Review by Ken
3½ stars out of 4
The rage and propulsive energy of album opener 'War Ensemble' reminds fans
of Slayer's glorious 'Reign In Blood' era. But elsewhere on the album,
Slayer display a much wider musical range- alternating between hardcore
aggression and sinister melodies- to produce what is undoubtedly their most
diverse and commercially viable album to date. The album's title track is
almost a ballad! But though the formula here may stray quite far from the
punk-inspired spirit of the 'Reign' album, it still contains far better
songs than Slayer's previous 'South Of Heaven' LP. And Slayer have even
created one of the creepiest rock tracks of all time with 'Dead Skin Mask';
a disturbing song about serial killer Ed Gein. The child's voice at the end
of the track is likely to send more chills up your spine than 5 re-runs of
The Exorcist.
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