Maps of Music

Christ Illusion (2006)

Where the lyrics of Christ Illusion take you, and where it was really made.

Its cover shows a mutilated Christ, and after protests EMI India recalled and destroyed every Indian copy of the album.

Key places

Computer recording at NRG Studios (2006)

Recording site NRG Recording Studios (Hollywood) — Part of the album was recorded via computer at NRG Studios in North Hollywood, with assistant engineer Dave Colvin. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Westlake Studios (2006)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — The other part of the album was recorded at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles, where Brian Warwick assisted. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixing at Pulse Recording (2006)

Recording site Pulse Recording — Mixing for the album was credited to Pulse Recording in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Christ Illusion: tenth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer
• Released August 8, 2006 by American Recordings
• First album with all four original members in nearly sixteen years
• Drummer Dave Lombardo returned, the first time since Seasons in the Abyss (1990)
• Cover art of a mutilated Christ, painted by Larry Carroll, drew controversy
• After protests, EMI India recalled and destroyed all Indian stock

Background

• Release was first set for June 6, 2006, a date tied to the Number of the Beast and used as a marketing ploy
• The band was said to have failed to secure enough studio time, so the release was pushed back
• Slayer wanted Reign in Blood producer Rick Rubin for the album, but Rubin was busy and recording was delayed further
• Josh Abraham produced the album, and Rubin was credited as executive producer
• Eleven songs were originally planned, and ten made the final track listing

Recording

• Recorded via computer at NRG Studios in North Hollywood and Westlake Studios in Los Angeles
• Mixing was done at Pulse Recording in Los Angeles
• Kerry King played all rhythm guitar parts, as he did on the previous two albums
• Lombardo's return made the first time he, King, Araya and Hanneman appeared together on record since 1990

Cover

• Carroll painted the cover on a 4-by-4-foot slab of wood, working from track names and lyrics
• The final image shows Christ with one eye missing and amputated hands, standing in a sea of blood and severed heads
• An alternative non-graphic cover was made for retailers who refused the original

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1981 in Huntington Park, California by Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Tom Araya.
• Started by playing covers of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Venom at parties and clubs in Southern California.
• Signed with Metal Blade Records after the song "Aggressive Perfector" appeared on Metal Massacre III.

Members

• Current lineup: Kerry King, Tom Araya, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt; Holt joined in 2011 and became permanent after Hanneman's death in 2013.
• Former members include drummers Dave Lombardo (left three times) and Jon Dette.

Career

• Released twelve studio albums, including Reign in Blood (1986), widely described as one of the most influential thrash metal albums.
• Christ Illusion (2006) won a Grammy for "Eyes of the Insane", the band's first Grammy-related recognition.
• Disbanded in 2019 after a farewell tour and reunited for sporadic shows from 2024.
• Considered one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: score of 72 out of 100 based on 21 reviews
• AllMusic (Thom Jurek): praised the album as heavy metal melding with hardcore thrash and a return to the band's early strengths
• The New York Times (Ben Ratliff): described it as the most concentrated, focused Slayer record in 20 years
• PopMatters (Adrien Begrand): called it Slayer's best album in sixteen years
• Rolling Stone (Chris Steffen): dismissed the album, saying it covers much of the same ground as God Hates Us All without memorable riffs
• The Guardian (Jamie Thomson): described it as wholly disappointing
• KNAC.com (Peter Atkinson): said Lombardo's performance is top notch and gives the album a looser feel

Reappraisal

• Consequence of Sound (2011): included it in a list of top metal records released from 2000 to 2010

Records

• Billboard 200 debut at number 5, with 62,000 copies sold in the first week in the US
• Band's highest chart position as of 2015, and first top 10 since 1994's Divine Intervention
• Australia number 9, Canada number 3, Austria number 6, Netherlands number 8, Norway number 10, Poland number 9
• Debuted at number 2 in Finland and Germany
• 'Eyes of the Insane' and 'Final Six' won Best Metal Performance at the 49th and 50th Grammy Awards
• Won the 2006 Metal Storm Award for Best Thrash Metal Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Release was first set for June 6, 2006, a date linked to the Number of the Beast; King said the idea was dropped because many other bands had the same idea
• An exclusive T-shirt limited to 666 units was sold through the band's store to mark the sixth day of the sixth month
• Fullerton, California officials demanded that promotional artwork be removed from seventeen bus benches
• Tom Araya's gallbladder operation on May 5, 2006 left the vocals for 'Final Six' unfinished in time for release
• 'Final Six' later appeared on the soundtrack to the film Punisher: War Zone
• Josh Abraham is credited as producer and mixer on the album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact