Published on May 21, 2001
Home alone recently, I put into Slayer’s
Seasons In The Abyss. Why it’s been a couple of years since
I listened to this strikes me as a surprise for no other metal CD
comes closer to perfection than this one.
You have Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman ripping riff after riff of
pillar high guitar riffs. The opening riff of “War Ensemble” sets
up the manic drum fills of Dave Lombardo. While that song is
probably the most popular or well-known on this CD, it is the later
songs, like “Dead Skin Mask” and “Skeletons Of Society” that define
this release. “Skeletons” features ominous overdubbing of the
lyrics that makes the song even more vicious.
“Expendable Youth” is another gem, showcasing the double bass
work of Lombardo. Lombardo, who has since gone on to be in Grip
Inc. and (most recently) with Testament, added a pure musical
element with his drums. It’s not enough to gush over his double
bass and his snare fills. If you listen to the patterns during a
King or Hanneman solo, you can’t help but feel his additional
element.
The lyrics of Slayer have always been under scrutiny. According
to a recent issue of
Newsweek, members of a band called Hatred felt that Slayer’s
lyrics were telling the members of the band to go out and kill.
I have listened to this release since it came out in 1990. I
have never
heard a voice that told me to go kill. Are there
objectionable lyrics? Sure. Am I going to quote them? No. If you
have a weak mind, I recommend you don’t listen to this release as
the subjects Tom Araya wrote about include death and murder. Are
they scary lyrics? Sure. “Temptation” stands out as a fluid
dissertation on death and
murder. Can I use the phrase “death and murder” one more
time?
In conclusion, if you’ve not listened to this release in a
while, I suggest you pull it out. Depending upon who you ask,
Slayer was in their finest form with this release. With hauntingly
tuned guitar riffs, lyrics that are interesting to listen to even
if they are about death and murder (I got it!!), and the added
musical element of Lombardo’s drums, this is a stellar release.