Untitled | |
---|---|
Christ Illusion is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on August 8, 2006. Generally receiving mixed critical reviews, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number five, the highest chart position ever achieved by the band in the U.S. Including the Grammy award winning "Eyes of the Insane", it is the band's first album to feature original drummer Dave Lombardo since Seasons in the Abyss (1990).
Depicting a mutilated Christ painted by longtime collaborator Larry Carroll, the album's graphic artwork courted controversy. An alternative, non-graphic cover was issued to conservative retailers who felt uncomfortable with the original cover. Lyrical themes, especially the song "Jihad" which described the September 11 attacks from a terrorist perspective, outraged the Mumbai based Catholic Secular Forum in India. As a result, all Indian stocks of the album were recalled and destroyed by EMI India.
Recording
Christ Illusion was recorded at two venues: NRG, North Hollywood, with assistant engineering by Dave Colvin, and Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, with assistant engineering by Brian Warwick.[2] The album was produced by Josh Abraham and executive produced by Rick Rubin.[2] Although accredited, Rubin was not seen in the studio by guitarist Kerry King during the recording of the album, and is said (by King) to have only participated in the recording by providing suggestions during mixing.[3] The band wished for Rubin to produce the album, and blamed him for the delay in entering the studio.[4] Around this time, Rubin lent production to Metallica's untitled tenth studio album, an action King deemed "a slap in the fucking face."[4]
King recalls that nine of the eleven songs originally slated for Christ Illusion were demoed in 2004, with Lombardo at the drum kit.[5] Drummer Lombardo, on the other hand, remembers recording with King as far back as early 2003, with two demos made at Lombardo's home.[6] Lombardo's involvement marked the first time that he, King, Araya and Hanneman had appeared together on record since the release of Seasons in the Abyss in 1990,[3] a reason cited by guitarist Jeff Hanneman for an alleged clearer Punk vibe throughout the songs on the album.[7] Lombardo personally described the album as "a matured Reign in Blood",[8] while King described it as "a mix between God Hates and Seasons."[9] Like Slayer's two previous albums, all rhythm tracks on Christ Illusion were laid down by King.[3] The song "Catalyst", meanwhile, almost saw inclusion on Slayer's 2001 album God Hates Us All, existing in an alternate version which boasts former drummer Paul Bostaph on drums.[5]
Although eleven songs were originally slated for the album, only ten made the final track listing. A song penned by Hanneman[5] entitled "Final Six" was meant for inclusion,[3] with the song name originally declared as the album's title by vocalist Tom Araya to George Stroumboulopoulous of CBC's "The Hour."[10] Questioned about the album's title by Kevin & Bean of Los Angeles KROQ FM, King replied "I'm not positive it's been nailed yet. I think last week was the deadline and I'm not sure where it ended up, so I'm gonna have to take the fifth on that one. The way it was going, my vote was overlooked, so… That's why I'm not real thrilled about it."[10] However, Araya took one weekend off for vacation during the recording of the album and required a two-hour gall bladder operation the following Monday on May 5, 2006.[3][11] Thus, he was unable to finish the vocals for the song in time for the album's release.[3] King hinted that "Final Six" might appear on a possible special digipack release of Christ Illusion.[3]
Marketing and promotion
Christ Illusion's tentative release date was June 6, 2006;[5] however, King asserts that the idea was scrapped because many bands were intent on releasing their respective records on this date.[5] USA Today reported that plans to release the album on this date were thwarted because the band failed to secure time in the studio.[12] The sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year, the connotation of the Number of the Beast (666) from the Book of Revelations was used as a marketing ploy by many media releases on this date, most notably the 21st century remade horror movie The Omen.[12] Missing the "Satanic" date, the release date was pushed back to July 25[10] (even though this was not met either). Despite this, an exclusive T-shirt limited to 666 units and only available via the band's store was released in commemoration of "the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year".[11] An EP named "Eternal Pyre" was also released on this date, limited to five thousand copies exclusively available via Hot Topic stores in the US. The release previewed the track "Cult", which was made available for streaming on the band's official website the same day.[13] Its June 23 European release saw the EP land at number 48 on the Swedish charts[14] and number 2 on the Finnish charts,[15] while Nuclear Blast Records released a 7" vinyl picture disc version limited to a thousand copies on June 30.[16]
