Slayer are Repentless
Repentless
Slayer
Nuclear Blast, 2015
SLAY—YERRR!!
Excuse me, give me a moment to compose m’self.
35 years on, Slayer is an American institution (they’re in The Smithsonian, fer cryin’ out loud), and a heavy metal mainstay. One of the Big Four thrash acts and the only one of the bunch to never garner any significant commercial airplay, they are as big as an underground band can be and still be off the mainstream’s radar.
As with any long-lived artist whose work has entered the realm of being considered a “classic” (1986’s Reign in Blood has been called the “heaviest album of all time” by Kerrang! Magazine), everything new will be held up against these past benchmarks.
“Repentless” is the first release since the passing of founding member and guitarist Jeff Hanneman. This and the drama surrounding drummer Dave Lombardo’s departure brings a special scrutiny to this disc. No one present has considered veering away from the course originally plotted in the mid 80’s when they were bound and determined not to be another L.A. hair band. Never ones to write indulgent, long winded numbers, they keep to the punkishly short songs and execute delivery with a precise ferocity.
“Repentless” is an unapolagetic tribute to the way Hanneman lived his life, “So take your shot, bottom’s up, this is no lie/I’ll be beating this guitar ’til the day I die.” On “Vices” the guitar leads are vintage Kerry King jagged razor slashes, cutting through the audioscape with a visceral intensity.
“Cast the First Stone” is a mid-tempo thrasher that gives drummer Paul Bostaph ample room to display his considerable chops.“You Against You” bristles with a coarse, roughed finish, burning like phosphorous on skin.“Pride in Prejudice” closes out the disc, railing against those who forget all blood is red.
Judging “Repentless” on it’s own merits, it’s a substantial collection of terse, raging songs; angry at all the usual things and in particular angry at the loss of friend and band mate Jeff Hanneman. The best songs will find their way into the live shows and the rest still sound exactly like Slayer.
No hip-hop flirtations, no whinging broken heart ballads, and not even a single EDM crossover attempt. What could they be thinking?
They’re Slayer and almost four decades on they don’t need to pretend to be anyone else.
SLAY-YERRR!!
