DIVINE INTERVENTION
In a way, you might say that DIVINE INTERVENTION, the 6th album from SLAYER (and the first with former Forbidden skins man Paul Bostaph behind the drumkit) was their moment of resurrection.
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By the early 90’s, much of the pre-existing thrash landscape from the 80’s had either completely disappeared or radically transformed into a different non-thrash genre altogether.
Naturally, SLAYER refused to compromise their sound or their mission statement and instead came back with a furious vengeance, even angrier, darker, and eviler than before.
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Released: September 27, 1994
Recorded: 1994
Label: American
Producers: Rick Rubin - Toby Wright - Slayer
Tom Araya – bass, vocals
Kerry King – guitars
Jeff Hanneman – guitars
Paul Bostaph – drums
Tracks
1. Killing Fields
2. Sex. Murder. Art.
3. Fictional Reality
4. Dittohead
5. Divine Intervention
6. Circle of Beliefs
7. SS-3
8. Serenity in Murder
9. 213
10. Mind Control
It's time to find out what the S.L.A.Y.E.R. “backronym” means as you “carve SLAYER” while replying back to a text that was clearly meant for someone else. Prepare to embrace the truth of Dick Taintler’s powerful “message of the day”, discover what happens when you don’t use shampoo “as directed”, get rid of your waterbed and JOIN US as we dive into the revival of the darkest, evilest, and most uncompromising of The Big Four with SLAYER’s DIVINE INTERVENTION.
KILLING FIELDS:
That opening…the drums…the fills…the riffs…it’s almost like a re-revisited (insert Metalli-pun here) version of “Hell Awaits”, in terms of riff complexity and sheer number of riff changes per decasecond (is that even a unit of time measurement? Like every 10 seconds?).
Never have pick scratches sounded more metal…the secret recipe to Slayer’s sound is in the midrange. With the way this song builds from the beginning through to the end, it is the Hell Awaits of this album, song wise.
You can tell that Paul (Bostaph) felt obligated to properly fill the drum shoes vacated by Dave (Lombardo), and by all accounts, it seems that he did a superb job; this could not have sounded any more naturally badass than it did. As a wise man once said: “You’ve gotta be pleased.”
“A sociopath with empty eyes and no soul,
Paranoid, psychotic, heart of stone, my blood runs cold…”
SEX, MURDER, ART:
Less than 2 minutes is more than enough time to get your point across if you’re Slayer.
A perfect introduction to the next wave of SLAYER, blending the 80’s with the 90’s. Paul Bostaph bridged the gap beautifully with superb thrash craftsmanship in the drums and percussion department.
NOTE: “the video” in question was for a different song! (Insert facepalm noise here)
Not totally crazy, just ill informed. The lyrics are certainly a lot to take in. Be careful not to “lip synch” the lyrics to this song in a place where people can actually read your lips…or a place where people can actually read.
“You’re nothing,
An object of animation,
A subjective mannequin,
Beaten into submission,
Raping again and again…”
FICTIONAL REALITY:
Already a killer way to open the track…a LOT of double bass. I know we made a comment before about how this almost seemed like a new generation of “Hell Awaits”, but it just has that kind of feel.
This song could NOT possibly hit any harder in the “Relevance Department” than the time we’re living in right now.
Also, definitely one of the strangest Slayer guitar solos ever. Maybe even an “anti-solo” perhaps.
” Treachery, misery, violence, insanity,
Scavengers, closing in, covering the truth again,
Castrate society, fictional reality…”
DITTOHEAD:
FUCK YES!!!
Best song of the 90’s! And probably one of the most badass songs in Slayer’s entire catalog (even today!).
“NOTHING TO REGRET!!!”
Slayer have expressed their extreme dudgeon and hostility towards the bureaucratic retardity and rampant political corruption of government perfectly. This should easily become the new National Anthem…”for the land of the deceived and the home of the enslaved.”
Definitely cannot be loud enough. In fact, the only appropriate volume for this song is LOUD!
“Murder, mayhem, anarchy, now are all done legally,
Mastermind your killing spree,
Unafraid of punishment with a passive government
There’s nothing for you to regret…”
DIVINE INTERVENTION:
Those are easily the most evilest sounding clean chords ever played on any Slayer album ever…actually probably the most evil sounding clean guitar in the annals of metal, and at a minimum, perhaps the eeriest & creepiest sounding clean guitars in Slayer’s entire catalog.
