Gli anni '90 sono stati un periodo turbolento per i seminali Slayer, band losangelina dedica alla musica estrema fin dai primi '80, tra album accolti tiepidamente e membri usciti ed entrati per ricoprire il vacante sellino della batteria (un compito arduo, in quanto il primo batterista Dave Lombardo è da sempre considerato uno dei migliori nel genere).

Dopo un live celebrativo dei dieci anni di attività, di un discreto album di inediti ("Divine Intervention", 1994), un inutile quanto inosservato album prevalentemente di cover hardcore-punk ("Undisputed Attitude", 1996), la band propone un album di inediti per ristabilire la propria leadership nella musica metal. Operazione non propriamente riuscita, almeno non con questo "Diabolus In Musica" del 1998.

Le prime critiche ricevute dall'album sono l'eccessiva "modernità" e l'abbandono, o il ridimensionamento, di molti spunti prettamente thrash metal da sempre proposti.

La prima traccia, "Bitter peace", taglia subito il fiato per la pesantezza del muro di chitarre e i suoni molto compatti di basso e batteria; la voce del frontman Araya è come sempre un urlo estremo, anche se lontano dai clichè growl e scream in voga. Dopo questo inizio notevole si passa alla seconda "Death's Head", di taglio decisamente hardcore e con un groove decisamente riuscito.

La terza canzone, "Stain of mind", è, nella sua violenza, decisamente orecchiabile, forte anche di un riff dal taglio moderno e da un ritornello da urlare dal vivo ad un loro concerto (provare per credere).

"Overt Enemy" è il pezzo successivo, e si distingue dalle precedenti per una andamento più lento, un pesante midtempo sorretto da un prova ritmica possente e una voce filtrata dalla distorsione.

Il resto dell'album si muove su queste coordinate, un metal estremo ma che non perde l'orecchiabilità della forma canzone, almeno per quanto riguarda pezzi come  "Love To Hate" e "Screaming From The Sky". Si differenzia dalle altre la bella "Desire", sorretta da un arpeggio semplice ma riuscito che dona, insieme alla voce sussurrata o cantata (si, quasi veramente cantata), un'atmosfera molto dark alla composizione.

Sicuramente in questo album c'è qualche influenza della musica dei quegli anni, forse su tutte la scena metal/hardcore (10 anni prima del metal-core) di Helmet e compagnia, ma il gene della band di Los Angeles non è così traviato e dissimulato come critici spietati hanno commentato. Non a caso questo album si chiude con la traccia, tra le 11 presenti, più slayeriana, che sembra un incrocio distorto tra "Hell Awaits" e una traccia a caso di Reing In Blood.

Come già detto, non fu questo album a risollevare le sorti degli Slayer, che preferirono riprendere molti spunti del passato fino agli ultimi dischi molto old style (peraltro decisamente riusciti).

Un grande album, forse insieme al successivo God Hates Us All il più pesante, anche se comprensibilmente non adatto a chi rimpiange troppo Reign In Blood.

Elenco tracce testi e video

01   Bitter Peace (04:34)

Initiate blood purge
Coalition in massacre
Mechanized high tech
Whole sale death in effect
Mutually assured
Destruction will occur
Genocide revised
Same pain through diverse eyes
Can't stop the warring factions
Hostile from the start
Always war always
Ending bitter peace
Not the last third war
Blood spills for evermore
Patriot hard line
Lay siege till the end of time
No longer kill your brother
Just slaughter one another
Watch for the deadly other
This sibling is a fucker
Can't stop the warring factions
Global tension starts aggression
Peace breaks out then
Breeds contempt unrest

Without a reason to fight
A time to kill
Sick lust for skeletal flesh
A taste for all decay
Enter the soldier blind
Stalking the faceless hunt
There is no conscience in this world
That can be reached for peace
Why face the human question
The need to hate
Dead stare through cynical eyes
A trust in only pain
Murder within the skin
Engrave the art of war
Become death's vile parade
March on embrace the violent mind
Can't stop the warring factions
Global tension starts aggression
Peace breaks out then
Breeds contempt unrest
One cryptic reason for life murder

02   Death's Head (03:31)

03   Stain of Mind (03:27)

Imagine Humanity's decline
Step inside my stain of mind
Infesting superiority
Infectious immorality oh yea
Come worship the place no truths are told
Praise the land where sins are sold
No passion no love your faith evades
Never see yourself again that way
Death becomes your bride
Lifelessness invades your eyes
in fire baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You'll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest stain of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes
As one the collective unifies
Emanate a faithless shine
Forever creation has conceived
Birth of destruction spreads its wings oh yea
Chaotic rebirth a new domain
Re-live the sight the sound the pain
Erotic the taste of agony
Adorn the scars of inhumanity
This is what you see
Deep inside of me
Agony is life
Lechery is life
Godlessness is life
Purgatory magnified
In fire baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You'll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest satin of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes
Enticing malevolence allures
Bastardize the clean and pure
Salvation forever crucified
I choose the other side oh yea
Entire, complete serenity
Injected intravenously
Transgression euphoric bliss divine
Initiate a timeless stain of mind
Blood will sterilize
In fire I baptized
All pain sifts through my soul
You'll never feel greater misery
Master of my enemy
Let the purest stain of mind
Wash the virtue from your eyes

