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Lyrically, one of the band's most powerful albums, it is a pulverizing blend of their classic thrashing aggression and a more hardcore-edged modern sound. It's funny that "Disciple," which has the shout of "God hates us all..." was nominated for a Grammy. It works to sum up who Slayer is. "God Send Death" is fast in your face, but has a catchy chorus and some dynamic ebb and flow that works well. "New Faith " seems a little silly considering Tom is a catholic, I don't think he is keeping his bible in a pool of blood, none of it's lies affect him. But it's a fun fantasy.
"Threshold" has a fun stomping groove that is not far removed from what they did on the previous album. "Exile" is a hardcore song. I am not sure why Tom is singing about ripping your face off when he is not really big enough for all that. "Seven Faces" took a couple of listens to refamiliarize me with it, which is odd since this album has been in a recurring rotation on my iPod over the years. Once we get to the shouty chorus, it comes back to me. "Bloodline' is an even stronger song. With a pretty impressive chorus. Tom's never been a great singer, but this is one of his better performances of this era.
This album is pretty dark, perhaps even when it came out post- 9/11, it's even more poignant. "Deviance' continues down this more shadow-filled path. Another more melodic moment, which helps balance the album's overall dynamics. "Warzone" is more of their more confrontational punk-like thrashing. However, it does not feel rushed. It is fucking angry though. Madness is coming your way. They experiment more with the melodic guitar tones on this album than on the previous one; it is just raw enough sounding to not alarm their fan base. "Here Comes the Pain" has a pretty solid groove, as he announces where the line starts. "Payback" might be the album's most in-your-face song. I'll give this album a 10 as it proves they could make angry metal without being stuck in the past, and this album still sounds great.
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