I'll probably pick this up eventually. My Slayer collection is severely lacking in its current state.

Over the weekend I watched that fantastic DVD that comes with the "limited" edition of this album. Retarded. It's stuff like that DVD that makes "metalheads" look like mindless dumbasses.

I have a one-emoticon review for this album:

I saw the DVD included with this set over the weekend. Pretty disturbing stuff. I saw it once, no need to ever see it again.

The music sounded great. Will probably pick it up eventually. So much music, so little money.

I just think SLAYER is a very consistent, true band. In 26 years they've never tried to write a hit single, never tried to change their sound to draw in more people, never gotten trendy haircuts or stocked their closets with Armani...they've just been SLAYER. They play around with their sound sometimes (Show No Mercy doesn't sound like Christ Illusion, but both are unmistakably SLAYER) but never try to be something they're not. Even MEGADETH and TESTAMENT took their swipes at being more commercial...not SLAYER.

I've been enjoying the new Slayer alot. I think it's their best album since Seasons.

SLAYER has sold out during their career! Remember in the 90s when metal was a dirty word and they were labelling themselves the pioneers of "hard music"? Now they are calling themselves a metal band again!

Remember them adding all the groove ("Stain of Mind") and doing the all-punk covers album (so SLAYER had NO metal influences?) to their influences when Green Day hit? That's pretty darn selective, don't you think?
Not to mention their new song meant to appeal to the Marilyn Manson crowd. Come on. If they could've sold out like METALLICA and pulled it off they would've try it.

SLAYER tried to be commercial in their own way, they just never copied the Black album like MEGADETH and TESTAMENT did.

Of course they had some punk influence. But when it was time to do a covers album and metal was a dirty word they covered NO metal songs.

Not to mention them toning down the Satanism (though not necessarily the blasphemy) from the 90s on once the kids grew up and realized that schtick was a huge joke.

Hilarious that you guys can't see the "coincidence" of when bands like SLAYER choose to latch on to groove music and punk and when bands like METALLICA choose to try grunge-ish styles. Yeah ... it's just a coincidence.

Slayer, again, always had a strong Punk influence. I wasn't just a slight nod to it, it was all in their sound...still is. There is nothing wrong with them doing a Punk covers album. I can see why you and other fans would want a Metal/Punk mixture, but they did what they wanted without caring what anyone thought...just like Slayer always has.

Metallica jumping from Black Album to Load was a gigantic leap across genres. Slayer adding groove to a couple of songs and still sounding like Slayer is completely different.

Did SLAYER try groove in 85? 89? If so, I would agree that it was honest experimentation.

Pretty much all metal bands tried to abandon metal step-by-step in the 90s because they were scared. They tried to re-market themselves and soften their logos and press releases and such to appeal to whatever was getting played on MTV at the time. And of course the music reflected them trying to appeal to the shifting demographics.

PANTERA is definitely not my favorite band in the world but they had more integrity during the 90s than SLAYER. (I'm sure people will disagree ) They did none of those things to my recollection.

Slayer started toning down the satanic image after Hell Awaits, not in the 90's. They were ALWAYS influenced by punk - so what if they did an all punk covers album? Who gives a flying Smurf? The doesn't prove the "Sold out". At least the band knows how to play time unlike some bands out there!