Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Slayer > Diabolus in Musica > Reviews
Slayer - Diabolus in Musica

Slayer IX: What's Brown And Brown And Brown All Over? - 22%

DanielG06, March 6th, 2024

Shit.

That would be my summary of Diabolus In Music is Metallum wasn't moderated, but as much of a chore as it is, there needs to be more explaining as to why this Slayer album is so awful. In a year where nu-metal dominates and thrash metal is seriously out of fashion, Slayer follow suit and stray completely off course, downtuning to C standard and bringing nothing but dull, uninspired riffing here. When Bitter Peace is the best song on your album, you know something is wrong. A dumb groove opens the album, following some alright passages with riffs that aren't bad an a chorus that sounds like the deformed nephew of War Ensemble.

Apart from this, the aggression dies down, and what's left is 35 minutes of really nothing. So many sections here just sound stale and effortless, like the band prioritised grooves that would get their snapback-wearing crowd literally jumping, over substance that would make the songs more interesting. Some of the creepy, disjointed guitar parts are still here, but they're so half-baked and don't last long. On top of this, I don't think Tom Araya's voice as ever been worse. It becomes obnoxious how loudly and belligerently he screams "fuck this, fuck that." With the aforementioned undeveloped songwriting, that bleeds into virtually every track after the 90 second mark, with the band not being able to make up their mind and throwing random bass parts and bridges everywhere.

The chromatic guitar chugging is awful, and these tracks are far too repetitive, even if none of them are even close to 5 minutes long. While everything I've described so far makes this a subpar, or less than mediocre album, it's the small details that make it truly awful. Love To Hate is horrible nu-metal worship with some punk influences mixed in. The lack of variety also makes these tracks worse, someone in the studio should've told them that abruptly stopping 2 minutes into a 3 minute song doesn't count as a transition. I still have to give Jeff and Kerry credit for putting solos in these songs, although they are just ok.

It gets worse as we reach the end of the record. Scrum and Point are some of the worst tracks this band has penned, with vocals that sometimes just cut in and out, and some thoughtless riffs that a 12 year old could put together more convincing. The endless verses of violence and gore doesn't really have a central point either, nothing on the record tells a story, and Point is especially guilty of creative bankruptcy, with some more chugging and very little changes to develop the song or make it more memorable. What an abrupt, awful way to end an abrupt, awful record. Don't waste your time on Diabolus In Musica, unless you want to stain the way that you think about Slayer forever.

More South of Heaven than Slipknot - 53%

natrix, January 14th, 2024

Diabolus in Musica is by far Slayer's most experimental and contraversial album. It didn't leave much of an impression on me when it came out in 1998, especially given there was a lot of good underground death and black metal coming out then and Slayer had been on a steady decline since Seasons in the Abyss. Divine Intervention wasn't bad, merely good, and Undisputed Attitude was pretty fucking worthless, so Diabolus came across as not that shitty.

Make no mistake, there's some really embarassing shit on here. "Stain of Mind" has this weak hardcore-esque riff with some downright retarded rapping and bass drops, which are not quite as shit as the pauses where Tom sounds like Corey Taylor. It should come as no surprise that this song sucks dead coyote wanger given that uber-douche Kerry King wrote the lyrics. I swear, once Kerry shaved his head he became this arrogant asshole who couldn't write a great song. "Overt Enemy" has some silly quasi-rap rock into with some dumb political commentary before an super obnoxious vocal melody comes through. And though I don't hate the song, "Love to Hate" has a pretty weak vocal melody over a funky beat. And fuck the "chorus" of "Death's Head" with it's Marilyn Manson inspired vocals and lame lyrics--some of riffs feel a bit too much like Limp Bizkit, as well, especially that silly bass break.

There's some midpaced, half-groove stuff inspired by Pantera and 90's Sepultura in the form of "Screaming from the Sky" and the slower sections, but they're much better than the septic tank that is Chaos AD. Not good...no, just mediocre and able to just scrape by through not being offensively bad. A lot of the slower stuff has uncomfrotable melodies, slower tempos, and vocal melodies that really recall South of Heaven, especially evident on the riff salad that is "Perversions of Pain." Speaking of lackluster, Tom's vocals and delivery took a huge dive sometime around or just after Seasons in the Abyss, and here they sound as though they have been retroactively soaked in Monster Energy Drink and Axe body spray, a sad trend that would never reverse itself. Combined with the tough-guy douche bag lyrics Tom would treat everyone to a real fecal buffet on God Hates Us All.

Now that's about the worst of the album. On the ultimate plus side, this is a mostly Hannemann composed album--just like South of Heaven--and there are oodles of disturbing riffs and harmonies. There are actually a number of competent Slayer thrashing classics like "Bitter Peace," "Scrum," and "Point." Granted, they're not as good as anything before Seasons in the Abyss, they don't suck at all--and that break down with the uneasy harmonies in "Scrum" is classic Slayer. As far as unusual but good stuff that works, the super chunky "In the Name of God" is particularly catchy and heavy as fuck. "Desire," though being a harbinger of such future shit as "Bloodline," is downright creepy, classic Hannemann horror--the crawling riff with the half-moaned vocals works much better than it should, and Kerry's solo is twisted as fuck.

Though King and Hannemann have had some great solos in the past, the ones on Diabolus in Musica are really special--it's just too bad the material wasn't as good. Each solo usually has some really distinct feature, be it an effect or some bizarre choice of notes, but it sounds like they were really engaged in their lead sections. "In the Name of God" has this cool harmonized lead that I had never heard from Slayer before. Also, this may be Paul Bostaph's best performance with Slayer, as his drumming displays a lot of funk and groove in this weird musical style, so that's another plus.

At the end of the day I can't really blame Slayer for wanting to branch out, and a number of the musical experiments on this album actually turned out pretty well. I can even overlook the shamefully shitty stuff. However, what I cannot forgive is that goddamn horrible "logo" on the front. Seriously, what the hell was with bands either making their logos fucking lame or just being lazy and typing their names on the front in the 90's? Fuck that shit.

90s Slayer A'ight - 74%

lostalbumguru, October 24th, 2023
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, American Recordings

Diabolous In Musica wasn't well-liked in the late 90s, ignored in the 00s, and is pretty much still condemned to this day. It's a failed experiment of an album but isn't as bad as people say, and fails only due to holding back slightly instead of absolutely hammering down. For the year 1998, it's not a bad album at all, and if you can mentally edit out some of the flabby song structures and repeated musical ideas, you'll find a more mature Slayer at work here. There are some attempts to curry favour with nu-metal fans, but actually if you turn up the volume and really listen, Diabolous In Musica is still a very Slayer album, with nasty riffing, aggressive vocals, cynical lyrics, concussive drumming, and excellent cover art.

It's kind of s semi-open secret that Slayer's 90s output is their best work. From Seasons in the Abyss, to Diabolous In Musica (and we might include God Hates Us All), Slayer went heavier, added punk attitude, thickened their production, changed drummers, and moved from a very nasty debauched thrash sound full of brimstone and hellfire, to a heavier thudding sound and yes they even flirted with nu-metal a little along the way. If you can get around the fact that Diabolous In Musica is a little plodding, and maybe some of the songs are underdeveloped, there's a lot to like here. Many of the Slayer hallmarks are still present, and overall the late 90s couldn't have been referenced any better. Bitter Peace could be on any Slayer album, Stain of Mind is legitimately catchy and clever, and while Death's Head, Scrum, and other songs are a little samey, overall even the filler songs are still ok.

