Those of us impatiently waiting, nail-festooned gauntlets at the ready, for Slayer to make another Reign in Blood will have to wait a little longer. Christ Illusion, due August 8th, mines much of the same territory as its predecessor, God Hates Us All, just without the memorable riffs. It’s become downright painful to hear Tom Araya — at 45 years old! — continue to belt out the band’s increasingly self-parodying, anti-religious lyrics, like “Religion’s a whore” and “I’ve made my choice: six six six!” The album art (displayed above for your pleasure) takes it all over the top with an image axeman Kerry King dubs “Christ in a Sea of Despair.” At least their awesome drummer Dave Lombardo (playing on his first Slayer recording since 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss) shows off some chops, particularly on the raging “Supremist.”
Honestly, save yourself for their live shows, where they’re pretty much untouchable. With or without that “Wall of Blood.”
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