04   Overt Enemy (04:43)

I breach your life
Indoctrinate
Police your thoughts
Ask why I hate
I lose control
When I see your face
Abusing power
I infiltrate
Continue lies
Then masturbate
I walk the line
I'll do no time
I hate your church
I'll burn your state
A bleeding heart
A seal of fate
There is no crime
Within my mind
I'll sell your life and preach your death
A wicked plan born of contempt
Bleeding my ideology through pain

[Lead: Hanneman]

Audacious plans
I calculate
A new world view
I'll re-instate
Don't cross my path
Or I'll see you burn
You'll meet your end
Find death alone
No grave to mark
The seeds you've sown
You've pushed too far
My secrets I defend
I'll sell your life and preach your death
A wicked plan born of contempt
Bleeding my ideology through pain

[Lead: Hanneman]

Demonize what is feared profane architect
Skull and bones through the mind
Barbaric thoughts of old
Celebrate all unknown
At last the dead await
The die is cast for the meek
inherit endless dead time
Smell the victim are near
consume the catalyst
Hunting masses for game
implanting septic thoughts
Reaping terror through words while
armed behind your back
Pseudo leaders betray
enslaving all of mankind
Cast out the Demi God
Dethrone the demagogue
Cast out the church God
I command your life
And I don't care
Let bullets rain
From everywhere
No suicide
Will save you from yourself

05   Perversions of Pain (03:32)

06   Love to Hate (03:07)

Enter my mind can you stop the rage
No one shall mourn or pity my grave
Fighting the world without remorse
Searching for blood to never grow old
A personal hell is where I reside
Taunting death sounds cadavers in pain
Judging my soul I am not his son
Screaming God's name I want some more
You love to hate me
But you won't kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world
Take what I want primordial ground
Humanity bleeds from inside my veins
Losing all grasp an evil so old
Vengeance it breeds driving you insane
Exhaust all will hanging by the neck
Anguish within let it blind the eyes
Better off dead us your epitaph
Apathy feeds the human demise
Absolute reign a malevolent mind
Conceptions so vile in this bottomless soul
Total addicting, corrupt and profane
Force-fed lies in this chapel of lust
Dancing in blood disciples enslaved
Putrefied walls adorned with your flesh
Coating this shrine of the ungodly cross
You love to hate me
But you won't kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world

Pessimistic dreams
Realistic screams
Crucify creation
Magnify damnation
Enter my mind can you stop the rage
No one shall mourn or pity my grave
Fighting the world without remorse
Searching for blood to never grow old
Conceptions so vice in this bottomless soul
Putrefied walls adorned with your flesh
Coating this shrine of the ungodly cross
You love to hate me
But you won't kill me
Suicidal surge
Desensitize the world

07   Desire (04:20)

No one could ever doubt my rapture
As you too will soon discover
No one will ever cross my love
Deadly consequence will rise above

Lying all alone
Visions of erotic bliss
Feel your warmth from inside your skin
A fever I can not resist

Desire I would kill for you
Right or wrong I'd do anything
True and pure the intensity
Every time death is next to me

Lying all alone
Visions of erotic bliss
Feel your warmth from inside your skin
A fever I can not resist

Anxiously feeling grotesque
Up against your flesh
Forbidden fantasies
Uncontrollable heat

Find yourself all alone and dead
Visions of corroding bliss
Feel the warmth from inside your skin
A sensation I can't resist

08   In the Name of God (03:40)

09   Scrum (02:20)

No blood no glory
All pain and fury
A demonstration
Of domination
Show of pure intimidation

Full contact why I live and breathe
Side stepping all the human debris
Head strong I know that I'll prevail
Face down in my arena you will fall
Head to head eye to eye
Human pile of proven pride
Ripping flesh spitting teeth
Sacrifice for victory
Base line Goal lie
Overtime Killing time
Relentless brotherhood of disciple
Centuries of traditions is to win
Head first into battle feel the rush
Living on adrenaline your try is crushed

No blood No glory
All pain And fury
Head to head eye to eye
Human pile of proven pride
Ripping flesh spitting teeth
Sacrifice for victory
Base line Goal line
Overtime Killing time

10   Screaming From the Sky (03:14)

11   Point (04:12)

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Altre recensioni

Di  Cronos

 Il suono dei leggendari squartatori è molto diverso dai precedenti album, la velocità e la furia distruttiva manca.

 Diabolus In Musica è un esperimento non troppo riuscito degli Slayer.