Undisputed Attitude

by Slayer

Overview

Slayer's Undisputed Attitude feels more like a stopgap than an actual Slayer record. Rather than another set of blasting, disturbing originals like 1994's Divine Intervention or 1995's Serenity in Murder EP, this album is a collection of covers. Containing 14 tracks, the band covers everyone from Minor Threat to T.S.O.L., from D.I. to Iggy Pop. Given Slayer's Huntington Beach, CA, homeland, the hardcore roots are plain enough. But HB is also a big metal town, and these cats as youngsters were exposed to everything from Motoerhead to Black Sabbath and the early L.A. metal scene. True to their course, however, they've never sounded like anyone but themselves. Even on a collection of covers (with a pair of originals thrown in to boot), the Slayer imprint is unmistakable, and while taking a breather from fresh ideas on their own projects, this disc sounds like the bandmembers were having a blast if not exactly breaking new ground. All but two of these cuts are less than three minutes long, with a number of them come in under two -- in keeping with true hardcore fashion. Even on the completely over-the-rail covers of Minor Threat's "Filler/I Don't Want To Hear It" and "Guilty of Being White," the guitar breaks are unmistakably their own. Paul Bostaph's thin drumming (as opposed to founding drummer Dave Lombardo's) is actually more suited to this material. The cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" contains the title "I'm Gonna Be Your God" -- it wouldn't do for Slayer to be thought of in any way submissive, would it? (Although none would have cared but them, which tells you where they're coming from.) The band basically improves upon D.I.'s "Spiritual Law," and the long reach into Minor Threat's catalog -- four tracks done in a pair of medleys -- offers a few more examples of where Slayer come from. They are extremely heavy and extremely brief cuts, but pack a wallop. For those looking toward Slayer's more direct roots, there are a pair of early experiments from a project Jeff Hanneman was in, "I Can't Stand You" and "Ddamn," and a Slayer newbie called "Gemini," clocking in just under five minutes and offering a glimpse into the future of sludge and doom metal before it twists and turns on a dime and becomes a more typically trademarked Slayer number. Undisputed Attitude is a curiosity; it's far from an essential collection by Slayer. The true faithful will want this and most likely really get off on it. For those who admire what the band had accomplished musically to this point, it feels like a bit of a letdown, really. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	12/10/2013
Label:	American
UPC:	0602537494064

Tracks

1. Disintegration/Free Money
2. Verbal Abuse/Leeches
3. Abolish Government/Superficial Love
4. Can't Stand You
5. Ddamm
6. Guilty Of Being White
7. I Hate You
8. Filler/I Don't Want To Hear It
9. Spiritual Law
10. Sick Boy
11. Mr. Freeze
12. Violent Pacification
13. Richard Hung Himself
14. I'm Gonna Be Your God
15. Gemini

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Slayer   Primary Artist
Paul Bostaph   Drums
Kerry King   Guitar
Jeff Hanneman   Guitar
Tom Araya   Bass,Vocals

Technical Credits

Spike Cassidy   Composer
Paul Bostaph   Composer
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Slayer   Producer
Ron Asheton   Composer
Bill Smith   Assistant Engineer
Kerry King   Composer
Ian MacKaye   Composer
Kyle Toucher   Composer
Jack Grisham   Composer
Kurt Brecht   Composer
Lyle Preslar   Composer
Casey Royer   Composer
John "Bosco" Calabro   Composer
Jeff Nelson   Composer
Greg Gordon   Engineer
Todd Barnes   Composer
Jeff Hanneman   Composer
Ralph Cacciurri   Assistant Engineer
Rick Rubin   Executive Producer
Bryan Davis   Assistant Engineer
Tom Araya   Composer
Brian Baker   Composer
Jim Giddenes   Assistant Engineer
Dave Sardy   Mixing,Producer
Rikk Agnew   Composer
Mike Roche   Composer
Scott Asheton   Composer
Iggy Pop   Composer
Dennis Keeley   Photography,Inlay Photography
Eric Mastrokolas   Composer
Joie Mastrokalos   Composer
Michael Lavine   Cover Photo,Photography
Dirk Walter   Design,Art Direction
Ron Emory   Composer
Brett Dodwell   Composer
Roy Hansen   Composer
David Alexander   Composer
Wes Benscoter   Artwork,Illustrations
Fred Traccone   Composer
Bill Airey Smith   Assistant Engineer