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Track Listing: South of Heaven Silent Scream Live Undead Behind the Crooked Cross Mandatory Suicide Ghosts of War Read Between the Lies Cleanse the Soul Dissident Aggressor Spill the Blood

Slayer has been a hit or miss band with many fans recently with their newer efforts being severely criticized by long time fans. This review is not about today's Slayer. It is about one of the most monumental albums by one of the big 4 bands. South of Heaven is still my favourite Slayer album and I have always wanted to review it. The band had already established its place in thrash metal forever with REIGN IN BLOOD which is considered the best thrash metal by many today. So how does a band top something like that? They could do the same thing but that would seem to forced. They did something completely different. South Of Heaven (now to be referred to as SOH) is more melodic and features more harmonies than its predecessor. This 10 track masterpiece of an album also features a cover song. Yes, Slayer covered Judas Priest's Dissident Aggressor here. The album is better produced than Reign In Blood as well. The album has many classics that remain in the bands newer tour setlists as well. In 2007 they used to open their shows with South of heaven followed by Silent scream. The overall mix of the album is brutal and the best part is every instrument has its own identity. This is the highpoint in my opinion for Slayer. After this album they took a plunge that recovered only with Christ illusion in 2006. Here is a track by track review of the album.

• South Of Heaven : One of the most phenomenal album intros ever, SOH features an eerie guitar riff that harmonizes with the other guitar before the drums and bass kick in. The quick riffs Slayer are known for have come into fruition here. Tom araya is very laconic here. When you listen to this song you still feel like screaming,ÓBefore you see the light, You must DIE!Ó. The solos on this one are relatively different from traditional Slayer guitar solos. They are unique and not just a barrage of notes that are in tune but sound out of tune. Kerry and Jeff have always been liberal with their whammy use and I love that. Not much else needs to be said about this song other than the fact that it is one of the greatest songs ever created by a metal band. This song must be followed by Silent Scream on every listen and live.
• Silent Scream : The feedback from the outro to SOH takes you to Silent scream. This song is a warp speed barrage of double bass and riffs. It is one of my favourite Slayer songs. Dave Lombardo is a god. I have seen this song live and he kills on it. This song perfectly merges with the title track live. It is a very short song but needs to be heard along with the title track like I said before.
• Live Undead : This is the first song on the album where Araya's bass is heard clearly. The song is moderately fast like the title track. This is one of the major differences between SOH and the previous album. The intro riff is slightly akin to the bridge riff of Angel Of Death (Slayer). Tom Araya actually sings on this album and its not just screaming. I would have loved to see them play on the actual South Of Heaven tour because almost every song has warp speed double bass by the great Lombardo. The solos are typical Slayer solos thrown in for the heck of it. Tom Araya's scream before the intro riff picks up again is mindblowing. It sounds like vibrato on a very high note on the guitar. There is a break that leads to the solos. The solos and vocals keep going to and fro and from left to right here. I really like this part.
• Behind The Crooked Cross : This is the song that features riffs that sound evil. It is like overkill meets Slayer's criminally insane of their last effort. Being one of the shorter songs on the album , I really thing the solos should have been better crafted here. You have to love Slayer for coming up with the most random guitar solos but managing to play them live. This song is more thrash than their previous sound ( thrash with a slight punk influence).
• Mandatory Suicide : Mandatory suicide is very similar to behind the crooked cross in terms of composition. It is like a combination of live undead and the previous song to be precise. The chugging guitar here is what brings this song into its own. This song sounds best on the original 88 LP in my opinion. The song ends with a few guitar solos and lombardo's double bass accompanied by a spoken word by Araya.
• Ghosts of war : This song starts with a low quality (sound wise) riff that builds and becomes louder by the second. This song is another warp speed song on the album that will have Reign in blood fans rejoicing. The solos lead to a break that completely changes the timing of the song. More solos follow with araya's screaming vocals.
• Read between the lies : I really like the name of this song. This is another song that can be instantly identified as part of the SOH album. This is definitely one of the most brutal Slayer tracks ever. This song's lyrical theme is a full scale attack on all organized religions and mainly Christianity. The song ends with a machine gun drum pattern before leading to the next song.
• Cleanse the soul : Imagine having a song that is father than anything you heard before and that does not sacrifice on clarity. This is it. It sounds like Araya has used two vocal tracks for this song. Usually the shorter songs are the fastest. The solo hits you like a bus coming out of nowhere. The bridge riff is slightly odd timed and that takes you back to the main epic song theme. King's solo ends the song.
• Dissident Aggressor : I was sceptical about Slayer doing a Judas Priest cover when I heard of this the first time. I am honestly surprised. They have outdone themselves. The song is awesome and this cover is almost better than dare I say the original. The major difference is Jeff and Kerry playing their own solos. To make it a Slayer song you cant play the original solos now can you?
• Spill the Blood : This is the weakest song on the album in my opinion. It shows the direction of the band towards the next album. It would have been more suited to seasons in the abyss in all aspects. Even the guitar solos sound like they should be on that album. His vocals annoy me on this song. Dissident aggressor would have been the perfect album closer.

Overall this album is still a joy to listen to and I still have my vinyl copy of the album which I throw on the turn table once in a while. I'm sure most people have already heard the album by now (if not GO BUY THE CD NOW) but if you haven't , I suggest getting the album on Vinyl. This still remains Slayer's highpoint. Christ illusion that was better than seasons in the abyss came close to SOH but did not touch it. To end this album review I say ON AND ON SOUTH OF HEAVEN...