by O-dot on 10/10/15, 15:01:00
Can't accuse me of being a fickle fan; I kept the new one in the car for about a month, giving it many opportunities to grow on me. It does not get any better.
Last week, I dug out Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood, the preceding two records and the last to feature the original lineup. Man, the drop-off in quality since the losses of Hanneman and Lombardo cannot be overstated. I mean, it's easy to reflexively insist "it's not Slayer without Jeff and Dave," but that doesn't mean the sentiment is untrue. You can't replicate that unique chemistry with phoned-in performances by well-paid journeymen.
But even beyond that, you can readily observe the severe decline in Kerry King's songwriting as well. Fun as it is to rag on him for his general dickishness, he has been capable of great songs, albeit not as many as Hanneman. And the basically solid Christ Illusion is still largely a King record padded out with a handful of oddball Hanneman contributions. But on the new one, he's plainly not even trying. Most of Repentless has the same macho shithead operating speed, and his few attempts at atmosphere and shading laughably fall short.
Worst Slayer record. I see no reason a future record would be any better, unless King let Gary Holt write all the songs - which you can bet will not happen.
This is a snakeskin jacket. And for me it's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.