Slayer – Repentless (2015)

As THE most expected album of 2015, today we have Slayer’s first release in six years titled “Repentless”. After the loss of Jeff Hanneman and the departure of Dave Lombardo, many people wondered how the band was going to push forward, but for this release the band brought back Paul Bostaph on drums and enlisted Gary Holt to handle guitar duties. Keeping up with their tradition of intense and well-crafted releases, the band manages to deliver a very cohesive album that is considerably better than their 2009 effort.

Opening with “Repentless” after a short intro, the band lays down the law with a crushing vocal performance from Tom Araya in this intense Thrash-tastic track. This song reminded us of Slayer from their best years thanks to the awesome riffs and furious pace. The drumming is quite hectic and the overall riffing onslaught is stellar. The band continues their onslaught with very solid pieces in “Take Control” and “Vices”, but the guitar leads of “Cast the First Stone” really deliver the second standout track of this release.

The band adds a layer of atmosphere and mystery to songs like “When the Stillness Comes”, which has a slower tempo, only to wind up the listener and let him mosh to a pulp with songs like “Chasing Death” and “Piano Wire”. The band’s intensity is outstanding, even for such err.. ‘experienced’ musicians. Some other pieces have a very nice old-school sound like “Atrocity Vendor”, which sounds like something from their “Undisputed Attitude” days. Closing with the socially charged “Pride in Prejudice”, the band manages to keep a great level of intensity and balance through this release.

Slayer will always sound like Slayer and enlisting industry veterans Terry Date and Greg Fidelman to record and produce, and Howie Weinberg handling the mastering, this gives the band their crispy timeless signature sound. You can’t replace the members that have left, but Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph elevate the band’s sound and intensity to new levels, make “Repentless” be an album proud to bear the Slayer name on it.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: September 11th, 2015

Genre: Thrash Metal

Country: USA