Slayer’s sixth studio album marked a four-year gap since their previous release, Seasons in the Abyss. While it might not carry the same legendary status as its predecessors, it’s still an excellent record! Tracks like “Killing Fields” and “Sex. Murder. Art” stand out, alongside fast, intense bursts like “Dittohead” and “Mind Control.” Then there are the slower, heavier tracks like the title track and “213,” as well as the slightly unconventional “Serenity in Murder.” The production is tight and compact, with Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman delivering brutally sharp guitar work.
This was the band’s first release with Paul Bostaph on drums, and he absolutely nails it. The drumming on this album is phenomenal, with a raw, authentic sound—far removed from the overly processed, click-heavy drumming style that many extreme metal drummers leaned toward in the ’90s. Tom Araya sounds genuinely angry, although, as is often the case with Slayer, the bass feels a bit underwhelming. There’s even been speculation about whether it’s Tom or Kerry playing bass, following an interview King did with Rolling Stone Magazine.
Commercially, the album performed well, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Top 200 and No. 15 in the UK. Its highest chart position was in Finland, where it claimed the No. 1 spot, and it also reached No. 10 on Sweden’s Sverigetopplistan. At this time, many of the classic thrash bands were heading in new directions: Metallica and Megadeth had become far more melodic, Anthrax had ventured into alternative territory, and even the German thrash bands were experimenting with different styles. Slayer, however, stood firm, continuing to deliver uncompromising, ruthless thrash metal.
Granted, Slayer would later explore punk and nu-metal influences, but those shifts were still a few years away. Divine Intervention rarely gets mentioned in discussions about Slayer, and in my opinion, it’s a highly underrated album. Slayer may have evolved over the years, but Divine Intervention proves they were still masters of brutal thrash metal in the mid-’90s. An overlooked gem in their discography.
Released on American Recordings on September 27, 1994.
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