good track, implodes completely after two minutes because of a moronic break and the following robot-like vocals. Tracks like "New Faith" share the destiny of "God Send Death". Slayer ruin their own compositions with instinctive certainty.
Of course, everybody has the right to modify the style of his music. Yet it is always an advantage to change your mindset on a step-by-step basis. But Slayer, slightly megalomaniac, do not respect the basics. They behave like a little defiant child who leaves home without knowing what comes next. Another example: "Exile". Its opening riffs remind me of "Chemical Warfare" and I therefore hope to see the light at the end of tunnel. Forgive me for being a fool, the solo section with its strange tones destroys the tune from within. However, to comment the single songs disguises the overall impression. All these staccato parts on the one hand and the groove elements on the other hand shit on the rare old school moments. Not to mention the lameness of flops such as "Deviance". Cool numbness has replaced demonic power. Is this really Slayer or is it another band with Araya on vocals? By the way, it is an extremely monotonous performance of the most Catholic thrash singer of all times. Scientists report that the charisma of his voice was on vacation during the recordings.
No, the album did not come as a bad surprise. Already "Diabolus in Musica" had indicated that Slayer had left its successful course. My only hope was that this album remained an isolated case, an experiment gone wrong. "God Hates Us All" proved the opposite. The continuing downward spiral reached shocking proportions. Only the more or less flawless production does not show signs of weakness and, almost unbelievable, the last track of the album shows the real Slayer. An ironic twist of fate? However, this album deserves a severe judgement. One could write many more lines about the nerve-shattering and torn songs that it holds, but exceptionally I have better things to do. I need a therapeutic treatment. Where is my copy of "Show No Mercy"?