I like the new Slayer. I never thought I would, but I really like it.

Much of what Slayer did after “Divine Intervention” was sloppy. It had gotten to the point that you believed the albums were pretexts to rake in the $$$ from the inevitable tour.

I am a big Slayer fan. Read: I love what they used to do, and really like the vibe at their shows. What they’ve written in  the last 15 years sucks. Big time. It’s pedestrian, unoriginal, 100% filler to help usher the coming tour.

World Painted Blood is different. It’s a gift to the long-time fans. Melody is back–sick melody is back. The slow, crawling nastiness is back. With this album Slayer returns to the grating evil of their guitars from before the late 1990s-early 2000s.  It’s fast, slow, intense, but it never feels pointless like their previous three albums.

Some songs are fast, as it should be. Some songs are spewing notes at a slower pace. Regardless of the pace, you feel the tension. “Playing with Dolls” is exhibit A that Slayer is back, they’re paying attention, and they’re as sick and evil as ever.  But the album is solid from beginning to end.

My favorite line from the album, perhaps *my favorite line in all of metal* because of the intensity it suggests: “You’ll wish you were in Hell.” This one gives me goosebumps.

May we all burn in Hell together.