Every album from this point on is absolutely worth listening to, mainly because every one features Lombardo on drums. No offence to Bostaph - he filled in well - but Lombardo is the king. Sadly he won't be on Repentless, and it is concerning that his chaotic brilliance and Hanneman's expertise in songwriting won't factor at all on Slayer's 11th release. Slayer's most recent album, World Painted Blood, is a very good album. Some might argue that it's the band's best post-classic era release (it is listed as the second best here). However highly you rate it, there is no denying that Slayer have sounded utterly refreshed in the aftermath of GHUA. WPB explodes into life with the opening title track, a complex introduction belying what is actually a very cleverly constructed and highly accessible track. Whereas Diabolus In Musica occasionally felt like a half-hearted grab at a commercial sound, WPB actually succeeds in rendering the classic Slayer style more listenable than ever before (except, perhaps, on Seasons In The Abyss). The album's best track, Psychopathy Red, sounds like it could have come from one of Slayer's earliest albums - but with brighter production that matches its 2009 release. Lombardo's drumming is highlighted extensively, as are Araya's vocals, with gives the album an urgency that wasn't really felt on the Bostaph releases. The shredding from King and Hanneman feels purposeful when coupled with such well-produced drums/vocals, rather than slipping into the occasional self-indulgent territory of Divine Intervention or the down-tuned ugliness of DIM. Differing paces are explored properly for the first time since 1990s Seasons Of The Abyss, showing that Slayer are capable of trying different directions without falling into clichés. All in all, 2000s Slayer tears apart 1990s Slayer with ease, showing that there is plenty of life left in a monster that looked to be losing its way at one point.
