Slayer are living legends. There's no doubting this and as a result, just about anything they release will win the approval of their massive international fan base, just for the fact that it is done by Slayer. But with a career that spans 2 decades, Slayer have arguably had a few misses in their illustrious discography and with that, the question comes down to this, does "God Hates Us All" live up to their much vaunted legacy? Yes, yes it does. Stepping forth even more into the raw punk direction they've toyed with in the past, the band have distanced themselves a few more steps from the precise speed metal crunch of their earlier days and have also loosened up their approach a tad, but the intensity and sheer searing vitriol is still in place and with that they capitalize, exploding forth like a wall of hellfire, annihilating anything that dares stand within their path.

Vocalist/bassist Tom Araya's wrenched voice retains its usual suffocating grace, tenaciously attacking the tracks with intensity and even touching up upon an occasional melody, while the lyrical content this time around predominantly focuses upon vividly satanic and anti-religious rhetoric. Guitar wise, the album finds the band at perhaps their most rhythmically oriented as the attention of dual axemen Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King seems focused more upon general groove and feel rather than breakneck solos and overtly evil sounding riffery. Though this may displease some, the dark crunch and blistering technical ability is still in place, allowing this outing to easily retain a solid chunk of the definitive Slayer sound overall. Not surprisingly, the bass playing follows the guitars lead for the most part and works to establish a thick low end with chugging rhythms and punchy hits, while a pummeling drumming performance brings up the rear, heavy on thunderous double kick and riotous rolls that rush through with the ferocity of a stampede, breaking bones and bursting ear drums in the process.

The bulk of the material on this opus was written by guitarist Kerry King and not surprisingly, its a disturbing voyage through a plethora of controversial viewpoints and depraved verbal imagery that will no doubt draw the ire of anyone with even a shred of religious beliefs. But this is nothing new to Slayer fans, what is new for them here is the more noticeable musical shift into the realm of modern metal that can bring to mind the likes of groups like Hatebreed and Slipknot, where the entire band weave their efforts into one thick, malicious wall of noise. In the end, this somewhat diminishes the fierce precision and clear cut technical structures which the band have called upon in the past, though on the other hand, it does help to update their sound to today's current standards and as such will most likely help to introduce Slayer to a whole new legion of fans. In the end, "God Hates Us All" is a slight departure for the group, but it is also undeniably a return to form as well, as this is easily one of the most solid outings they've written in the past few years. Sure they may never make another "Reign In Blood" or "Seasons In The Abyss", but their willingness to continually evolve is admirable and if they can keep things as on point in the future as they have here, their distinguished lineage in metal circles will only continue to grow and grow.