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Goat · **Posted:** Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:33 pm

Wavering on this. Think the double-album idea was a mistake, as good as some moments are. It's all just too bloated for its own good.

traptunderice · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:38 am

Thrash til' Deth wrote:

Not nearly as good as I'd hoped, but certainly not as terrible as some in the metal media have made it out to be. Christ Illusion still stands as the best modern day Slayer album with this new record falling somewhere between Diabolus in Musica and World Painted Blood. While King's riffs have admittedly become very formulaic and his lyrics downright dumb at times, it's the production that really pulls this thing down for me. Slayer has always been about the riff and the guitar sound on Repentless feels blunted and really lacking the power that could have elevated songs like Vices and Take Control into solid, new school pit movers. You should not be able to clearly hear the toms blasting over the guitars on a damn Slayer album! Repentless isn't a turd, but it just feels like a band coasting by on past glories and seriously lacking the aggressive vitality that had always been their calling card. Araya has made his feelings clear on his personal life and the state of Slayer, while King is clearly in need of Hanneman's help in the songwriting department. As much as I hate to say it, the band is no longer a musical force to be reckoned with, just another place for working stiffs to punch in on a time clock. Rated 68/100.

I just want to say: God Hates Us All is better than Christ Illusion.

Thrash til' Deth · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 3:36 am

traptunderice wrote:

I just want to say: God Hates Us All is better than Christ Illusion.

Illusion is far more consistent from beginning to end than God Hates Us All. Aside from the first three tracks and Bloodline, GHUA is kind of a mess and Payback may be the most juvenile piece of trash Kerry King ever wrote. That said, those four songs are pretty damn good (as far as modern Slayer goes) and are some of the best material the band has penned since Divine Intervention.

Thrash til' Deth · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 3:38 am

Goat wrote:

Wavering on this. Think the double-album idea was a mistake, as good as some moments are. It's all just too bloated for its own good.

+1 for me. A sizeable trimming would have done this record a world of good.

SilkCrimsonMoon · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 4:02 am

Thrash til' Deth wrote:

Goat wrote:

Wavering on this. Think the double-album idea was a mistake, as good as some moments are. It's all just too bloated for its own good.

+1 for me. A sizeable trimming would have done this record a world of good.

A lengthy endeavor, perhaps. That would be the most obvious flaw with the album. I think the musicianship is excellent although Bruce is showing explicit signs of aging. It would have been a much better choice to stay in the range of vocalization where he is most competent, than trying to hit those high notes and failing in the attempt. There remains those timeless melodies that Maiden is known for and Nicko is great in his diverse drumming, with great fills and cymbal work. I don't find the album exhausting by any means and I have listened to it a few times already.

North From Here · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 4:06 am

Heaven help the reviewer of this, especially if we end up on opposite sides. :lol:

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:26 am

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:55 am

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 8:39 am

Goat · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 10:56 am

North From Here wrote:

Heaven help the reviewer of this, especially if we end up on opposite sides. :lol:

Ha, is it that bad? ;)

North From Here · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:41 pm

Goat wrote:

North From Here wrote:

Heaven help the reviewer of this, especially if we end up on opposite sides. :lol:

Ha, is it that bad? ;)

Probably their best album since The Dreadful Hours, certainly has more death vocals than anything since. I just have a feeling this will be a very difficult review: there is some interesting experimentation as well as some rather frustrating things too.

traptunderice · **Posted:** Mon Sep 14, 2015 1:53 am

North From Here wrote:

Goat wrote:

North From Here wrote:

Heaven help the reviewer of this, especially if we end up on opposite sides. :lol:

Ha, is it that bad? ;)

Probably their best album since The Dreadful Hours, certainly has more death vocals than anything since. I just have a feeling this will be a very difficult review: there is some interesting experimentation as well as some rather frustrating things too.

I'm firing it up now. Kinda digging it.

Edit: I really loved this. I'm a little distracted by writing up a syllabus whilst listening, but it's great. Even if the beginning Father Left Forever sounds like it was right off of Paradise Lost's In Requiem.

North From Here · **Posted:** Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:51 am

traptunderice wrote:

I'm firing it up now. Kinda digging it.

Edit: I really loved this. I'm a little distracted by writing up a syllabus whilst listening, but it's great. Even if the beginning Father Left Forever sounds like it was right off of Paradise Lost's In Requiem.

They broke new ground, so my quibbles are relatively minor. I would have loved some more fast sections with monster riffs but the loose songwriting (minus the very straightforward title track) and commitment to a genuinely dark atmosphere rather than heavy sound works.

Also, this is Aaron's best vocal performance overall. His clean vocals have been steadily improving over the years, but there was a period last decade when his death vocals seemed to fall apart, and I thought that was partially the reason why they moved away from them. The death grunts seemed to recover somewhat for Barghest but these ones are as good as Dreadful Hours or maybe even Turn Loose the Swans. What traditionally was not a strength of the band has really become one.

Thrash til' Deth · **Posted:** Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:36 am

Fucking timeless. Hail Dio :dio:

traptunderice · **Posted:** Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:48 am

North From Here wrote:

traptunderice wrote:

I'm firing it up now. Kinda digging it.

Edit: I really loved this. I'm a little distracted by writing up a syllabus whilst listening, but it's great. Even if the beginning Father Left Forever sounds like it was right off of Paradise Lost's In Requiem.

They broke new ground, so my quibbles are relatively minor. I would have loved some more fast sections with monster riffs but the loose songwriting (minus the very straightforward title track) and commitment to a genuinely dark atmosphere rather than heavy sound works.

Also, this is Aaron's best vocal performance overall. His clean vocals have been steadily improving over the years, but there was a period last decade when his death vocals seemed to fall apart, and I thought that was partially the reason why they moved away from them. The death grunts seemed to recover somewhat for Barghest but these ones are as good as Dreadful Hours or maybe even Turn Loose the Swans. What traditionally was not a strength of the band has really become one.

Album is great. We should start a thread, but how loose the song structure are and the lack of big monstrous riffs are my only two faults for the album. Maybe the loose structure just kinda works, but it irks me for now. Maybe it will give the album some legs to grow on me. I think the riff in the title track is great, but even better is the string composition in it. And yeah, the vocals are straight out of Dreadful Hours and it is amazing.