Diabolus in Musica

Diabolus in Musica is a work on which SLAYER built an oppressive heaviness through low, heavy guitar, hard-chugged rhythm and slashing vocals. Rather than all-out speed, slower tempos and repeating riffs strengthen the tension. It is a record that pursued a lower center of gravity while also taking in the heavy-music current of the time. On “Bitter Peace,” “Stain of Mind,” “Death's Head” and “Perversions of Pain,” while keeping the conventional thrash sense, sonic weight and an ominous air come to the front. Songs like “Love to Hate” and “In the Name of God” breathe the band’s new expression too. Letting you hear a still-dangerous SLAYER with a different face, it is a record that shows the band’s experimental spirit, even while drawing mixed opinions.