It's been a quite wait for Slayer fans, who are as rabid as music fans come. We last heard new music from the metal masters on 2001's God Hates Us All. Well here in 2006 we have been graced - an ironic choice of words I know - with Eternal Pyre featuring a brand new Slayer song, "Cult."
On "Cult" the original lineup - vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, and drummer Dave Lombardo - deliver a thrash-based metal assault that immediately brings to mind the band's undisputed classic, Reign in Blood. Lombardo hasn't lost a beat despite his age; he still pummels the kit with fierce aggression. Hanneman and King easily remain among the elite metal guitarists with their performances on "Cult." The riffs are ferocious and crunchy, the solos are out-of-this-world phenomenal. Araya's bass playing has always been "just there" for me on many of their songs, and this is no different. However, when I think of Slayer I don't think of sweet basslines - this isn't fucking Primus - I think of amazing riffs and Araya's possessed screams.
If the lyrics of "Cult" are any sign of what is to come from the band's upcoming full-length, Christ Illusion, then it'll be business as usual for the thrash masters. The final verse to "Cult" has Araya screaming: "There is no fucking Jesus Christ / There never was a sacrifice / No man upon the crucifix / Beware the call for purity / Infections their facility / I've made my choice / 666!" King's penned lyrics are a direct and brutal attack on religious beliefs. No doubt there will be more where that came from.
As an added feature for this single - can a band like Slayer have a "single"? - fans are treated to a live video of the band performing the fan favorite "War Ensemble." If for some reason you've never witnessed Slayer live - you heathen you - the video provides a perfect assessment of the insanity of a Slayer concert. I especially love the forearm length spiked-gauntlet that King sports.
A new song from Slayer is always a welcome gift in my book, but to release just one song and a live video was the ultimate tease. They could have added a bit more features to this EP to make it worth the purchase. Nevertheless, if the rest of the album sounds like "Cult" it's going to rank up there with Reign in Blood and Seasons in the Abyss as requisite material for any metalhead. But then again, isn't all Slayer?
