(Forging ahead with a series devoted to a retrospective chronological analysis of the discography of Slayer, today TheMadIsraeli has made his way to the band’s 2001 album God Hates Us All. Links to all preceding segments of the series are at the end of the writing.)
God Hates Us All is a great album. If you disagree, you’re wrong. If you are the type to make assertions that it’s nu-metal or Slipknot-esque, wrong again. If you disagree that this is the most brutal and unrelenting Slayer have been in their entire career (yes really) you are wrong one more time.
You can dislike the more personally grounded lyrics and the degree of profanity, sure, but no sane person who likes metal should dislike the music itself, and if you once did, maybe it’s time to revisit and reconsider. God Hates Us All is about the most bitter, belligerent, and intense album the band have ever written. It certainly isn’t their best, but it’s a fantastic record with an uncompromising dedication to being as violent and oppressive as possible, and I love it for that. Tom Araya has never sounded better than on this album, and it includes some of the band’s best material, period.
This is where Slayer’s new-found infusion of metallic hardcore elements really takes root. Opener “The Darkness Of Christ/Disciple” with its classic battle cry of the album’s title is equal parts Slayer and Merauder (and other riff-driven, intense metallic NYHC-styled bands). I admittedly have a real soft spot for that NYHC aggro spirit, and it being so thoroughly ingrained into God Hates Us All‘s DNA appeals to me a lot. Of course, there are still Slayer songs here. “God Send Death”, while more straight-forward than most old Slayer songs, very much feels like something you might’ve heard on South Of Heaven with it’s dedication to ambient build-ups into explosions of speed.
There’s some delightful total deviations from Slayer’s formula on here, though. “New Faith” is Slayer’s jab at a straight-up NYHC song and it fucking slays. “Cast Down” is also great, with its dedication to low-tuned semi-D-beat grind. Even “Threshold”, with its nu-metal-esque vocal patterns works really well because of Paul Bostaph’s full auto shotgun bullet spread drum patterns underneath the simplistic but effective riff that carries the song.
Every song on this album frankly has its own thing going for it, while maintaining the over-the-top pissed as fuck attitude they’re all going for. I love the waltz thrash beatdown of “Exile”, the Crowbar-styled drag of “Seven Faces”, the military march of “Bloodline”, you get the idea. “Payback” is a great closer for just how shamelessly over-the-top violent and crass it is, both musically and lyrically. It caps off what the record is about perfectly.
This album is just great. It doesn’t have a single bad song on it. It’s the most primal roots of what metal is all about, distilled. Disagree if you must, but you’ll still be wrong.
PART 1 (Intro)
PART 2 (Show No Mercy)
PART 3 (Haunting the Chapel)
PART 4 (Hell Awaits)
PART 5 (Reign In Blood)
PART 6 (South of Heaven)
PART 7 (Seasons In the Abyss)
PART 8 (Divine Intervention)
PART 9 (Diabolus In Musica)
26 Responses to “HIGHER CRITICISM: SLAYER (PART 10) — “GOD HATES US ALL””
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“When you walk in my world/Madness is coming your way.”
STILL love me some Warzone.
The best sonleg ,,anthem to march into battle ,,beberse style
This album was an important part of my awakening as a young metal fan… the first album I bought that was WAY beyond my comfort zone. The angsty attitude of the album made it perfect for a confused 15 year old. Still love it though, and appreciate it a lot more today.
I also don’t understand the hate for this record.
I guess I am wrong, wrong, wrong then. This is just so totally “meh” to my ears. It may not exactly be nu-metal, but the nu-metal of that time period has seeped its way into this band and album. This just isn’t very interesting or distinctive. And I actually think Araya’s vocals is one of the biggest problems with it … I like some of the way-out-there, whacked-out solos – which seem to be the main link to the earlier stuff – but that is about it.
The angsty nu-metallish screaming fits better in the context of the times of the album’s release date—Tuesday, September 11, 2001
God I hate this album. So generic and angsty, with stupid tough guy lyrics
Didn’t listen to it, really not into it .I stay where I get the most out of it. To each there own.
God Hates Us All is a fucking beast of an album. “Disciple” was an instant classic and a helluva album opener. Everything about this album feels intense and savage. The production puts those big riffs right in your face, the drums are ballistic, and Araya screams like he’s on fire. And it’s a long album by Slayer standards, but it never wears out it’s welcome.
Love this album Top 3 with Rein in Blood and Hell Awaits
This album has helped me get rid of a lot of anger over the years
This is one of my favorite Slayer albums.
Though, there’s something really lacking in the production that bothers me, especially on the high end. Snare hits and cymbals/hi-hats just sound weird. Even on a quality copy of the record, it sounds as if it has been made into a 128kbps MP3 or something. It’s really “washy/swishy” sounding.
God I hate this album. So generic and angsty, with stupid tough guy lyrics
People heard you the first time and the more you say it the more people will not care about your opinion. Fuck off negative boy
Fuck you, it accidentally posted twice you dumbfuck
Love it
I guess that makes me wrong then. Easily their most forgettable offering. Aside from Bloodline, this really has nothing going for it.
Definately their heaviest record! And yeah he f**King hates me? \m/
Not liking this album isnt wrong. As was said it has a very hardcore influence and I personally dont care for hardcore from New York or anyother locale for that matter. Plus NuMetal was the thing at the time of this albums release and if it seeped into Slayers music then its understandable. To say people are wrong for disliking this album makes you wrong for interpreting others opinions as not being the correct thought to yours. I did take your advise and tried Devine Intervention again and I could only make through two songs before shutting it off. I just couldnt get into it. Yes Slayer was great but after Seasons in the Abyss what made them great was lost. It may have been not having Dave Lombardo, the more hardcore influenced approach, or even NuMetal coming in and forcing a change within the band its hard to say. What cant be denied is the five albums that helped create extreme metal and made Slayer legends.
Could not agree more
There are at least three songs on this album that if you played just the first 5 seconds, you’d think they’re the exact same song. Far and away Tom Araya’s worst vocal performance. The riffs are paint-by-the-numbers. And “Payback” is embarrassingly stupid. Happy to be wrong.
I love this album. While it’s an exhausting listen, the single-minded, unrelenting aggression and negativity make it the most artistic of all Slayer’s releases.
If you can buy a Flying V and play like Jeff or Kerry you could be a slayer fan. I can \m/ \m/ 😉
You missed the most important aspect of GHUA. It was released on 9/11.
I really, really hate when people claim this album is nu-metal.
Have any of these people actually heard nu-metal?
You’re trying to tell me that ghua sounds anything like limp bizkit, korn, twisted method, or crazy town??
If you think ghua is anything close to nu-metal, you’re out of your god damn mind.
Even if we were to stretch it and compare it to Slipknot, still not close. Corey spends 75 percent of his time singing weird clean surfey vocals, and their music isn’t anywhere near as heavy or violent as ghua.
If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. I don’t give a shit. But stop putting the words “Slayer” and “nu-metal” next to each other. It makes no sense.
Been into Slayer since 91 and I didn’t get around to this one till recently for some reason. I liked the new elements in diabolis and its a great a angry album but this one is next level! I’m going to park next to my local baptist church this Sunday, put all the windows down and crank it!.