Not all media attention surrounding the group on June 6 was favourable. National Day of Slayer, LLC, describing itself as a "a non-profit corporation in the State of Wyoming," launched a website asking Slayer fanatics to participate in "The National Day of Slayer", where all fans would listen to Slayer tracks.[17] However, vandals attacked St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York by spray-painting a large pentagram in front of the doors; black inverted crosses in two columns in front of the main entrance; and the number six on three steps leading into the Seminary, where the words "Reign in Blood" were scrawled.[18] The John Milton phrase "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven", taken from Book 1 of the poem "Paradise Lost", was found on two inside columns.[18] The National Day of Slayer website took credit for inspiring the perpetrator(s).[19]
Fans were given an exclusive preview of other tracks culled from the upcoming album before its release. In addition to "Cult", the tracks "Jihad" and "Eyes of the Insane" were made available for streaming on Spanish website Rafabasa.com in late June.[20] A listening party event for the album took place on July 22 at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York.[21] Additionally, a live performance of "Cult" was shown on "The Henry Rollins Show";[22] a few days earlier, a rendition of "Disciple" (taken from Slayer's 2001 album God Hates Us All) was posted online, filmed on the set of the show.[22] BBC Radio 1's "Mike Davis Rock Show" gave "Skeleton Christ" a premier airing on August 1,[23] and by August 4 the whole album was available for streaming through Slayer's official MySpace profile.[24] AOL Radio complimented this by launching "All Slayer" station in anticipation of Christ Illusion's release, playing all of Slayer's previously released songs and tracks from the upcoming record.[25]
In late July 2006,[26] bus benches in several Californian cities were decorated with promotional artwork for Christ Illusion. City officials in Fullerton, California demanded that the artwork be immediately removed from 17 bus benches located throughout the city, contacting the hired company who originally put the adverts in place to assume the task.[26] The officials disliked the band's name, which they felt referred to a murderer. They also took offense to the antichrist and skull logo adorning the bench artwork.[26] Eventually, the artwork was removed.[27] However, various Orange County, California areas surrounding the city of Fullerton still had benches sporting the cover artwork.[27]
Reception and criticism
Christ Illusion was released on August 8, 2006 by American Recordings / Warner Bros. Records. In its first week of release, it sold 62,000 copies in the United States and debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Chart, the band's highest chart position and their first top 10 charting since Divine Intervention in 1994.[28] The album reached number 9 in Australia,[29] number 3 in Canada, number 6 in Austria, number 8 in Holland, number 10 in Norway and debuted at number 2 in Finland[30] and Germany.[31] The single "Eyes of the Insane" won the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 49th annual Grammy Awards.[32]
Critical reviews of the album were generally mixed. Chris Steffen of Rolling Stone magazine dismissed the album, saying it "mines much of the same territory as its predecessor, God Hates Us All, just without the memorable riffs."[33] Despite the dismissal, drummer Lombardo came in for appraisal with the quip "at least their awesome drummer Dave Lombardo shows off some chops."[33] The Guardian newspaper's Jamie Thomson called the effort "wholly disappointing", with the band "unwilling to ditch the nu-metal tendencies that have made much of their recent output so resistible."[34] Meanwhile, KNAC.com's contributor Peter Atkinson felt that the album "demands OUTRAGE —more calculatingly so than any other album the band has done", "and that, in a nutshell, is Christ Illusion’s glaring weakness."[35]
However, not all critics were disappointed with the album. Thom Jurek of All Music Guide hailed the album as "a raging, forward-thinking heavy metal melding with hardcore thrash", calling Christ Illusion "what made them such a breath of fresh air in the first place."[1]
Album artwork and lyrical themes
Slayer came under fire due to several concerns surrounding Christ Illusion. This was largely as a result of the Larry Carroll painted album cover which depicted a mutilated, stoned Jesus, alongside controversial lyrical matter concerning terrorism, warfare and religion.
