Slayer — World Painted Blood

First things first: no, World Painted Blood does not top Slayer's groundbreaking '80s work. The good news is it's arguably the best thing they've put out since 1990's Seasons In The Abyss.

There's nothing particularly new here. Kerry King's thrashing guitars and Dave Lombardo's pounding drumming are in full effect, and that's the key to World Painted Blood's success. It doesn't pummel you out of the gate the way "Angel Of Death" or "War Ensemble" do.

Rather, the opening title track builds slowly until King attacks with an eardrum-bleeding solo. That's pretty much how the rest of the record goes, eschewing studio trickery and overdubs, making it one of the band's leanest and meanest offerings.

Given the rote nature of most of Tom Araya's lyrics, it seems a bit of a dubious choice to place them so high in the mix. But it's a minor quibble given that more than 25 years after introducing the world to thrash metal Slayer are not just the genre's grandfather, but one of it's leading lights.

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