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Rating: The '90s were a turbulent period for the seminal Slayer, a Los Angeles band dedicated to extreme music since the early '80s, marked by albums that were coldly received and members coming and going to fill the vacant drummer's seat (a daunting task, given that the first drummer, Dave Lombardo, has always been considered one of the best in the genre).
After a celebratory live album marking ten years of activity, a decent album of unreleased tracks ("Divine Intervention", 1994), and a pointless and largely unnoticed mostly hardcore-punk covers album ("Undisputed Attitude", 1996), the band set out to release an album of new material to reestablish their leadership in metal music. An operation not entirely successful, at least not with this "Diabolus In Musica" of 1998.
The first criticisms received by the album are the excessive "modernity" and the abandonment or downsizing of many purely thrash metal elements traditionally offered.
The first track, "Bitter Peace," immediately takes your breath away with the heaviness of the guitar wall and the very tight sounds of bass and drums; frontman Araya's voice is, as always, an extreme scream, though far from the growl and scream clichés in vogue. After this notable beginning, we move on to the second track, "Death's Head," decidedly hardcore in style with a decidedly successful groove.
The third song, "Stain of Mind," is, in its violence, decidedly catchy, bolstered by a modern riff and a chorus to scream live at one of their concerts (try it to believe it).
"Overt Enemy" is the next track, and it stands out from the previous ones with a slower pace, a heavy mid-tempo supported by a powerful rhythmic performance and a voice filtered through distortion.
The rest of the album moves along these lines, extreme metal that doesn't lose the catchiness of the song format, at least as far as tracks like "Love To Hate" and "Screaming From The Sky" are concerned. The beautiful "Desire" stands out from the others, supported by a simple but successful arpeggio that, along with the whispered or sung voice (yes, almost really sung), gives the composition a very dark atmosphere.
Surely in this album, there is some influence from the music of those years, perhaps most of all from the metal/hardcore scene (10 years before metal-core) of Helmet and company, but the gene of the Los Angeles band is not as distorted and disguised as ruthless critics have commented. Not coincidentally, this album closes with the track, among the 11 present, that is the most Slayer-esque, which seems like a distorted cross between "Hell Awaits" and a random track from Reign In Blood.
As already mentioned, it wasn't this album that revived Slayer's fortunes, as they preferred to revisit many elements of the past until the very old style albums (which were decidedly successful) that followed.
A great album, perhaps together with the subsequent God Hates Us All the heaviest, although understandably not suitable for those who yearn too much for Reign In Blood.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Bitter Peace (04:34)
Initiate blood purge
Coalition in massacre
Mechanized high tech
Whole sale death in effect
Mutually assured
Destruction will occur
Genocide revised
Same pain through diverse eyes
Can't stop the warring factions
Hostile from the start
Always war always
Ending bitter peace
Not the last third war
Blood spills for evermore
Patriot hard line
Lay siege till the end of time
No longer kill your brother
Just slaughter one another
Watch for the deadly other
This sibling is a fucker
Can't stop the warring factions
Global tension starts aggression
Peace breaks out then
Breeds contempt unrest
Without a reason to fight
A time to kill
Sick lust for skeletal flesh
A taste for all decay
Enter the soldier blind
Stalking the faceless hunt
There is no conscience in this world
That can be reached for peace
Why face the human question
The need to hate
Dead stare through cynical eyes
A trust in only pain
Murder within the skin
Engrave the art of war
Become death's vile parade
March on embrace the violent mind
Can't stop the warring factions
Global tension starts aggression
Peace breaks out then
Breeds contempt unrest
One cryptic reason for life murder
03 Stain of Mind (03:27)
Imagine Humanity's decline
Step inside my stain of mind
Infesting superiority
Infectious immorality oh yea
Come worship the place no truths are told
Praise the land where sins are sold
No passion no love your faith evades
Never see yourself again that way
Death becomes your bride
Lifelessness invades your eyes
in fire baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You'll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest stain of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes
As one the collective unifies
Emanate a faithless shine
Forever creation has conceived
Birth of destruction spreads its wings oh yea
Chaotic rebirth a new domain
Re-live the sight the sound the pain
Erotic the taste of agony
Adorn the scars of inhumanity