Love to Hate, Desire, and Screaming from the Sky are the highlights of the second half of Diabolous In Musica. There is a modern choppy bounce to the tempos on most of the songs on this album ,and you can tell it was aimed at nightclubs, and at people driving and listening, but the drumming from Paul Bostaph is excellent, and extremely heavy. He doesn't have the fizz and musicality of Lombardo, but his precise robotic, factory-style drumming suits the music. It's not pretty, but it is very well thought out, very well played and absolutely on top of the beat in every instance. There is a fair amount of double bass, and the usual rolling tom fills that we heard on Divine Intervention, as well as a very prominent hi-hat giving a hip-hop feel in some places.

The guitars are slightly hissy and could be the only weak point productionwise. A little more thickness and warmth would have lifted things a little, but King and Hanneman are playing the riffs with verve and aggression, and you can certainly tell Diabolous In Musica is a Hanneman album. King's songs are short, repetitive, and hard hitting. Hanneman's full of eccentric riffs, slower tempos, and a more haunted feeling. Araya's vocals are some his best work, barking and yelling with conviction. The bass is present and adds a certain rumble, but it would have been nice it had been made the king-tone of the album's production.

The production overall is very loud, very self-aware, and while nothing sounds too clean, everything is audible and hard. Despite being written off as a sell-out album, Diabolous In Musica is a hard album. It's not inviting, and it doesn't try too much to draw in new listeners or make many pop choices. It sits well with the nu-metal releases of the time, but it's not really that similar. It's a simpler Slayer, but simpler by way of being pared down, and slower in places. It's not a fun art-metal album from System of a Down, it's not a Coal Chamber album. It's definitely a Slayer album, and despite its throwaway songs, and strange tempos here and there, and guitars which are slightly neutered, it's pretty heavy, not that easy to get through, and not half as bad as common opinion avers.

Diabolous In Musica takes chances, and meets the late 90s head on. South of Heaven again, or another reign in Blood would have been tedious in the time frame, and while not quite as seminal as those albums, Diabolous In Musica is more interesting, slightly anomalous, a little awkward, but ultimately a brave album, a risk, and nearly very good. It's also the first Slayer album moved down to the underutilised C# tuning. With a slightly better guitar tone, the sheer thickness of that tuning would have been for the ages. Instead it contributes to an unsettling urban netherworld vibe, a certain guns, and beer, and cars, and sports shirts city-darkness. On Unguarded Instinct we hear,

Two-faced moral abandon
Races my blood, boils my skin
Unhinging the doorway to this asylum
Releasing unshackled poison dreams
Beginning the end of temptation
A vengeance so divine
The end of temptation


If that's not archetypal Slayer, I don't know what is. The poison in still in the vein, it's just the skin is a different colour.

Slayer went to maimer - 60%

Lane, January 6th, 2022

Hey, did you notice how bad 1990s was to metal music (to more known bands, at least)? Grunge and nu-metal emerged; say no more! If you were a metalhead through those turbulent times, of course the effect was totally felt. Even Slayer turned, or were commanded to turn towards studio crew who mostly came outside metal music, and perhaps that way forced to yield to 1990s alternative rock sounds.

Let's begin from the package, because... it has signs... The band logo looks something completely different, starting with a section sign (§). The cover art which consists of black and white photography that might be upsetting and ghastly to some eyes, doesn't scream "SLAYER." Not at all. The title of the album does, though. However, the signs are there in the open.

When hearing this, it is clear that it's Slayer playing; they just sound Slayer together, no doubt about that (even though it is Paul Bostaph again behind the kit). Even if the music is mostly a lot slower than Slayer at their fastest, it still can be tight at best here. However, so often it is stripped of that anger, that motherfucking slaying fury. It is still loud, okay, but it sounds like guys were feeling the sun in their jacuzzis, probably having some beers or enjoying family company, and forgot to feel angry. The anger level isn't higher than, let's say, Mudvayne, on the nu-tinged songs. So, I presume it was told by the band's management or record label to make some sonics that would make nu-metal fanatics throw down their burgers and put on the hood and go sway to this. Wouldn't have been the first time, nor the last...

I never wanted Slayer to go and sound Korn-ish. The other way around would have been okay. And hey, I can enjoy some early Korn. It's just a bad marriage here, this way around. I mean I've commanded my brain to act like I wasn't listening to Slayer here, but it cannot be done. When I get closest to that point, I can enjoy them looser beats, but I really cannot enjoy the most simplistic guitar work. Bostaph does fine, even during the slowest parts, plus he's throwing out loads of different beats and tricks. Bad ass guy! But those guitaaarrrrrghs: If former Slayer stuff was made by engineers, the simple stuff here was on caveman-level in comparison. The drums feel alive, the guitars feel lame for a big time, even though there are some old school shredding happening.

While there are some good riffs and melody processions here, about all of them pale when contrasting to past music from the band. This is the Slayer album where they began to rehash their stuff. The opener, 'Bitter Peace' penned by Jeff Hanneman, has a slow start, but explodes into a typical Slayer song, which I like; it is one of the most energetic and vicious things packed herein (yep, those more familiar-sounding bits can be angry... or angry-ish). But alas, it is already the second track (also by Hanneman) where things get so much more blunt and cleansed, and this time with slow ending which really does not fit with the first part. It contains some bits that try to be as evil as 'Dead Skin Mask', but fuck no (for another example, try 'Desire'; partly with similar vocals even). 'Stain of Mind', the first Kerry King song is more nu-metal tinted with its funky (?!) groove. And the vocals, then... Tom Araya (also on bass guitar) is in his old beastly form at times, but then we also got more suitable rhythmic spoken vocals, too. On more like a rap/metal song hybrid, 'Overt Enemy', the vocals are effected. You can expect loads of guitar effects/sounds, too, and often from the domain of nu-metal and alternative rock...

So, what we got was a less vicious and cleaned-up Slayer, even though 'Perversions of Pain' and 'Scrum' are like simplified tracks in previous album's vein. Even the lyrics seem somewhat less brutal, even though war and sick human minds make the main content. This has some better moments, but not a whole song is such. I can listen to this, but together with its sequel, 2001's 'God Hates Us All', it's often left on shelf. The production is raw-ish and of the band's heaviest up to this album. Not as raw as 'Divine Intervention', though. The sound is considerably different when the band do caveman-stuff. Some of the drums sound rubbery (like toms with loose skins, plus kick drums), as does the bass. Then add them guitar effects... Feel like listening to some lost songs of "Judgment Night" soundtrack. It's a weird production. Who knows, maybe the band themselves wanted to try something different, and not the record label money makers.

1994's 'Divine Intervention' was a change in Slayer's sound, due to Dave Lombardo leaving. It was a brutal slab of wrath, if you ask me. I think none of their fans expected the band go partly nu and this modern after that album. Well, it happened and left a big stain in minds of many, many Slayer fanatic. The band never returned to their former high levels again, even though they did put out a couple of considerably better albums. Easy to point out now, but that's how it went, and since guitarist Hanneman isn't in this level of existence anymore, we probably won't hear more from Slayer. If this had a different band name (or performers) on it, I think it would have been welcomed much better. I have undeniably heard worse things...

(Originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com)

Slayer's attempt at making a nu-metal album - 35%

Lord Shadow, February 7th, 2021

Many say that Slayer's fall started when they released their God Hates us All album others say that their true fall was when they released this album and I believe that their true fall started when they released the album made before this one (Undisputed Attitude). I do believe that this album is one of their worst albums (it's so bad that it is down there with God Hates us All and Undisputed Attitude). The music is very different from Slayer's old albums (Show no Mercy, Hell Awaits, Regin in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss).

The first major difference is with the vocals (who are done by the legendary singer Tom Araya). Even though, he is singing it is very different from how he usually sings. This why many people (who love Slayer's older albums) don't like this album. A notable change is that Araya is not singing in his usual high pitch (for people who do not know what I am talking about he is not screaming at the mike). He is also not singing with his rage. This is why many Slayer fans do not like this album because they want Araya to sing in his raging, high-pitch voice.

The next notable change in this album comparing it to their older albums is that the drums are not played by Dave Lombardo (who left the band after Slayer's final great album Seasons in the Abyss) and is as good at playing the drums as Araya is good at singing. The person who played the drums in Diabolus in Musica the drums is Paul Bostaph (who is a great drummer but is no Lombardo) and this isn't his first time playing with Slayer. He played two albums with Slayer before this one (Divine Intervention, and Undisputed Attitude), and will play two more albums with Slayer after this one (these albums are God Hates us All, and their last album to be made by the band Repentless).

The final main reason why this album was hated by so many people is that Slayer attempted to make a nu-metal album (if you don't know what that is it's just metal that's just blended into some other music genre like jazz or hip-hop) which was very popular in the metal community in the mid to late 90s. Since this album was released during the late 90s (when nu-metal was at its peak) it can be concluded that Slayer was trend hoping. Hell, even Kerry King (Slayer's guitarist and main songwriter) says that this album is a mistake and that they were trend hopping.

In conclusion, this album was just like Undisputed Attitude except for it was much slower and softer than it. Even though, I do think that some nu-metal fans may enjoy this I highly doubt that they would Slayer fans in the first place. So with the combination of trend hopping, a much slower pace, not as heavy, and with Araya testing out new vocals instead of just sticking with what he knew would work it is no wonder why this song is so hated by Slayer fans.

Doesn't deserve a headline - 52%

Felix 1666, May 30th, 2016
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, American Recordings

Aside from the title track, "You Against You" is my personal favourite tune on the recently released "Repentless". Its lyrics include the message "it makes no sense that you tie your own noose". Allow me to add in all modesty that it also makes no sense to publish an insincere album which has not much in common with the style that the vast majority of the fans prefers. However, to adapt a German proverb, I guess Araya and his companions were still (relatively) young and they needed the money. The result was one of their worst products up to now.

The most popular songs of early and / or successful albums define the identity of a band. This does not mean that any form of development is a cardinal sin. Darkthrone have cleverly managed to re-invent themselves again and again. Their outsider image is the common element that unites their works. Yet it is a fact that some bands don't find the right balance between constancy and evolution. Slayer belong to these bands. They did no longer believe in the dogma of high velocity. This was not really new, inter alia their non-punk track on "Undisputed Attitude" had already pointed in a new direction. However, on their eighth album, Slayer made excessive use of mid-tempo parts and the result were ponderous cripples such as "In the Name of God". To add insult to injury, this was one of the tunes that additionally suffered from inappropriate breaks. Heavyweight rhythms can replace high velocity successfully, but they cannot develop their effect if somebody constantly applies the emergency brakes. One could say that Slayer had lost their magic "piece by piece" after the release of "Reign in Blood", but the now preferred, more or less trendy style almost appeared as an unexpected act of betrayal. The choppy riffing of "Stain of Mind" awoke memories of legions of mediocre bands, but it was not linked with the approach that established the gargantuan reputation of Slayer. The same applied for the robotized vocals that showed up occasionally.

Of course, the musicians had too much energy and creativity to release a great pile of shit. A certain number of good riffs and some fairly intensive parts proved evidence that the formation was actually still able to compose a more than solid album. For example, the few dramatic parts of "Overt Enemy" did not lack of intensity, "Perversions of Pain" scored with a weird melody line and the first song unleashed a proper storm after the half-baked intro. Unfortunately, I have to add that "Bitter Peace" had some parts that seemed to be borrowed from "War Ensemble". Nevertheless, this was a promising opener - and it was simultaneously deceptive, because the overall result was disappointing.

Without the vocals of Tom Araya, who had put his heart and soul in his performance, I would not have identified this work as a Slayer album. These groovy parts, this embarrassing attitude and the absence of murderous brutality formed a product that did not meet my expectations. It seemed to be no coincidence that Slayer's logo on the cover surprised with a new design; this group wanted to represent something new, due to whatever reason. The fat production did not help to make things much better. The sound was powerful and heavy, but a good production can only underline the vitality of strong songs. Vice versa, it is never able to make weak songs good. Therefore, I would rather have preferred to be confronted with some insidious and aggressive "Show No Mercy" leftovers in demo sound quality. Yet the protagonists revealed their truly merciless face and tortured the audience with meaningless, one-dimensional and tedious titles such as "Love to Hate". And allow me to come back to the widespread absence of high velocity; who the hell had told them that mid-tempo is sexy? Many good efforts were killed by the unpleasant dominance of pretty slow-moving rhythms. I know, I have mentioned this point already, but the co-inventors of high speed must accept this repeated criticism.

"Diabolus in Musica" left an extremely ambivalent impression, barely enough to keep body and soul together. Without fillers like the stupid and seemingly endless "Wicked", it could have been a little bit better. Yet it is pointless to think about a less weak configuration of the album. The best salad is a nice piece of meat, but this finding is not helpful as long as only vegetarian meals are offered.

Groovin' to the Beast - 65%

doomknocker, June 17th, 2015
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, American Recordings

Slayer came into the end of the millennium with all the brevity of Comic Book Guy shoving past patrons to get Homer and June Bellamy’s autographs. Try as musical society would like, the Bay Area antichrists would not go down without having as much of a say so as possible, and if it meant having to kowtow just that little bit, then why not? It wasn’t an unheard of concept (with plenty of examples to boot), and it’s not like they’ve kept up the unrighteous speed and blinding fury that put them on the map back ten or so years ago. No, theirs was more of a methodical undoing, a sort of “settling” that happens when people get older, perspectives shift accordingly and what once gave you that extra spurt of adrenaline just ain’t cuttin’ it no more. It’s happened to all of us in all walks of life, and that seemed to be the case with this quite clearly…

So this has been considered to be their absolute worst release and one of the worst metal albums ever. Well…the first argument may hold water under the right circumstances and amount of weight behind it, but with the second, for what it’s worth, that ain’t true. It’s really not a wholly useless release. “Diabolus in Musica” captures a few things in the Slayer camp, not all of it good, but as well not all of it bad. For one, the pacing and level of performance sounds pretty enervated; save for Paul Bostoph doing his best to demolish his kit, the rest of the band plods about at roughly half a tank. Not exactly “phoning it in”, but all the same not letting loose the demons within so to speak. That in itself robs much of the spirit from the recording, which I feel could have been much more beefed up if this was done by the Slayer we all knew and (once) loved. Guitarist/resident tool Kerry King once opined that, at the time of the album’s composition, he/they were pretty fed up with the whole “music business” thing, which leads credence to as to how and why they sound so down and out (it’s hard to care when there ain’t much worth caring about, after all) and his own serious lack of creative input. Which leads to another thing captured off the album, this time in a better light; the songwriting is quite a ways improved here than on the previous outing “Divine Intervention”. Throw tomatoes at me all you want, but while “Divine…” is jagged and uneven in many places, “Diabolus…” segues from one riff and track to the next with a sense of logical flow, not nearly as detached in itself as it all progresses.

