Review of Christ Illusion by Slayer ***

Slayer Does It Again

I once criticized Kerry King right to his face.  To me, it seemed that Slayer had changed their style.  In perspective, it was a small change of style, but I believe it was a slight change of style nonetheless.  I was wrong for having criticized him though.  If you have read any of my other reviews, I have often criticized bands for playing the same thing over and over, and not having enough diversity.  Slayer is different.  For many people Slayer is as their pillow at night that comforts them because of Slayer’s stability in their sound.  The same is true of Manowar, and a few other bands,  That is, when people listen to their Slayer albums, they always know that Slayer is going to play in the same style and that  is like a security blanket.

Slayer is not out to promote murder.  In fact, at one concert Tom Araya is recorded as having said, “If you see someone who has fallen, pick ‘m up.”  Clearly, Slayer is not a bunch of murderers, as if they were they’d have been locked up by now.  So, their music is more of a way for people to release their frustrations, especially frustrations of being required to act this way or that way by a boss.  For example, some bosses say, “Shave your beard,” so for the person who has to shave their beard in order to put bread on their table, I completely empathize with the need for some craziness at shows, especially as an escape from the mundane conformity required of so many people in order that they keep their jobs.