Album artwork
Larry Carroll, who had painted the cover artwork to previous Slayer albums such as Reign in Blood, South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss, resumed such duties on Christ Illusion.[36] Working solely from track names and formative lyrics, Carroll produced the original item on a 4-by-4-foot slab of wood using a combination of mediums.[36] Requesting an image of Christ in "a sea of despair", King commented that an initial version seemed as though Christ was "chilling out in the water".[37] The final, resulting image was Christ with a missing eye and amputated hands, standing amidst a sea of blood and severed heads.[36] Araya deemed this version "much better because he looked like a drug addict!",[37] with King admiring the artwork enough to arrange its purchase.[38] Certain album pre-orders gave fans the chance to win one of ten lithos of the artwork autographed by Carroll,[39] while an alternate, non-graphic cover was made to appease conservative retailers who would not stock the original version.[40]
World Entertainment News Network reported that Slayer were attracting controversy through issuing the artwork.[37] Joseph Dias of Mumbai's Christian group the Catholic Secular Forum took "strong exception" to the original album artwork.[41] Chris Steffen of Rolling Stone magazine opined that "The album art takes it all over the top with an image axeman Kerry King dubs 'Christ in a Sea of Despair'" in a critical review of Christ Illusion,[33] while KNAC.com's Peter Atkinson deemed the artwork "defiantly sacrilegious".[35]
Lyrical themes
Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end Lyrical themes on Christ Illusion included "Jihad" which spoke about the September 11 attacks from the terrorist's viewpoint,[42] "Eyes of the Insane" which dealt with a soldier's post-traumatic stress,[43] "Cult" which revolved around King's perceived flaws in American religion,[44] and imaginings of what it would be like to be involved in warfare.[45]
Critical reception to the album's lyrical content was generally mixed. Rolling Stone's Chris Steffen mourned that "it's become downright painful to hear Tom Araya — at 45 years old! — continue to belt out the band's increasingly self-parodying, anti-religious lyrics, like 'Religion’s a whore' and 'I've made my choice: six six six!'",[33] while the Guardian newspaper's Jamie Thomson said there was "no blasphemy left unuttered".[34] Peter Atkinson of KNAC.com observed that "When not fixating on religion, the band revisit their other favorite subject — war — in surprisingly familiar terms", and sometimes "sink to the level of God-repelling dunderheads Deicide."[35] He summarised that "It’s deja vu all over again from God Hates Us All — and once you’ve titled something God Hates Us All, haven’t you made your point enough already?"[35] Not all critical reactions towards the album's lyrical efforts were negative however, as Thom Jurek of All Music Guide felt that the "dark, unrelentingly twisted-as-f*ck lyrics reflect a singular intensity".[1]
A Christian group, the Mumbai based Catholic Secular Forum (CSF), condemned the album's lyrical content. The group's general secretary Joseph Dias issued a statement in which the lyrics to "Skeleton Christ" were deemed "an insult to Christianity".[41] The song "Jihad" also raised the ire of the CSF. In a memorandum sent to Mumbai's police commissioner, the organisation stated that the track "will affect the sensibilities of the Muslims" "and secular Indians who have respect for all faiths."[41] Araya expected an American backlash,[42] though this never came.[7] EMI India met with the CSF, apologising for Christ Illusion's release and recalling the album with no plans of a reissue.[41] On October 11, 2006 it was announced that all stocks had been destroyed.[46]
Track listing
- "Flesh Storm" – 4:16 (King)
- "Catalyst" – 3:09 (King)
- "Skeleton Christ" – 4:22 (King)
- "Eyes of the Insane" – 3:24 (Araya/King)
- "Jihad" – 3:30 (Araya/Hanneman)
- "Consfearacy" – 3:09 (King)
- "Catatonic" – 4:56 (King)
- "Black Serenade" – 3:18 (Araya/Hanneman)
- "Cult" – 4:42 (King)
- "Supremist" – 3:51 (King)
- Some versions of the album have slightly different track listings; "Skeleton Christ" is track 5, while "Eyes of the Insane" and "Jihad" are pushed back to tracks 3 and 4.
