Review Summary: Slayer was, Slayer is, Slayer always will be.
Slayer is Slayer.
That could be the entire review, and it would be accurate. Slayer is not going to change who they are or what they do, they just deliver album after album of pure Slayer. World Painted Blood follows the solid comeback album Christ Illusion, easily the best thing the band had done since Seasons In The Abyss so long ago.
What makes World Painted Blood work is that Slayer went back to being Slayer. Afraid for years of being anything other than the most evil band they could be, Slayer has now remembered that melody can exist in their type of music. This is the most melodic record Slayer has made since their trinity, but don't mistake that for selling out. Songs are more memorable than recent years, but there is nothing that can be described as catchy or pop. This is Slayer through and through.
They take a cue from Reign In Blood, opening with a five minute masterwork in the title track. Changing moods and tempos, the song drives along with Dave Lombardo's military drumbeat, pounding the song into submission. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman spit out plenty of speedy riffs, injecting more of a punk influence into their sound than they have in years. As a result, the album feels fresh despite being classic Slayer. Even the album's slowest song, the dissonant "Beauty Through Order", crackles with an energy Slayer hasn't showed on record in a decade.
This is the sound of a band unconcerned with popularity, or keeping up with what's modern. Slayer has taken a cue from Metallica and Megadeth, returning to their roots without sounding like a parody. World Painted Blood is not groundbreaking, but no one expects that from Slayer. This is their unique brand of thrash, delivered in a way that hasn't been heard since Seasons. Is it as good as the classic records? Of course it isn't, but it is a quality outing from a band that few would have expected to survive this long. They're still loud, fast, and the personification of evil in music. For that, World Painted Blood is a success.
People will complain about the production of the album, the thin guitars that sound like nothing else being put out by a major metal band. That is the beauty of World Painted Blood. Slayer has gone back to their roots, leaving behind the digital fuzz in favor of natural amps, just like the good old days. This is the sound of a band actually playing, not computers faking music. The people who complain can hate it all they want, but this is the way music sounds.
