Slayer - Repentless

Published September 25 2015

*=Staff's pick	Delusions Of Saviour Repentless* Take Control Vices Cast The First Stone* When The Stillness Comes* Chasing Death Implode Piano Wire Atrocity Vendor You Against You Pride In Prejudice

Genre	Thrash Metal	Tom Araya	Vocals
Tracks	12	Kerry King	Guitar
Running time	42 Min.	Gary Holt	Guitar
Label	Nuclear Blast	Tom Araya	Bass
Release	September 11, 2015	Paul Bostaph	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboard
Producer	Terry Date
Similar artists	Sodom, Kreator

Six years have passed since Slayer released World Painted Blood and those years have been tumultuous, to say the least. The main events are of course the tragic passing of Jeff Hanneman, the departure of Dave Lombardo, with the return of Paul Bostaph and the recruitment of Exodus' Gary Holt in response to this. In the aftermath of this comes Repentless, with almost all of the songs and lyrics written by Kerry King, save for Piano Wire (which was written by Jeff Hanneman) and Atrocity Vendor (where the lyrics were co-written by Tom Araya).

Repentless is naturally what you would expect it to be: a modern-era Slayer album. While I'm no huge fan of their work post-1990, they usually put out a handful of pretty good songs per album and in this regard, Repentless is no exception. One of the stronger songs is the fast-paced title track. The lyrics are somewhat silly, I have to say, but the riffs and intensity make up for that one flaw. Another one of the stronger moments of the album is Cast The First Stone, a captivating mid-tempo pounder with a brilliant solo from mr. Holt (and a not as brilliant one by mr. King).

When The Stillness Comes is the slowest song on the album and although I didn't like it when it was released as a single, I now find myself really enjoying it immensely, with its suggestive riffing and gruesome lyrics. To be honest, Tom Araya's voice isn't what it once was in the higher registers but his more low-pitched singing in When The Stillness Comes is top notch.

But three good songs do not an album make. I wish I could wrap this up in some prettier words but the second half of the album is plainly put pretty bad, with unmemorable songs that I probably won't ever listen to again after this review is completed. Regarding the production, it's acceptable but not brilliant by any standards. The first words that come to my mind when trying to describe it is "warm" and "wet", if that makes any sense. I really wish they would have gone for a less dull and more aggressive sound, with the drums more prominent and clear in the mix.

What about the new guys? Paul Bostaph really does a rock-solid job behind the drums, with his own distinct style - he's not Dave Lombardo and he's not trying to be, either. Gary Holt also gives a great performance, giving some variation to King's boring and predictable solos. Of course, no one can ever replace Hanneman but I can't really think of anyone better suited to step in than Holt. For the next album I'm keeping my fingers crossed for song-writing contributions from him.

All in all, you know what you're getting before giving Repentless its first spin - if you loved God Hates Us All, Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood, chances are that Repentless is going to bring much joy to your life. To me, in some aspects it is pretty damn good and in others it is underwhelming.

See also review of: World Painted Blood , Christ Illusion , Still Reigning

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	4	5	5	5

Summary
5 chalices of 10 - Blidmark