It helps that Jeff Hannemen was easily the better songwriter of the guitar-led duo, more inclined to rely on melody and actual song craft versus two-dimensional brutality and speed, and as a result you get charming bits of gristle betwixt the teeth in “Stain of Mind”, “Desire” and “Screaming from the Sky”, though they as well don’t short change you on the heaviness in any way. Just that’s it’s a heaviness that’s easier to accept on the ears is all. Beyond that, the presentation of the album is also a bit suspect…the production is really murky and unkempt, and while Slayer’s never had great production throughout their entire history (like…ever, really…) this was definitely on the low side of things, a little less clear than “Divine…” and not as bright and sharp as the next chain link “God Hates Us All”. The drums are snappy yet thin, the guitar tone is shadowy and dense and Tom’s vocals, while the clearest layer of the bunch, are probably the worst offender of them all. I’m not gonna say that Mr. Araya is a wholly convincing singer (heh…”singer”…), but I’ve not heard him sound so…phony…in all the band’s entire existence. I wasn’t persuaded in any way that he was as maniacal as he makes (made?) himself out to be, and at best he sounds mildly pissed as opposed to homicidally raging. It may match the general sound of things, but for lead vocal work they leave a lot to be desired. Was Tom just as wishy-washy as Kerry, maybe? Possibly? I wonder…

All in all “Diabolus in Musica” is, I can admit, Slayer’s weakest hour, but beyond that it’s not a complete loss. Compared to the nu metal dreck that was knockin’ ‘em dead during this time (which many folks claim Slayer catered to with this, to which I wag my finger and cast shame upon you chuckleheads…ain’t no nu metal with this!), this is a far less inimical offering and, as we’ve all heard, you could do a lot worse. As far as the band goes with this…well…you could always pop “Reign…” back in for another go. So there’s that…

Slower Slayer with toppings - 58%

gasmask_colostomy, June 15th, 2015

Being the kind of metalhead who came to the genre from the most obvious bands of the day (“my day” was the early and mid 00s), a lot of the early albums I bought from classic bands were not really the classics – maybe I knew the name and nothing more. So, it should come as little surprise that my first Slayer album was ‘Diabolus in Musica’, which happened to be the cheapest album in the shop. Some would say that it was rightfully the cheapest album in the shop, because no one is going to buy it, but I can see the merit hidden in such a release. Perhaps hidden isn’t quite the right word, since this album doesn’t exactly have depths to explore; however, it also isn’t much simpler than the earlier Slayer albums, which do have a recognisable formula to them, the difference being that metal purists prefer the thrash formula to many others. Personally, I find the thrash formula a little tiring and repetitive at times, so I do not bemoan the changes made on this album, nor did I have the band’s legacy to consider when I first heard this release.

Now, I’ve seen some accusations of nu metal (mallcore) dalliance being thrown around in relation to this album. I don’t really buy into them that much, because this doesn’t sound like Korn or Deftones or even Slipknot, who were always a heavier prospect in that scene. You can trust me on this because I’ve listened to those bands for many years and, occasionally down-tuned and slow guitars aside, Slayer don’t end up close to the same aesthetic with bouncy riffs or spooky vocals or sound effects instead of solos. ‘Love and Hate’ has an opening riff that sounds like something culled from Sepultura’s ‘Roots’, yet the rhythm of the vocals – which may sound a little like rapping – is in fact the same straightforward delivery that Tom Araya has previously used, just slowed down for the pace of the song. The style is about 80% identifiable as Slayer, though several of the songs are slowed down and attempt the same sort of atmospheric riffing approach that ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ played with to some success. There are few out and out fast songs, maybe ‘Scrum’, ‘Point’, and a large part of ‘Bitter Peace’, while ‘Desire’ stays out of thrash territory for its entire duration and still ends up sounding completely like Slayer in the vein of ‘Dead Skin Mask’.

While genre hasn’t altered a great deal, some of the style certainly has. The band are mostly playing slower (this and ‘Reign in Blood’ are like the tortoise and the hare) and some of the riffs take on a groovier quality, with a rounder, less sharp, guitar tone and few real thrash breaks. The solos follow the same pattern and appear both less frequently and for a shorter duration than on the older albums, while the style is less virtuoso and manic. This leads to a million purists despising ‘Diabolus in Musica’ because it messes around with the revered style of the sacred cow that is Slayer. For me, there is no sacred cow, especially from my chronological perspective, so King and Hanneman simply need to come up with something special to induce excitement, in which they sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. A few of the riffs (‘Love to Hate’, ‘Screaming from the Sky’) are boring and don’t make a big impact, while some of the slower, creepier songs seem to be a little Slayer-by-numbers and don’t quite have the desired effect. The drums are probably the heaviest thing here and so obviously do more than keep time that the nu metal accusations seem ridiculous on a song like the tumbling ‘Point’ or even some of the slower numbers. Paul Bostaph is always aggressive and provides even groovy songs like ‘Stain of Mind’ with a certain Slayer stamp. Tom Araya does a decent job on bass, though sometimes he plays too straight, while his vocals range between very convincing to very uncertain. Slayer lyrics tend to be lists, which suits some of the faster-paced songs, but doesn’t work so well with the slower material.

The songs come as a slightly mixed bag and, depending what kind of relationship you have with Slayer, you may or may not find a lot to like. Classic fans will enjoy ‘Bitter Peace’, ‘Scrum’, and ‘Point’, and might find ‘Desire’ acceptable if they deem Araya’s vocals creepy rather than weak. Fans of metal should additionally like the more varied numbers like ‘Overt Enemy’ and ‘Perversions of Pain’, the latter of which might be my favourite song on the album, with its slide between outraged and eerie. Verbal bombs have been hurled on account of ‘Death’s Head’ and ‘Stain of Mind’, but I stand in defence of both of them. ‘Death’s Head’ has lyrics with the word “trigger” in, which doesn’t make it into a gangster song, nor is Araya rapping, and whoever believes he is does not possess a pair of ears. The solo is a little cool and I admit it’s not thrash, but whatever. ‘Stain of Mind’ is an unacceptable departure for some traditionalists, with its bouncy main riff and stuttering rhythm, though I feel the song generally works well and is a decent listen. The songs that I have not mentioned are of poorer quality and do not reward repeated listens.

‘Diabolus in Musica’ has been singled out as a Slayer release that departs entirely from the band’s style, which is not entirely true. However, it does represent a dip in consistency that began after the end of the 80s, and some of the songs have boring moments and recycled ideas. I find something to like in most of the material on offer here, and the musical style has more of a general appeal outside thrash metal, but many will be disappointed by this album.

Dialobus in Maturation: Play This Thing Loud! - 100%

low_tone1, June 7th, 2013

It took me a while to warm up to Slayer. I was not a metal fan until I was in high school, and even then, my tastes were limited to Pantera, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, and Metallica. It was a good friend who brought Diabolus in Musica over to my house and made me listen to it. Ever since, this has been my archetypal Slayer album. It’s heavy, it’s driving, and it’s lyrical content bangs your head into the harshness of wartime reality which is that “mutually assured destruction will occur.” Pantera wrote the song “Fucking Hostile,” but this album is just that. It is a heavily infused thrash fest of destruction. Where Divine Intervention began to feel like a typical Slayer sound (my own opinion), Dialobus in Musica takes the band in a heavier and heavily refreshing direction. It holds its own in the pantheon of albums like Reign in Blood, and Seasons in the Abyss while offering a depth of heaviness not heard on either album. It may not be better than Reign in Blood, but it rips open one’s skull in a very satisfying way.

