Slayer - Diabolus In Musica
1998 Def American
by Horatio

Quick Summary:
Up until 1996 Slayer had made few career errors, but when they decided to release an album of punk covers 'Undisputed Attitude', they fucked up big time.  Firstly it was originally intended to be a metal covers album and secondly 'punk' was the in thing at the time, so it appeared Slayer were cashing in, when they should have been defending the ailing metal scene.  Stupid bastards.  Two years after that debacle they emerged with their first studio effort since the classic 'Divine Intervention' in 1994.  'Diabolus' threw a lot of people off, it was decidedly less fast than before and was more modern sounding, although far from 'nu-metal' as internet nerds still like to claim.

I believe this to be as brutal and unrestrained as anything previously recorded by Slayer, as there are genuine classics to be found in 'Bitter Peace', 'Perversions Of Pain', 'Scrum' and 'Point', which amazingly happen to be the only thrashers on the whole thing.  Shocking really.  Mostly it's mid paced, but the aggression remained intact, although 'Desire' is perhaps the most boring thing ever conjured by Slayer (e.g. another crap Araya necrophilia ditty).  In retrospect this might be Slayer's most forgotten album, but when compared to garbage like Megadeth's 'Cryptic Writings' or 'Risk', it's an instant favourite.  Why they dispensed with the usual logo is unclear, it was retained for 'God Hates Us All', maybe Slayer were trying to change their identity.  Inevitably 'Diabolus' was the Slayer of old, because at heart they really can't change, and who wants them to?

Website:  www.slayer.net

Song Summaries:

1. Bitter Peace - A lunatic thrasher to start and one that takes time to get going, due to a mouth watering intro that you know is primed to explode at any moment.  Of course it does, the results similar to the muddy thrash of 'Divine Intervention'.  B+
2. Death's Head - Hanneman wrote just about everything on this which might explain the lack of overall speed and this typifies his approach, fast paced and energetic without any thrash drumming.  Works nonetheless, the riffs as annihilating always.  B
3. Stain Of Mind - Most internet metalheads are uninformed and ignorant, and those people jumped all over this claiming a nu-metal sellout.  I don't hear it.  It's more exuberant riff-wise, not the usual Slayer fare, but still fiercely metal.  If nu-metal sounded like this I might like it.  Perhaps not.  B
4. Overt Enemy - Typical opening with radio imagery preaching all kinds of nonsense, leading into a fairly ordinary Hanneman plodder.  This style is all very well, but by now you're begging for thrash.  C+
5. Perversions Of Pain - Finally it arrives in this brutal onslaught, Slayer at their best.  The riffs are crazed and the bursts of speed come out of nowhere, absolute warfare at hand.  It's cornball in its own way, but in a manner we can all appreciate.  A
6. Love To Hate - How heavy is this?  Talk about a wall of noise.  The riffs are vaguely Sabbath influenced and its all very dangerous, a tune to perhaps go on a shooting spree to.  B+
7. Desire - Pure boredom.  Araya contributes his stale fucking a dead corpse lyrics - 'Visions of erotic bliss...anxiously feeling grotesque....forbidden fantasies....uncontrollable heat' - sounds like some shit 80's ballad.  What's worse is his delivery, singing like a sadist himself in tortured moans.  D-
8. In The Name Of God - More like it here, as King continues his anti Christianity war.  There's something resembling a thrash structure, but never quite cuts loose.  B
9. Scrum - While touring New Zealand, Kerry found a fondness for rugby, devoting this thrasher to it.  It's a bit misguided, with references to 'base line....goal line' and a line that reads 'your try is crushed'.  What that means I am unsure.  Maybe he meant the try line and the ball being held up on the line or something.  I'd like to see J.K. crush that fat fart on the field.  Hardcore thrash though, about bloody time too.  A
10. Screaming From The Sky - This has massive shades of 'South Of Heaven'-era Slayer, same melodic tendency and without speed yet again.  That megaphone vocal effect was in danger of becoming redundant, how many albums now?  B
11. Point - Wisely an all out thrasher closes it out, a tale about war, M16's and 'crashing, slashing to the end'.  Why couldn't the whole CD have sounded like this?  After all you know you're going to have to wait for another three or four years until the next go around.  By the next one Araya will be 49 and King 46.  Araya already looks that old.  A

Average Song Rating:  B
Overall Album Rating:  B+

Also be sure to read:
Slayer - Christ Illusion by Skin Splitter & Horatio
Slayer - Decade Of Aggression by Horatio
Slayer - Divine Intervention by Horatio
Slayer - God Hates Us All by Horatio
Slayer - Reign In Blood by Horatio
Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss by Uncle Meat
Slayer - Show No Mercy by Uncle Meat & Shev
Slayer - Undisputed Attitude by Horatio
Fantômas - Suspended Animation by Lamp
Grip Inc. - The Power of Inner Strength by Horatio
Straight To Hell:  A Tribute To Slayer by Shev

Discography (last updated 8.29.06):
Show No Mercy - 1983
Haunting The Chapel EP - 1984
Live Undead - 1984
Hell Awaits - 1985
Reign In Blood - 1986
South Of Heaven - 1988
Seasons In The Abyss - 1990
Decade Of Aggression - 1991
Divine Intervention - 1994
Live Intrusion EP - 1995
Serenity In Murder EP - 1995
split 7" with T.S.O.L. - 1996
Undisputed Attitude - 1996
Diabolus In Musica - 1998
Ubernoise:  The Interview - 1998
God Hates Us All - 2001
Soundtrack To The Apocalypse box - 2003
Christ Illusion - 2006
Cult 7" single - 2006
Eternal Pyre EP - 2006