Description

Slayer is a common name. Say it to a fan, and they go ballistic. Say it to your parents, and they scowl. Say it to a priest, and well, youll probably have an exorcism performed on you. One of the biggest names in the Thrash community, Slayer, has gone through some rough times. After releasing Divine Intervention, critics went straight to their throats, claiming the band had lost its edge. Slayer aimed to redefine their sound. What occurred, which was Diabolus in Musica, couldve very easily have been labelled as their St. Anger. Incorporating a slight metalcore sound and mixing in some Nu-Metal here and there, it was a nauseating effort. Slayer must have realized this, as their next album, God Hates Us All, showed the band packing the intensity and anger from their previous albums, as well as some of their sound, into the style of playing that was found on Diabolus in Musica. What resulted was a moderately well accepted album, that while good for the first few days, wound up feeling somewhat flat. The first taster of their 2006 album Christ Illusion was this EP called Eternal Pyre and judging by this EP the band is finally back. Cult is almost like a blender. The intro, which is a single-guitar, is very low on distortion and rather slow at first. Its strange, because usually a slow intro from these guys would be very eerie, and ghastly, such as on South Of Heaven or Dead Skin Mask, but not here. Its more of a build-up of tension, as you wait for that moment when the speakers will blast. After a while of this, in which the guitar flicks on the distortion and it comes in more powerful, it moves onto another build-up of sorts, when Dave and Tom come in pounding away while Jeff and Kerry begin to chug away slowly. Its then that the riff hit you in the face un-relentlessly. The buzzsaw-like guitars are only showcased for a few mere seconds before it moves into a thick-palm muted verse that will remind you of a mix between War Ensemble and Disciple. Toms voice has also taken a slight turn for the better. Not only does he incorporate his old style of speed-talking, he twists it to be almost like speed-sceam-talking, instead of just yelling like he did all over on Diabolus In Musica. The chorus, which features grinding guitars and dominance from Daves bass drum, includes lyrics such as Religion is hate, Religion is fear, Religion is war! / Religion is rape, Religions obscene, Religions a whore!” After Tom showcasing some of his fastest vocals this side of Dittohead, he lets out a yell of 6-6-6!”, which cues a whammy-bar abuses solo. Typical Slayer solo here, whammy-bar abuse +insane shredding (mash of notes) + slight whammy-bar abuse again = Kerry/Jeff solo. It kicks back the aggressive verse, then into the spiteful chorus. The bridge that follows seems like it took a note or two from a metalcore bridge (I will NOT call it a break-down!), with hard-hitting chugging guitars and a popping snare drum from Dave, with Tom yelling over it all Jesus is pain, Jesus is gore, Jesus is the spilled thats spilled in war! / Hes everything, Hes all things dead, Hes pulling down the trigger thats pointed at your head!”. What follows is another Slayer solo, this one using a good load of wah. Then back to that chorus that pops up all over place, before the outro begins to kick in. The outro consists of an almost classic Slayer riff, with a huge emphasis on palm-mutes and a quick fill at the end of each. Another solo comes whammy-barring in, before the song pounds itself out. Now, as for the rest of this so-called EP, it only has two other features, which is a complete annoyance if you ask me. I mean, it cost as a normal mcd, but seriously, one song? And you call it an EP? Get real. Of the two videos, the only one worth watching really is the live version of War Ensemble. Its played live in Germany, and its pretty funny to see how old Tom looks now, with his grey beard. And Jeff also gives you the finger as he walks on the stage, which was cool. But the best part about their appearance had to be Kerry King, as he showcased those huge-ass wrist-spikes that he used to wear way back in the earlier days of Show No Mercy. Its also great to see Dave playing with him, as he brings back his old beats near-perfectly. The song playing overall is still superb, they hit everything dead on. As for the other video, its just them in the studio playing Cult with no vocals, and there’s some funny clips here and there of them messing around in-between the playing, but its nothing really spectacular.

Track list:
1. Cult
2. War Ensemble-live video
3. In The Studio-video