One particular song of note from this album is “Scrum,” a song that begins with fast drums and heavy guitars and tears into your brain with Araya’s harshly oppressive vocals. This is a song that begins heavy and gets fast, bringing their signature thrash speed to their (then) current heavier sound. Meanwhile, “Stain of Mind” is a song that MUST be played at high/full volume. This song is driving, heavy, and beautifully structured with brief refrains at the beginning of each thrashing chorus. This is the song that I would use to induct any new listener into the realm of Slayer. Even their slower riffs, such as found in “In the Name of God,” carry a depth that only adds to the intensity of the album. The juxtaposition of slow riffs and quick-paced soloing delivers only the harshest of effects as can be expected from Slayer. When combined as a whole, the end product of this album is a wholly satisfying experience.

Compared with the bands earlier achievements, this album fits very well in their catalogue. It’s a mature addition that serves to develop the bands familiar style and lead into their following albums, God Hates Us All, Christ Illusion, and World Painted Blood. However, this is not a bridge album. It stands on its own strength, not just the fact that it opens the door for the band’s following albums/styles like many bridge albums are known to do (Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven comes to mind). When heard among earlier works such as Show No Mercy and Hell Awaits, Dialobus in Musica stands strong. The familiar speed of the first two albums remains while a newer level of deep riffing and vocalizations serve to expand the band’s sound. In short, this is a mature thrash album. And therein lies its strength. It is an evolution from the bands previous mid nineties albums and a maturation from their earlier eighties albums.

This is an album everybody can enjoy. It bears the heaviness many fans enjoy while maintaining that fast paced thrash element fans of classic Slayer look for. It progresses beyond the stale sound developed from Divine Intervention and Undisputed Attitude. Finally, it honestly and wholeheartedly kicks ass. The louder the better, as I have mentioned. Do not play this album on your laptop speakers (which I am guilty of doing as I write this review right now); play it at maximum volume on stack speakers or towers. Play it in surround sound. Play it over and over again.

Slaya'z in Da Haus! - 22%

autothrall, October 3rd, 2011

Let's face facts: Slayer ran out of their presumably inexhaustible supply of relevance when they ran out of sounding evil. History will record that this transpired between the years of Seasons in the Abyss (1990) and Divine Intervention (1994). Coincidentally, these were the same years in which other big names of the extreme metal genre were experiencing their own difficulty in coming to identity with the changing 90s. The dominance of grunge, 'alternative', British sop rock and the peaking of the rap game. Like Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax and so many others, they felt forced to adapt themselves to this oncoming rush of change, and while they might not have bent so far as others in the declining thrash metal category, we were nevertheless left with the pungent shit-stain that is Diabolus in Musica, an album about as attractive as a fit of irritable bowel syndrome.

What the hell am I looking at? Billy Corgin masquerading as a Christian superhero? Or were Tom Araya and the boys finally giving us the reveal that they are not, in fact, nearly so Satanic as one might have believed from their legendary 80s albums. The strange new logo and decidedly 90s cover image (which inspires nothing but remorse) would be one thing, and one thing I expected during a time in which Janes Addiction and Tool were considered the peak of musical artistry, but very quickly does the composition of its content take a dive for the lowest common denominator, the wretched wigga groove metal scene inhabited and dominated by acts like Korn, Machine Head, P.O.D. and whoever else I'm too horrified to recall. Now, don't get me wrong...they attempted to stave this stench off for as long as possible. Divine Intervention was an entirely mediocre record, yes, but it was Slayer being Slayer. Only boring, which no one in their right mind could really want, but that was the worst it could be accused of. An urbanization of their esoteric, interesting subject matter into the burgeoning Information Age.

The boredom continues here through "Bitter Peace", a track that at least teases us into thinking their will be a good thrashin' waiting at the end of this ghetto rainbow. Mundane groove chords stretch on into banality like some sorrow attempt to recapture the magic of Reign in Blood, that flawless exercise of an album that (unfortunately) launched a billion metalcore kids with its inescapable breakdowns. Well, sure enough, the band picks up the pace for some speed/thrash reminiscent of Divine Intervention, only the riff is entirely throwaway and not even remotely evil. The later breakdown sucks, and about the only tolerable point of this song is the period from around 2:57 when the leads break out against a decent but self-derived rhythm guitar. And then, then it all goes to shit, with the total LCD groove metal track "Death's Head", the very definition of JUMP DA FUC UP for disenchanted Limp Bizkit expatriates who seek a seance with Satan.

This was a joke, right? Surely they were having a laugh on us? Oh no, my friends of misery, for "Stain of Mind" put the strain on mine. "Overt Enemy" offered us political commentary to the beat of the cheesiest chug rhythm the metalcore mosh-squad living on your corner ever could dream of. "Perversion of Pain" attempted to bring back the psychedelic, haunting layered Araya vocals of Seasons but forgot the good music to go with them. "Love to Hate" clobbered us with another clutter of vapid grooves that missed the mark no matter how hard Paul Bostaph tried to jazz it up. The list of complaints I could write for this album could compete with Black Friday foot traffic at your local Wal*Mart. It sucks, hands down, and even at it's arguable best, the cluttered speed of "Scrum" or the clumsy, familiar grooving of "Screaming from the Sky" it feels like a half-assed grasp at a paycheck.

I'm surprised Rick Rubin didn't submit this directly to his friends over at Def Jam. Okay, so maybe it's not a rap metal record exactly, but it feels like a clear swerve towards that crowd of collegiates who discovered all their latest faves while loaded at the latest Lollapalooza or Ozzfest. All they needed were some Mike D and Ad Rock guest slots and they could have pushed 2-3 million of these bottom line. And you know something? This all might have been fine if the grooves were good, the notes memorable, the vocal patterns as effective as their yesteryears. Diabolus in Musica is such a dull, creatively bankrupt recording that it makes even its mediocre successors seem like brilliant bulbs of passion and musicianship. Of the many missteps made among the 'Big Four', this is second only to St. Anger in terms of its failure. I don't know about you cats, but I want my Slayer to sound like it originated from Malebolge, not the mall. An icon of perdition, not parachute pants.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

It's a pity... - 40%

evermetal, October 12th, 2009

Slayer are one of the few bands that have earned the respect of all metal fans. No matter what their favorite genres are, power, progressive, death or black, they accept Slayer as the top extreme metal band. Therefore every new album they are about to release is awaited with great eagerness and anxiety. Such were my feelings for Diabolus In Musica, the successor to Divine Intervention, which to be honest hadn’t lived to my expectations but still, was rather good. Bearing in mind that the in-between release, Undisputed Attitude was something they did just for fun, I prayed this time I would listen to the good old Slayer. What a fool I’ve been!

This album is the total disappointment, the end of Slayer if I may say so. Where is the thrash metal in here? Where are the spiting fire guitars and the machine-gun drums? Where are the vomiting vocals by Tom Araya, the once master of screams? Where are the songs meant to make you suffer severe head and neck injuries from the non-stop headbanging? Where is the Slayer we knew and worshiped?

