Ok so I've finished listening to the album several times & here's my own review:
I've had great expectations for this album, primarily because it marks the return of original skinsman, drum god Dave Lombardo, back to their ranks since 1990's "Seasons In The Abyss".
First track "Flesh Storm" sets things off with the band's trademark buzzsaw riffing speedfest, with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya barking lyrics about the horrors of war(w/c btw, is a favorite Slayer song topic). My only complaint about this song is that whatever ferocity & momentum the song has managed to build up is broken by the half-time chorus. Second track "Catalyst" is also another speedfest & I like the way how the lyrics are phrased. The album is balanced by slower tracks such as "Eyes Of The Insane", "Skeleton Christ", "Black Serenade" & "Cult" but the album's highlight is "Jihad", a song written about the 9/11 attack in the terrorists' perspective. It opens with a clean Middle-Eastern sounding riff before going to a heavier chromatic-sounding one which sounds similar to "Spill The Blood" from their "South Of Heaven" LP, then kicks into full-on thrash mode. The aggression & viciousness of the song is only matched by it's scathing lyrics(Imagine what Araya, who admits being a devout Christian, is thinking while singing "F*ck your God erase his name. A lady weeps insane with sorrow. I'll take his towers from the world. You're f*cking raped upon your deathbed."). The album closes with "Supremist", which showcases probably the first time Slayer has done a blastbeat in their songs.
These are what I've observed so far: The song intros are shorter than usual. On Slayer's older stuff they'd usually play the primary riffs that make up most of the song before the verses kick in. The majority of the songs including the fast ones go straight to the point & hammers it home with the force of a wrecking ball. Also, most of the songs were written by guitarist Kerry King so it has a more anti-religous theme compared to their previous records. The return of Dave Lombardo also had a very significant impact on this record, as he delivers one of his best & most aggressive performances to date.
Christ Illusion may have not surpassed Seasons In The Abyss or the godly Reing In Blood, but it may arguably be the angriest & most hateful record Slayer has ever released.
