Diabolus in Musica | ||||
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Studio album by Slayer | ||||
Released | June 9, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1997–1998 Oceanway Studios Hollywood Sound, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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Genre | Thrash metal, groove metal | |||
Length | 40:24 50:00 (Japanese edition) |
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Label | American Recordings | |||
Producer | Slayer, Rick Rubin | |||
Slayer chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | link |
Entertainment Weekly | (C+) link |
Diabolus in Musica is the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on June 9, 1998, it is the third studio album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph. Although receiving mixed critical reviews, the album sold 46,000 copies in its first week to peak at number 31 on the Billboard 200.
Guitarist Jeff Hanneman wrote most of the album's content which has been described as Slayer's most experimental album. It is the band's first studio album to be played mostly in C# tuning. The album's title is a Latin term for "The Devil in Music", a musical interval known for its dissonance. Lyrical themes explored on the album include religion, deviants, death, maniacs, war, and serial killers.
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Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman described the writing process as, "When we were writing this album I was looking for something to beat; I wanted something to beat, but nothing impresses me right now. Nothing sounded really aggressive or heavy enough to inspire me to beat it, so I just had to come up with my own shit."[1] The album was produced by Rick Rubin and was recorded at Oceanway Studios.[2]
Adrien Begrand of PopMatters felt Slayer introduced characteristics to its music including tuned down guitars, murky chord structures, and churning beats. He believed these characteristics were adopted in response to the then-burgeoning nu metal scene.[3] Drummer Paul Bostaph claims the album is his favorite as he thought the album was "as experimental as Slayer got".[4] This included incorporating groove metal elements and strange vocal effects as said by an interview for High Times.[5] Bostaph returned to Slayer after his short-lived side project The Truth About Seafood, and the band entered the recording studio four months later.[4]
Diabolus in Musica is a Latin term for "The Devil in Music" or tritone. Medieval musical rules did not allow this particular dissonance.[6] According to one mythology, the interval was considered sexual and would bring out the devil; Slayer vocalist and bassist Tom Araya jokingly said that people were executed for writing and using the interval.[1]
Araya held concern about the lyrics that King penned to "In the Name of God", voicing his opinion to guitarist Hanneman. King's viewpoint was; "It's like, 'C'mon, man, you're in Slayer. You're the antichrist — you said it yourself on the first album!' You can't draw the line like that. Whether he agrees with it or not, he didn't write it — I wrote it. So you have to say, 'Well, it's just a part of being in this band.' Now Jeff and I, we don't give a fuck. If Jeff wrote something I had a problem with, I would never even raise a fucking finger. I'd be like, 'Fuck yeah, let's do it! Gonna piss someone off? Alright!'"[7] Jason Hundey of Allmusic observed; "Thankfully the lyrics have not traveled the route of 'Ain't My Bitch'; instead they stick to familiar topics such as religion, death, war, and serial killers."[8]
Diabolus in Musica was released on June 9, 1998 by American Recordings. In its first week of release, the album sold 46,000 copies in the United States[9] and debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200 Chart.[10] As of August 16, 2006 the album has sold 290,000 copies in the United States.[9] Reviewing 2003 Slayer box set Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, Adrien Begrand of PopMatters dubbed the album "a unique record [...] It's as if they're stepping in to show the young bands how to do it right, as songs like 'Bitter Peace', 'Death's Head', and the terrific 'Stain of Mind' blow away anything that young pretenders have put out."[3]
However, not all reviewers were so positive. Reviewing Slayer's 2001 album God Hates Us All, Blabbermouth.net reviewer Borijov Krgin described Diabolus in Musica as "a feeble attempt at incorporating updated elements into the group's sound, the presence of which elevated the band's efforts somewhat and offered hope that Slayer could refrain from endlessly rehashing their previous material for their future output."[11] In a 1998 review, New York Times' Ben Ratliff complained: "Eight of the 11 songs on Diabolus in Musica, a few of which were played at the show, are in the same gray key, and the band's rhythmic ideas have a wearying sameness too."[12] Songs from the album are rarely played live following the return of drummer Dave Lombardo in 2001, with "Stain of Mind" being the only constant.[13]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "Bitter Peace" | Jeff Hanneman | Hanneman | 4:32 |
2. | "Death's Head" | Hanneman | Hanneman | 3:34 |
3. | "Stain of Mind" | Kerry King | Hanneman | 3:24 |
4. | "Overt Enemy" | Hanneman | Hanneman | 4:41 |
5. | "Perversions of Pain" | King | Hanneman | 3:33 |
6. | "Love to Hate" | Hanneman, King | Hanneman | 3:07 |
7. | "Desire" | Tom Araya | Hanneman | 4:19 |
8. | "In the Name of God" | King | King | 3:40 |
9. | "Scrum" | King | Hanneman | 2:16 |
10. | "Screaming from the Sky" | Hanneman, King, Araya | Hanneman | 3:12 |
11. | "Point" | King | Hanneman | 4:11 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bitter Peace" | Hanneman | Hanneman | 4:32 |
2. | "Death's Head" | Hanneman | Hanneman | 3:34 |
3. | "Stain of Mind" | King | Hanneman | 3:24 |
4. | "Overt Enemy" | Hanneman | Hanneman | 4:41 |
5. | "Perversions of Pain" | King | Hanneman | 3:33 |
6. | "Love to Hate" | Hanneman, King | Hanneman | 3:07 |
7. | "Desire" | Araya | Hanneman | 4:19 |
8. | "Unguarded Instinct" | King | Hanneman | 3:42 |
9. | "In the Name of God" | King | King | 3:40 |
10. | "Scrum" | King | Hanneman | 2:16 |
11. | "Screaming from the Sky" | Hanneman, King, Araya | Hanneman | 3:12 |
12. | "Wicked" | Araya, Paul Bostaph | Hanneman, King | 6:00 |
13. | "Point" | King | Hanneman | 4:11 |
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