References
- ^ a b c d e Jurek, Thom. "Christ Illusion"'". At All Music Guide; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Christ Illusion album notes, August 8, 2006. American Recordings, 9362-44300-2
- ^ a b c d e f g Matera, Joe. "Slayer's Kerry King: The Art Of Writing Songs That Nobody Else Can Write", 4 August 2006. At Ultimate-Guitar.com; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ a b "SLAYER's KING Says RICK RUBIN's Collaboration With METALLICA Was 'Slap In The Face'", June 26 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "SLAYER Recount VENOM 'Pissing' Incident", June 25 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ "'DAVE LOMBARDO: Time Away From SLAYER Was 'Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me", 23 July 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ a b Lahtinen, Luxi. "SLAYER - Jeff Hanneman'", 18 December 2006. At Metal-Rules.com; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ Baronas, Mike. "“DAVE SAVES” Lombardo: SLAYER’s Skin Maestro '"', 2006. At GASPetc.com; last accessed January 19, 2007.
- ^ Atkinson, Peter. "Songs About God and Satan - Part 1: An Interview With Slayer's Kerry King'"', April 24 2006. At KNAC.com; last accessed January 19, 2007.
- ^ a b c "'SLAYER: New Album Title Revealed?'", June 7 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b "SLAYER To Release 6/6/06 T-Shirt, Limited To 666 Units, Priced At $16.66", June 2 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Petrecca, Laura. "'Marketers hope 666 will be their lucky number Me", 2 June 2006. At USA Today; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: Entire New Song 'Cult' Available For Streaming", June 6 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Eternal Pyre' Single Lands At No. 48 On Swedish Chart", July 6 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Eternal Pyre' Single Enters Finnish Chart At No. 2!", July 5 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Eternal Pyre' 7" Vinyl Picture-Disc Single To Be Released This Month", June 27 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "'National Day Of SLAYER' To Be Held On June 6'", April 26 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b "'SLAYER 'Fans' Vandalize New York Seminary To Mark 6/6/06'", June 8 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "'Report: 'National Day Of Slayer' Web Site Takes Credit For Inspiring Vandalism At Seminary'", June 13 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: Three New Tracks Available In Streaming Audio", June 26 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Listening Party Scheduled For This Weekend", July 20 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b "SLAYER Performs On 'The Henry Rollins Show': Video Available", July 26 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Skeleton Christ' Track Available Online", August 3 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: Hear 'Christ Illusion' In Its Entirety", August 4 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "AOL RADIO Launches 'All SLAYER' Station", August 7 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Exclusive: City Of Fullerton Demands That SLAYER Bus Benches Be Removed", August 1 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b "SLAYER 'Christ Illusion' Bus Benches Removed From Fullerton", August 7 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Lands At No. 5 On BILLBOARD Chart!'", August 16 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Enters Australian Chart At No. 9'", August 13 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Enters Finnish Chart At No. 2'", August 13 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Enters Norwegian Chart At No. 10'", August 16 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER Wins GRAMMY In 'Best Metal Performance' Category", February 11, 2007. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed February 12, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Review: New SLAYER Album Is 'God Hates Us All' Without The Memorable Riffs'", July 10 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Thomson, Jamie. "Slayer, Christ Illusion'", August 18 2006. At Guardian Unlimited; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Atkinson, Peter. "Slayer "Christ Illusion"'", July 24 2006. At KNAC.com; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Final Album Artwork Posted Online", June 15 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ a b c "SLAYER Under Fire From Christian Groups", July 5 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ Horaczek, Stan. "Kerry King: Interview '"', August 2006. At Blender.com; last accessed January 19, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: Win 'Christ Illusion' Album Cover Signed By Artist", July 27 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 15, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'Christ Illusion' Alternate 'Non-Graphic' Cover Revealed", July 20 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "SLAYER's 'Christ Illusion' Album Recalled Following Christian Group Protests", October 6 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ a b "It's carry on thrashing'", 2006. At The Sun Online; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ Claes, Sean. "Slayer'", 2006. At Blistering; last accessed January 16, 2007.
- ^ Sculley, Alan. "Metal gods Slayer gear up for this summer's most brutal road trek, the Unholy Alliance Tour'", 2006. At CityBeat; last accessed January 16, 2007.
- ^ "SLAYER Guitarist KERRY KING: 'We Won't Change. We'll Always Be Angry'", July 13 2006. At Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 14, 2007.
- ^ "'Offensive' album pulled in India'", 11 October 2006. At BBC.co.uk; last accessed January 14, 2007.