I am sorry to say it but they are dead or if you prefer they are catching their final breath. Slayer have sold their souls to the altar of hardcore (!!) and have disgraced all of us, who stood by them through all those years. I never believed they would come to the point to sound like Suicidal Tendencies or I don’t know what the fuck else. The only one I don’t blame for this is Bostaph. His role in the band is insignificant and he is there just to play the drums. They might as well have used a drum machine. Men, Dave Lombardo was very clever to step away.

What we had heard in Divine… is now in full development. The glorious, deadly thrash riffs have given their place to hardcore themes and tunes. Araya’s vocals are cold and dead. They no more send shivers down your spine. Instead they wanna make you scratch your balls out of boredom. Most of the songs are soulless and completely dull. They are based upon the same structure. Slow intros, then they go hard-shit-core. At some point they throw us a bit of thrash to fool us like a bone thrown to a dog to trick its hunger. Then they wrap it up in a nice hardcore pack end everything is well. Most of the people I know that listen to hardcore liked this album a lot. Does that tell you something?

There are only a few songs that remain out of this shit-hole. The opening track, Bitter Peace is quite good with sharper guitars and a more “thrashy” feeling. Also Overt Enemy and Scrum are closer to the spirit of the old greatness than the shit-ness I experienced with the rest.

I have Diabolus In Musica on tape and I have written at the end of the tape the track Lesbian Show by Nightfall from Greece. THIS is the best song of the tape!! I’ll say no more out of respect for what Slayer used to be. Slayer R.I.P.

This is when I stopped caring - 45%

mikeald, April 28th, 2009

Most people criticize this album for its Nu-Metal influences…that’s not the problem. The problem is those Slayerisms, which I will get to. This album has more of an industrial metal vibe to it like Fear Factory and Godflesh with trash elements then Nu-Metal. I do give the band credit for trying something new, god forbid that Slayer will ever experiment. The album’s overall tone is very dark and eerie. The artwork is messed up, in a good way. But here are the problems….

Jeff and Kerry’s solos, they have been playing the same dam solo since 1986. Does Slayer believe that melody is lame or something? Look at other extreme metal acts like Entombed, Dismember, & (old) Sepultura…they all have melodic solos in their songs. Is this some type of American thing? An acoustic guitar can actually sound pretty creepy when used right.

Tom’s vocals sound like Jerry the “King” Lawler from the WWE. Since 1994 Tom has performed in a rather comical high pitched scream, which sounds like you are watching a WWE match, with Jeff and Kerry going at it in the ring. I’m not a fan of vocal effects but that is one of the highlights of this album. Look at “In the Name of God,” the effects in the middle of the song fit the music better, than Tom’s normal vocals. The vocal effects on “Screaming from The Sky” give the album that industrial feel I was referring to. Songs like “Point” are ruined by the vocals. This song has so much potential before Tom starts singing. This album could have used some spoken word sections or audio clips to add to the atmosphere of the album.

The slower pace of this album is a highlight. Some of the heaviest metal albums come from slower paces. Ex, “Bitter Peace” is the best Slayer opening ever; it’s heavy and grabs your attention with a slow build up on guitars and drums. Nice drums fills and bass lingering in the back ground as the guitars drone off for a bit. This is only the first 1:32 seconds of the song…then goes into Slayer mode.

This album is downloadable at best. If you want a good Slayer album buy Show No Mercy or South of Heaven.

The Royal Seal of Gayness (18th in Class) - 28%

hells_unicorn, April 25th, 2009

It is with a rather odd fit of self-irony that I have to say that this isn’t as bad as it is made out to be. By no standard is this good or even an album that could be described as being enjoyable for those who wanted thrash metal and got stuff like this instead. But if the basis of comparison is albums like Metallica’s “St. Anger”, Machine Head’s “The Burning Red” or Sepultura’s “Roots”, this is a superior album. It still contains some elements of the older Slayer that everybody loves, more particularly the one that put out decent music on “Divine Intervention”, albeit in sparse intervals within certain songs. There’s plenty of groove and stagnated chugging that makes “Countdown To Extinction” sound like “Darkness Descends”, but what results is something more along the lines of a “Chaos A.D.” or “Vulgar Display Of Power”.

Unlike most of the nu-metal brethren of the day who were farting all over the concept of the guitar solo and creating actual riffs to bolster a bare bones arrangement rather than 2-3 note drones with rapped nonsense and loopy studio vocal effects, there is actually an attempt at musical variation and even an aura of technicality. The guitar solos that occur are essentially a slowed down and restrained version of what would ordinarily be going on, almost comparable to what was heard out of Kirk Hammet and Marty Friedman at around this time. The groove sections are naturally annoying insults to the concept of guitar playing, but there are usually brief instrumental breaks that explore the old dissonant harmony work of better days, albeit in a much slower and less catchy capacity.

There are basically four songs on here that don’t put the concept of metal over a barrel, but even this songs are fairly flawed afterthoughts that might have amounted to B-sides on “South Of Heaven” or “Seasons In The Abyss”. “Perversions Of Pain” and “Point” are basically full thrash songs and fairly decent, perhaps measuring up to some of the fast works heard on “Seasons”, but also containing breakdown sections that are a little bit too modern sounding. “Bitter Piece” also is pretty fast and catchy once it gets going, but you have to wait through about a minute and a half of repetitive monotony to get to it. “Scrum” is a little better during the slow sections and throws out a few decent riffs before it starts cooking, and also features the wildest yet shortest lead break on here.

Everything else found on this album falls into two categories, one being really bland groove metal in the mode of Sepultura and Pantera circ 1992-93, the other being the Mallcore drivel of Korn and The Deftones. A good example of the former is found in “Screaming From The Sky”, which is perpetually locked in mid-tempo land but does show a little bit of riff variation within a fairly limited range of ideas. For the latter look no further than the grating, homeboy hat sporting nonsense that is “Death’s Head” and “Love To Hate”. If you have never experienced pure 3 note groove redundancy with the most poser oriented tough guy yelled crap, this is one of the places to experience, but try not to listen to these songs too many times or your balls might shrink while your pants get baggy.

The jury is back and the verdict has been rendered, this is a lousy quarter-thrash album that would best be buried in the graveyard of nu-metal gayness. Itunes has made it possible to download individual songs from albums, so anyone looking to hear something that is fairly decent, stick to the 4 songs mentioned in a positive capacity here. The lesson to be learned if you are actually masochistic enough to purchase this entire CD at any price above $2, is that the old cliché of “too big to fail” is an utter lie and that anyone who speaks this nonsense should be beaten mercilessly with a wet super shammy.

Originally submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on April 24, 2009.

Their Peak...in Crap - 40%

CHRISTI_NS_ANITY8, September 29th, 2008

When everything seemed to go well for Slayer, came Diabolous in Musica. With the Divine Intervention album, Slayer proved us that they were avoiding the groove/grunge period very well but the hopes of a solid, still thrash metal effort were destroyed by this album, the weakest point in their career. I can say that if it’s even acceptable because after 15 years of music the inspiration can go away for awhile, but the music here is not good…and I must admit it, me, a huge fan of this band. Nothing is perfect and they are human beings too, even if in the previous efforts they looked like (or played like) gods to me.
I’ve listened to this album a lot of times in the past because I was younger and as a teenager with a low knowledge of metal, I was attracted by anything that sounded heavy and it did to me. By the way, growing up as a guy and as a metal aficionado, I understood that this album had nothing to do with the previous ones. The 90s were a quite bad period for the genres born in the 80s and this is the proof, even because the “nu-metal” was putting the head out and was becoming a popular genre among the young bands. I can’t say that Slayer completely went “nu-metal” but they filled their sound with new elements and the songwriting changed a lot.

