God Hates Us All

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God Hates Us All
Studio album by Slayer
Released	September 11, 2001
Recorded	Vancouver, Canada
Genre	Thrash metal
Length	42:21 49:39 (Collector's Edition)
Label	American Recordings
Producer(s)	Matt Hyde
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
Slayer chronology
Diabolus in Musica (1998)	God Hates Us All (2001)	Eternal Pyre (2006)
Alternate cover
Sleeve used to cover the original album art

God Hates Us All is the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. The album was recorded in Vancouver at The Warehouse Studio. After three delays due to artwork and remixing concerns, it was finally released through American Recordings on September 11, 2001.

Contents 1 Recording 2 Lyrical themes 3 Controversy 4 Response 5 Track listing 6 Track listing (2002 Collector's Edition) 7 Chart positions 8 Credits 9 Notes 10 References

[edit] Recording

The band decided to record the record in Vancouver, Canada for two reasons. It was cheaper than a Hollywood recording studio and producer Matt Hyde had previously worked in the studio. Guitarist Jeff Hanneman stated "It will be cheaper, there'll be no distractions."^[1] The band used seven-string guitars on the tracks "Warzone" and "Here Comes The Pain", the first time they had done so.

[edit] Lyrical themes

The songs "Deviance" and "God Send Death", written by Hanneman are about the idea of killing people for fun. "I've read a bunch of books, and I put a lot of thought into it, and I figured out I'm really not a serial killer. I could kill somebody if they pissed me off, but I couldn't kill someone I didn't know, just for the power of it. I was really trying to get into that person's mind. Why do they get off on it? Without being angry, just killing for the sake of killing and getting off on it. I just wanted to get into that mindset." states Hanneman. Vocalist Tom Araya had no contribution to the lyrics of the record.^[1]

[edit] Controversy

The original album cover depicted a Bible covered in blood, with nails pushed in specific places to form a pentagram star, and with "Slayer" burnt into the front cover. A slip insert was created to be placed in front of the real cover in stores. This sleeve depicts the name of the band, four orthogonal Latin crosses in the form of a cross crosslet, and the name of the album in gold on a white background.

Despite its title and the original cover, the band was at pains to point out that the album was not a return to the horror-influenced "Satanic" lyrics of the past(despite the fact that much of the lyrics present on the album are very anti-religious, and much of the merchandise on the subsequent tours contained Satanic artwork). Kerry King has stated that the title "God Hates Us All" is a reference to having a bad day, one where you feel like God hates you. As the album's release coincided with the September 11, 2001 attacks, promotional posters were taken down immediately.

[edit] Response

The album debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200,^[2] and the band received their first Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the track "Disciple". The Grammy awards took place on January 8, 2002 with Tool winning the award for "Schism".^[3]

[edit] Track listing

1. "Darkness of Christ" (Hanneman/King) – 1:30
2. "Disciple" (Hanneman/King) – 3:35
3. "God Send Death" (Hanneman/King/Araya) – 3:45
4. "New Faith" (King) – 3:05
5. "Cast Down" (King) – 3:26
6. "Threshold" (Hanneman/King) – 2:29
7. "Exile" (King) – 3:55
8. "Seven Faces" (King) – 3:41
9. "Bloodline" (Hanneman/King/Araya) – 3:36
10. "Deviance" (Hanneman/Araya) – 3:08
11. "War Zone" (King) – 2:45
12. "Here Comes the Pain" (King) – 4:32
13. "Payback" (King) – 3:05

[edit] Track listing (2002 Collector's Edition)

1. "Darkness of Christ" (Lyrics: King) (Music: Hanneman) – 1:30
2. "Disciple" (Lyrics: King) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:35
3. "God Send Death" (Lyrics: Hanneman/Araya) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:47
4. "New Faith" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 3:05
5. "Cast Down" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 3:26
6. "Threshold" (Lyrics: King) (Music: Hanneman) – 2:29
7. "Exile" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 3:55
8. "Seven Faces" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 3:41
9. "Bloodline" (Lyrics: Araya/Hanneman) (Music: Hanneman/King) – 3:36
10. "Deviance" (Lyrics: Hanneman/Araya) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:08
11. "War Zone" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 2:45
12. "Scarstruck" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 3:29
13. "Here Comes the Pain" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 4:32
14. "Payback" (Lyrics & Music: King) – 3:05
15. "Addict" (Lyrics: King) (Music: Hanneman) – 3:41

• "Darkness of Christ (DVD Intro video)
• "Bloodline (Video)"
• "Raining Blood (Live Video)" (2001-12-07 San Fransisco, CA)
• "Interview/B-Roll Footage"

[edit] Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
2001	The Billboard 200	28
2001	Top Canadian Albums	9
2001	Top Internet Albums	18

[edit] Credits

• Tom Araya - bass guitar, vocals
• Jeff Hanneman - guitars
• Kerry King - guitars
• Paul Bostaph - drums
• Matt Hyde - Producer, Engineer, Mixing on Darkness of Christ and Bloodline
• Rick Rubin - Executive Producer
• Sean Beavan - Mixing
• Dean Maher - Engineer
• Paul Forgues - Assistant Engineer
• Eddy Schreyer - Mastering
• Rick Sales - Management, Executive Producer (Videos)
• Nick John - Management, Executive Producer (Videos)
• Louis Marino - Photography, Art Direction & Design
• Rick Patrick - Creative Direction
• Evan Bernard - Director (Bloodline video)
• Anthony M. BonGiovi - Director (Darkness of Christ (DVD Intro), Raining Blood (Live))
• Daniel E. Catullo III - Producer (Videos)
• David Stelzer - Executive Producer (Videos)
• Dino Paredes - Executive Producer (Videos)
• Glenis S. Gross - Co-Executive Producer (Videos)

[edit] Notes

It should be noted that 'Warzone' was orignally written to be the entrance theme of WWE wrestler Test and was to be released on WWF Forceable Entry, however slow production resulted in the track being dropped form Forceable Entry and released on 'God Hates Us All'

[edit] References

Slayer
Tom Araya | Jeff Hanneman | Kerry King | Dave Lombardo Tony Scaglione | Paul Bostaph | Jon Dette
Discography
Albums and extended plays: Show No Mercy | Haunting the Chapel | Hell Awaits | Reign in Blood | South of Heaven | Seasons in the Abyss | Divine Intervention | Undisputed Attitude | Diabolus in Musica | God Hates Us All | Eternal Pyre | Christ Illusion
Live albums: Live Undead | Decade of Aggression
Compilations: Soundtrack to the Apocalypse
Videos and DVDs
Live Intrusion | War at the Warfield | Still Reigning
Songs
"Angel of Death" | "Raining Blood" | "Eyes of the Insane" | "Jihad"