It’s a little bit tough to beat the hype when you have a new album out, and it is promoted as “the new century’s Reign In Blood”. Combine this with the fact that it is returning drummer Dave Lombardo’s first recorded material with the band since Seasons In The Abyss and is the long-awaited follow up to God Hates Us All and you have a pretty big time bomb ready to go off in your face.
Fortunately on most levels Christ Illusion lives up to the hype.
While I could never accuse Slayer of conforming to standards, I didn’t feel a couple of their later albums were up to the same quality as they had regularly produced for most of their career. Here on Christ Illusion I once again think that they have nailed it for 80-90% of the album, and maybe just fallen down a little at the final hurdle. A personal opinion that others may take or leave a they choose.
The highlights as always are the faster, heavier songs, when Tommy Araya seems forever to be trying to catch the rest of the band with his vocals. Jeff and Kerry’s guitaring as always is just brutal, while the return of the drum god Dave Lombardo is the defining part of this album. His input again has improved Slayer tenfold.
Favourites for me include “Flesh Storm”, “Catalyst”, “Eyes Of The Insane”, “Jihad” and “Cult”
Rating: Not the promised hybrid of Reign In Blood and Seasons In The Abyss but good all the same. 4/5.
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