The beginning is not bad at all and it gives you the idea that the band is back again with a furious opus of thrash metal. The introduction to “Bitter Peace” and the following up-tempo parts are just blowing. The band is compact, brutal and fast. The production is clear, pounding and truly devastating. Bostaph at the drums is always great and the furious restarts with the fast bass drum parts are very good. Tom’s vocals are always good and angry but some filtrated vocals are a bit weird. At this point I wasn’t worried because everything seemed a continuation of Divine Intervention. “Death’s Head” shows signs of changes for the more hardcore/punk patterns and guitars parts with sudden doom breaks. The riffs are far simpler than in the past and some effects are actually new in their sound. Everything seems directed in a different way than in the past. Everything is extreme in another direction and this time the first groovy parts are more audible. The atmosphere, anyway, is truly gloom and dark and this is the thing I liked the most. Even the whispered vocals are dark but they are a bit in Slipknot style, so… “Stain of Mind” follows more or less the patterns of the previous song, while the doom atmospheres of “Overt Enemy” and the sludgy riffage are too boring. Tom’s here is terrible and the vocals remind the ones on the following God Hates Us All.

The riffs are sloppy and the solos have lost that uncontrollable fury of the previous works. The fast parts are better and they avoid me from falling asleep. By the way, even in this part, the thrash metal is just present as a tree in the Sahara. The refrain on “Perversion of Pain” is terrible with the clean vocals but the fast parts are finally what I call thrash metal. The solo too is far better. The riffs on “Love to Hate” are one of the most horrible things ever by this band. They are senseless and without even a hint of power and rage. “Desire” is utterly boring in its purpose to be dark and obsessive. As always, the vocals are shit and the arpeggios are flowing crap. Oh my, what a mountain of shit. “In The Name of God” makes me laugh and at times I wanna cry too… here Slayer are almost unrecognizable and completely anonymous in their way of playing. They were born to play thrash and anything different they did they did it bad. No fast parts, no impact, no THRASH, no METAL! This is desolating and going on this album continues in going downhill. The rest of this album isn’t worthy a description. Except for some good riffs on “Scrum”, the rest is to throw away.

They give you the idea that when they decide to play thrash metal, they are still unmatchable but they don’t want to do it in the greatest part of the album. This is definitely the lowest point in their discography and objectively a musical wreck. Ok, if you want to change, do it with a style and this is not the right way. Also the following album would be quite bad but with this one we reached the limits. Unless you are constipated, avoid this album and you’ll live better, for sure.

“Uh…is this Slayer?” - 54%

Metdude, September 20th, 2006

While not quite as bad as the album that follows it, Diabolus In Musica is pretty forgettable. It seems Slayer have attempted to make an album that sounds like Korn or System Of A Down. A lot of the thrash is gone in favour of groove riffs that sound like watered down Pantera. An unfortunate turn of events considering the quality of their earlier work.

Things start off well enough with Bitter Peace. The beginning is pretty slow and it starts to become boring after about a minute. Thankfully, the song really picks up at the 1:33 mark and it thrashes along quite nicely. It’s definitely the highlight here. The next six songs vary in quality from average (Stain Of Mind, Perversions Of Pain) to horrible (Death’s Head, Love To Hate).

Things pick up a bit with In The Name Of God. I like the riff and it has some pretty good drumming but it’s nothing special. It sounds like something Fear Factory could have done apart from the solo of course. Scrum is a short brutal thasher and is a welcome relief from the tedium of the previous eight songs. Screaming From The Sky is a mid-paced song that isn’t too bad. It just sounds like the band is going through the motions. The album does end on a good note with Point. Like the opening track, the beginning does drag a bit but it speeds up a bit quicker this time. Once it does, it’s very enjoyable. It does slow down again in the middle but it speeds up again before the end. At least the song manages to hold your attention throughout.

I don’t recommend buying this album unless you’re a Slayer fan. There’s only 3 good songs and a couple of ok ones. The rest is pretty forgettable. This is definitely a case of downloading a few songs rather than buying the whole thing.

Mediocre - 45%

Uom, March 20th, 2006

Four years since Slayer’s last album (not counting Undisputed Attitude, of course), and we get this mediocre piece of pseudo-groove-thrash. Not the worst album in the world by any stretch, despite popular belief, but it’s a damn shame to what happened to this once evil and amazing metal band. Most of the songs are tired, groovey, and unSlayer-like; the band has obviously been affected by the nu metal/mallcore climate during its time. Listen to the verse riff of ‘Stain of Mind, which squanders the promising intro and mutates the song into this lameass three-chord riff. Stinkers such as ‘Death’s Head’, ‘Perversion of Pain’, ‘In The Name of God, ‘Love to Hate’ unabashedly use nu metal elements to fuller effect. I am not sure if Slayer were consciously aiming at radio airplay, which actually became the case for ‘Stain of Mind’, but that doesn’t give them an excuse to compose and write trite material like this. Another weak aspect of the album is Tom Araya’s monotonous and grating vocal performance. If you think the vocals on Divine Intervention were irritating, wait till you hear the lame hardcore barking of ‘Love to Hate’, and you will really love to hate this song.

Nevertheless, there are diamonds in this rough album. ‘Bitter Peace’ is a nice attempt to return to their thrashtastic glory. Although it does sound like Machine Head, i.e. modern thrash, it still does not compromise the intensity of the song. ‘Overt Enemy’ is a different beast, a lurking, heavy song, which is unfortunately ruined by Araya’s newly-found hardcore posing. ‘Undisputed Attitude’ is just badass. From the double-bass intro, to the sinister sounding chorus, this song harkens back to the glory days, albeit to a slower effect. ‘Point’ is the pinnacle of the album, arguably the best underrated Slayer song ever, with great lyrics, nice variety of pace creating mood and distance, and great dynamics.

Personally, this album opened the gates into the world of metal for me, so I might be subjected into giving this album a greater grade than it deserves. Still, despite its glaring shortcomings and lame moments, there are good songs that keep the album worthwhile to listen to. Proceed with caution.

One of their best - 95%

crewfan, June 8th, 2004

I have to admit, when this album came out I initially took no notice. For the first time in many years, I wasn’t at the store on release day to pick up the new SLAYER album. Boy, did I pick the wrong album to blow off. “Diabolus In Musica” marks a magnificent return to form for the band. For me, the two things that push a SLAYER album from the “pretty damn good” category to world class metal are Jeff Hanneman’s song writing and Rick Rubin’s production. My favorite SLAYER albums–-“South of Heaven”, “Seasons in the Abyss” and now “DIM” all have those commonalities. “Reign in Blood,”no doubt as classic as SLAYER gets, also was produced by Rubin, but the song writing duties were more evenly split. Although Hanneman and Kerry King both always have writing credits on each album, over the years they have begun alternating being the main contributors on albums.

Between 1990's “Seasons in the Abyss” and “DIM”SLAYER released “Divine Intervention” in 1994 and 1996's album of punk covers, the ill fated “Undisputed Attitude.” After those two albums I lost interest a little. King’s songs on “Divine Intervention” have definite punk element added to the band's thrash sound, and the album of punk covers just two years later left me thinking the band had taken a turn in direction away from their more classic sound. On this album, improved writing, production and a reformed style add what was missing.

