Maps of Music

God Hates Us All (2001)

Where the lyrics of God Hates Us All take you, and where it was really made.

Set for release on July 10, the album was delayed to September 11, 2001, and that release date drew an unintended link to the September 11 attacks.

Key places

Recorded at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver (2001)

Recording site Warehouse Studios — The album was recorded over three months at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. The band moved there for cheaper studio time, and producer Matt Hyde had worked at the studio before. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer
• Released September 11, 2001 by American Recordings
• Includes "Disciple", a Grammy Award-nominated song
• Kerry King wrote most of the lyrics, on religion, murder, revenge, and self-control
• Continues the nu metal experimentation begun on Diabolus in Musica

Background

• Originally planned for a Hollywood studio; the band moved to Vancouver for cheaper studio time
• Writing began before Slayer's 1999 Ozzfest appearance
• Ozzfest and the worldwide "Tattoo the Earth" tour with Slipknot interrupted the work every three to four months
• Producer Matt Hyde was hired to produce the whole album after his work on "Bloodline"
• Last album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph until his return on Repentless (2015)

Recording

• Recorded over three months at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver
• Hyde recommended the studio, where he had worked before
• The studio was altered to feel like home: incense, candles, dimmed lights, pornography on the walls, and two middle-finger banners
• Pro Tools used for engineering, production, and mixing; computer effects kept to a minimum
• Drum tracks recorded first, as on previous recordings
• Seven-string guitars used on "Scarstruck" and "Here Comes the Pain", the first time for Slayer
• Mixed at Larrabee East, Los Angeles; mastered at Oasis Mastering, Studio City

Cover

• Original cover shows a Bible spiked with nails in a pentagram shape, covered in blood, with "Slayer" burnt across it
• The record company proposed the idea; King wanted more time to develop a better cover
• A slip insert was placed in front of the covers in major retail outlets

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

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

• Release moved from July 10 because of concerns over audio mixing, the cover, and the label's change of distributor
• Debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200 and sold 51,000 copies in its first week
• Entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number 9 and debuted at number 18 on the top Internet album chart
• The release date drew an unintended connection to the September 11 attacks, the second such controversy for Slayer after Seasons in the Abyss coincided with the Gulf War

Reappraisal

• Critics gave generally positive reviews; Metacritic score is 80 out of 100 based on 12 reviews
• Kerrang!'s Jason Arnopp called it Slayer's most convincing collection since Seasons in the Abyss and gave five out of five
• Rolling Stone's Rob Kemp called it Slayer's most brutal record since Reign in Blood (1986) and gave three and a half out of five
• AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier called it a near flawless album, and said Araya's performance may make it the most exhausting Slayer album yet
• Blabbermouth.net's Borivoj Krgin gave six out of 10 and criticized King's songwriting and Araya's vocals
• The Washington Post gave a mixed review

Records

• Peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200
• Had sold 319,000 copies in the United States as of November 11, 2009
• "Disciple" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards, the band's first nomination
• The ceremony took place on February 27, 2002; Tool won with "Schism"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was first intended to be titled Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, but Araya suggested saving that name for a box set, which the band released in 2003.
• The album title comes from the line repeated over the chorus of "Disciple".
• A Pantera member suggested the phrase for a shirt design after King played the song for the band; King felt it had more impact as the album title.
• King's cover concept was to make it look as if a sociopath had defaced the Bible, with nails missing keywords in the verses.
• The album was the last one to feature Paul Bostaph until his return on Repentless in 2015.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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