Tracklist:

1. "World Painted Blood"  5:53
2. "Unit 731"  2:39
3. "Snuff" Kerry King King 3:42
4. "Beauty Through Order"  4:36
5. "Hate Worldwide"  2:52
6. "Public Display of Dismemberment"  2:34
7. "Human Strain"  3:09
8. "Americon" 3:22
9. "Psychopathy Red"  2:26
10. "Playing with Dolls"  4:13
11. "Not of This God"  4:20

Personnel:

Tom Araya – vocals and bass
Jeff Hanneman – guitar
Kerry King – guitar
Dave Lombardo – drums

Slayer. One word. That is all that is enough to inform anyone of a person's metallic inclinations. I mean, you have to be living in another galaxy to not know of this entity. "Reign in Blood" is regarded as a milestone in metal and alongside "Seasons in the Abyss", these are the only two albums whose songs I know really well. That is why, I shall not comment on their recent work since that would be a claim made in ignorance. This album shall be compared to the aforementioned works and in my opinion that should be good enough because those were two kick-ass albums.

The moment I put in the CD, I got this feeling that I was listening to 'All Nightmare Long' by Metallica (from Death Magnetic) except ... Slayerized. Slayer have a distinct style. Super fast thrash riffs, combined with mega-shred-tastic solos are part of the classic slayer sound. This really comes through on songs like "Unit" and "Snuff". With "Beauty Through Order", we see their newer, evolved sound. "Hate Worldwide" should not surprise anyone who has listened to 'War Ensemble' or 'Hallowed Point'.

"Americon" is one of the standout songs of the album. It starts with one of the most evil sounding riffs that I have heard this side of hell. This is where Arraya's pissed-off screaming is put to some good effect. The rest of the songs on the album are pretty standard and this brings me to my main point.

With "World Painted Blood', Slayer have presented us with a good album. Unfortunately, that is all it is. Good. There is nothing about it that blows your mind away. A number of songs have the two-paced nature that we saw on 'Seasons...' but that predictability is what prevents this album from being amazing.

Technically, there is nothing to fault on this album. Hanneman, King, Arraya and Lombardo are almost one with their instruments. Lombardo is a beast. He pounds the skins with an intensity that would put death metal drummers to shame. Hanneman and King have a great dynamic (which subsequently puts them alongside some of the great thrash duos out there) and the way the play off each other is a treat to listen to. It is the defensive music that, to an extent, brings them down.

In a nutshell, a decent album. Could have been worse, but could have been better too.