The band makes their intention clear with the first song. “Bitter Peace” begins with a muted slow riff intro before the full band and volume kick into the track (a la “Ghosts of War”). Not only do they kick in, they double the pace and the song starts to really fly. The sound is thick, the band is tight, and the song is brutal. And just like that you know: SLAYER is back. They pull the same trick with the second track, a rhythmic intro straight into a heavier and quicker verse. The intro is short and the effect is that the listener has a couple seconds to catch a breath before plunging right back into the ferocious pace. Don’t think its all a rehash of the past, though. The band tries a few new tricks, most notably the slower, groove heavy verse of “Love to Hate,”which also finds Tom Araya using a modified vocal approach to his usual gruff bark. This is one the fans will either love or hate–-it works for me.

Poor Paul Bostaph. As well as he drums, the fans always say the same thing: “I wish Dave Lombardo was back.” No doubt Lombardo is a legend, but Bostaph plays incredibly well on this album, and like Lombardo his contribution is a major factor in the band’s appeal. He is a force throughout the album and his rolling double bass on the intro and outro of “Stain of Mind” is just one example of how he makes a great song even better.

Fans always gripe when people compare albums to older favorites. You may or may not think this album is as good as “Seasons in the Abyss” or “South of Heaven.” However, I do believe that if you favor the style and sound of those recordings then you will dig “Diabolus in Musica.”

Underrated...say it...underrated! - 83%

raZe, March 13th, 2004

Is this the most underrated album of all time? Maybe. All I know is that it's way better than what most people give it credit for. Most of the thrash is gone, the songs are slower, the album is more melodic, and Araya actually sings here and there. So? It's a vast improvement over Divine Intervention, and that's what matters.

The best song is the first you hear, 'Bitter Peace'. It's pretty thrashy, actually, and completely and relentlessly in-your-face, and one of the best Slayer songs ever! Yes! While the rest of the album isn't as good as this, it sure is a cool album still. 'Death's Head' is the first departure from the trademark Slayer sound. It has lot more groove than any other song before it, and many metalheads hates this groove-thing that's going on with this album. And some people have the indecency to label it "mallcore". It's heavy metal, people! Wash your freaking ears! Now, the song itself is very good, with a nice tag-along riff, and a nice....GROOVE...Now, for even more....GROOVE...check out 'Stain of Mind'. Hip and modern, something all old farts hate. Furthermore, it's a bleedin' awesome track. The main riff ain't complicated, actually it's something I could play (WOW!), but it's damn catchy. Which leads me to this album's main advantage compared to the older Slayer albums, it's a whole lot easier to remember the songs, as they intrude into your mind, never letting you go. That's called catchiness.

'Overt Enemy' is more of a slow number. Not as in ballad, but as in doomy and gritty. Some excellent harmonies at the beginning helps set the mood, and the riff that follows and leads into the awesome verse is very nice. Hell, this song even has a memorable solo! When did Slayer write memorable solos!? Halfway the song speeds up slightly, losing none of its excellence. There's some cool lyrics in this song. An even better song you can find in 'Perversions of Pain'. Again a in-your-face track. It's not as fast as 'Bitter Peace', but it sure is great. The guitars works furious rhythms, and the drums are blasting into your now damaged brain. I am of the opinion that Paul Bostaph is the best drummer Slayer ever had, and his work on this album is mindblowing. Too bad he wimped out eventually. "Perversions of pain/seep from my eyes/into your brain/visualize" Excellent and evil lyrics, haha. Then we have 'Love to Hate' which some people has the nerve to call rap! Yes, it sounds cool and modern as hell, but how does that make it rap? There are guitars, killer drums, and all the heavy metal there should be. I do admit, though, that this could've been a reworked rap song from RunDMC or something. Hell, I don't hate rap, so why should I be in denial?

'Desire'....ok, so now the album takes a little dive. But only a very small one, for this is an alright song. It's midpaced (as most of the album is), and there's nothing really wrong with it, except the slightly lame chorus, and the fact that nothing really happens. 'In the Name of God' is a bit better, but you start to realize that maybe Slayer used up their best songs for the first album half. Still, this is good stuff. Again mid-paced, with a nice chugging riff, cool dual lead guitars, and awesome drumming. Halfway in the song gets more attitude, which MAKES the song, simply. Great section, especially the "Antichrist is the name of god!" And then we have a slow, grinding riff which just kills. Talk about a song going from ok to fuckin a! What is a scrum? I have no idea, but 'Scrum' is still a nice song. The section 43 seconds into the songs is cool as hell, and the thrashy section that follows makes you wanna headbang like crazy, maybe because there has been so little thrash so far. You gotta hear the solo, total killer.

More songs. 'Screaming to the Sky' isn't as good as 'Screaming for Vengeance', but hey, what is, right? Damn, now I want to listen to Judas Priest! I'll wait 'till this review is finished, I guess. Here I go again: 'Screaming to the Sky' is not that great. The chorus is a little stupid, there's extreme vocal distortion in the middle, which almost always suck, and the riff....what riff? Can't even remember it even though the song plays as I write. Forgettable, then. The "Japanese" bonus song, Wicked, is, in fact, also a European bonus song. So there. I just wish it wasn't included. Ok, so the beginning is badass, but six minutes of this song is too much. If it was cut by two minutes, it would be fine. The last song is 'Point', some of the thrashiest found in "Diabolus...". It doesn't sound like that to begin with, but a minute into the song, the thrash comes crumbling down on you. Awesome stuff.

"Diabolus In Musica" is really a unique album. I can't think of anything else that sounds like it, not even anything Slayer. They wrote it a time where they were pissed off and tired of music and the music business, but that doesn't really show. It's not Slayer's finest, but it's not far from it. Vastly and horribly underrated.

It's not THAT bad - 65%

SufferingOverdue, June 21st, 2003

This album seems to get absolutely slaughtered by most but I think it's better than GHUA by far. The opening track Bitter Peace is one of my favourite ever Slayer songs, it just roars through at a hyper speed. The 2 that follow it, Death's Hand and Stain of Mind are also very good catchy metal songs. Overt Enemy and Perversions of Pain are where things begin to take a nosedive, however these are 2 satisfactory songs. After that we enter the 12 minutes of shit. Love to Hate could be passed off as listenable filler, but Desire and In The Name Of God are both terrible. They're not particularly fast...infact they aren't fast and I'm really not sure what they were trying to achieve with these songs, they sound quite alot like Slipknot worship but I'd hesitate to call them nu metal. Scrum is where things pick back up, a fast paced track that is very welcome after the two abortions before it. Screaming For the Sky is more listenable filler, Wicked is just too long and is very boring, and the final track on the album, Point, is fast and aggressive, just like Slayer SHOULD be.

Overall this album is pretty much Slayer's worst album in many people's eyes, but personally I think a fair bit of it ranges from good (Death's Hand, Overt Enemy) to GREAT (Bitter Peace, Point). Basically if they took off Desire, In The Name Of God and Wicked it'd make the album a fair bit better. Love to Hate and Screaming From The Sky are basically 2 filler songs, but they sound good enough to keep the mood of the album.

Musically Slayer all play pretty well. Tom Araya does sound alot more of a hardcore vocalist these days, but Paul puts out one fantastic drum performance when the pace picks up. The riffs are great, groove driven mostly, and Hannemann handles them well. Kerry King's solos, as ever, sound like a dial up modem and he really adds nothing to the band. Overall though, this is a decent album, I'd recommend buying it if you see it used for cheap purely because the first 3 and the last track are very good indeed.