This is what you see
Deep inside of me
Agony is life
Lechery is life
Godlessness is life
Purgatory magnified
In fire baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You'll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest satin of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes
Enticing malevolence allures
Bastardize the clean and pure
Salvation forever crucified
I choose the other side oh yea
Entire, complete serenity
Injected intravenously
Transgression euphoric bliss divine
Initiate a timeless stain of mind
Blood will sterilize
In fire I baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You'll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest stain of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes
04 Overt Enemy (04:43)
I breach your life
Indoctrinate
Police your thoughts
Ask why I hate
I lose control
When I see your face
Abusing power
I infiltrate
Continue lies
Then masturbate
I walk the line
I'll do no time
I hate your church
I'll burn your state
A bleeding heart
A seal of fate
There is no crime
Within my mind
I'll sell your life and preach your death
A wicked plan born of contempt
Bleeding my ideology through pain
[Lead: Hanneman]
Audacious plans
I calculate
A new world view
I'll re-instate
Don't cross my path
Or I'll see you burn
You'll meet your end
Find death alone
No grave to mark
The seeds you've sown
You've pushed too far
My secrets I defend
I'll sell your life and preach your death
A wicked plan born of contempt
Bleeding my ideology through pain
[Lead: Hanneman]
Demonize what is feared profane architect
Skull and bones through the mind
Barbaric thoughts of old
Celebrate all unknown
At last the dead await
The die is cast for the meek
inherit endless dead time
Smell the victim are near
consume the catalyst
Hunting masses for game
implanting septic thoughts
Reaping terror through words while
armed behind your back
Pseudo leaders betray
enslaving all of mankind
Cast out the Demi God
Dethrone the demagogue
Cast out the church God
I command your life
And I don't care
Let bullets rain
From everywhere
No suicide
Will save you from yourself
06 Love to Hate (03:07)
Enter my mind can you stop the rage
No one shall mourn or pity my grave
Fighting the world without remorse
Searching for blood to never grow old
A personal hell is where I reside
Taunting death sounds cadavers in pain
Judging my soul I am not his son
Screaming God's name I want some more
You love to hate me
But you won't kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world
Take what I want primordial ground
Humanity bleeds from inside my veins
Losing all grasp an evil so old
Vengeance it breeds driving you insane
Exhaust all will hanging by the neck
Anguish within let it blind the eyes
Better off dead us your epitaph
Apathy feeds the human demise
Absolute reign a malevolent mind
Conceptions so vile in this bottomless soul
Total addicting, corrupt and profane
Force-fed lies in this chapel of lust
Dancing in blood disciples enslaved
Putrefied walls adorned with your flesh
Coating this shrine of the ungodly cross
You love to hate me
But you won't kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world
Pessimistic dreams
Realistic screams
Crucify creation
Magnify damnation
Enter my mind can you stop the rage
No one shall mourn or pity my grave
Fighting the world without remorse
Searching for blood to never grow old
Conceptions so vice in this bottomless soul
Putrefied walls adorned with your flesh
Coating this shrine of the ungodly cross
You love to hate me
But you won't kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world
07 Desire (04:20)
No one could ever doubt my rapture
As you too will soon discover
No one will ever cross my love
Deadly consequence will rise above
Lying all alone
Visions of erotic bliss
Feel your warmth from inside your skin
A fever I can not resist
Desire I would kill for you
Right or wrong I'd do anything
True and pure the intensity
Every time death is next to me
Lying all alone
Visions of erotic bliss
Feel your warmth from inside your skin
A fever I can not resist
Anxiously feeling grotesque
Up against your flesh
Forbidden fantasies
Uncontrollable heat
Find yourself all alone and dead
Visions of corroding bliss
Feel the warmth from inside your skin
A sensation I can't resist
09 Scrum (02:20)
No blood no glory
All pain and fury
A demonstration
Of domination
Show of pure intimidation
Full contact why I live and breathe
Side stepping all the human debris
Head strong I know that I'll prevail
Face down in my arena you will fall
Head to head eye to eye
Human pile of proven pride
Ripping flesh spitting teeth
Sacrifice for victory
Base line Goal lie
Overtime Killing time
Relentless brotherhood of disciple
Centuries of traditions is to win
Head first into battle feel the rush
Living on adrenaline your try is crushed
No blood No glory
All pain And fury
Head to head eye to eye
Human pile of proven pride
Ripping flesh spitting teeth
Sacrifice for victory
Base line Goal line
Overtime Killing time
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