Hellz awaitz, bro…
Wait, Paul Bastoph? You mean the dude who used to sing for Exodus?
“Awaken in a web like Hell,
How did I reach this place?
Why are they haunting me?
I cannot look at God’s face…”
CIRCLE OF BELIEFS:
(Deep Breath…and begin…)
This one does not waste a single moment…
Take a deep breath, and begin…no buildup, no lube, no foreplay, just straight into the fray!
“Adjusting to another set of values takes its toll,
Growing in a lunacy that plays on your stupidity…”
SS-3:
Ahhh, the murderous Nazis, always classic Slayer subject matter. Honestly, what’s more EVILER in modern history than the Nazi’s? And what screams “FUCKIN’ SLAYER!!!” more than a song about murdering a murderous Nazi, particularly one so wickedly vile?
According to www.genius.com , the song title relates to the license plate of the car in which Reinhard Heydrich, a Nazi, Gestapo, “killing whore”, piece of “master race” trash was murdered. Actually, he didn’t die until a few days later, but still: he clearly got exactly the prescription that Dr. Karma ordered for him.
See? Nothing says “silver linings” and “extreme irony” better than stretching out the suffering of a murderous Nazi.
“Check resistance from afar, planning the death of one,
When the plot is executed there will be nowhere to run,
Ramifications will be high, a price paid in torment,
The end justifies the means, to Hell you will be sent…”
SERENITY IN MURDER:
Go watch this music video on You-Tube…it’s certainly surreal. And (of course) the lyrics are eerie and evil as fuck (in typical Slayer fashion).
It’s almost like if it doesn’t horrify you, then it’s simply just not “Slayer” enough.
“Peaceful and serene, slowly bleeding,
Eyes once bright are now fading,
Pallid ashen face against my skin,
Staring blindly at some distant place…
213:
This one is dedicated to Jeffrey Dahmer’s former apartment number…and all the atrocities and murder he unleashed within the confines of those haunted walls. If you’ve ever seen pictures of his apartment online, then you understand exactly how dark and creepy that place must have been.
There is nothing more dark and sinister sounding than the intro to this song. In fact, it might just be creepier than the intro to Spill the Blood…if not, it’s pretty damn close. And the ending of this song is most definitely one of the creepiest endings in Slayer history.
“Death loves final embrace,
Your cool tenderness,
Memories keep love alive,
Memories will never die.”
MIND CONTROL:
The first killer closer of the first album with their new(est) drummer. Definitely a return to classic, old-school style Slayer. Just fast, straight ahead and in your fucking face! And loaded with double bass.
“Execution but a thought in the end,
Slowly erasing your life and what has been,
Passing victims in the land of secrecy,
Cerebral death can come to you in your dreams.”
Show Notes:
(00:01): “I was watching him…” / #clapsoundcheckASMR (#spititout) / “Moving his finger toward the button…” / #slowmotionASMR / “He’s waitin’ for the button…” / #thisepisodesclinkyoftheepisode #FireOnTheMountain / “That’s next level…” / “Motioning?” / The joyous regret of #waterbedmemories / “He said…” / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised #warning*** / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST WITH HINTS OF ANESTHESIA!!!*** #fixitinpost / “Before we trans…ition…” / “No, I never did…(but I’m gonna…) #breakfastposerASMR” / “The #postcoitalsmoke …” #thatwasagoodjoe and also #thebestjoes / #steakandvagjoe #afterTheJjoe / #thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode / #StillfireBrewing #Brewering #OFarrellsIrishRedAle #theverdict / “Almost like a #betterKillians…” / “Can you do it in an Irish accent?” / “That’s not a word…” / “Usually it’s too safe to be funny…” / Just a part of the vocab… / “I’ll still give it a shot…” #IrishAccentASMR / ***HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY TO EVERYONE!!!*** / #slainte / #sixpointoneABV #daydrinkingbeer
Beer of the Episode
Stillfire Brewing
OFarrells Irish Red Ale
(08:27): GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!! #TheVoiceMailSegment and #TheDarius #specialhandling #sealofapproval #nipplesofttechnology / A 2nd voicemail…from #JohnnyO / “He does have a point there…” / “I’m already covered…” / “Don’t try that at home…” #nobonecookouts / “Have you seen if ZZ Top wrote Seek & Destroy?” / EYE OF THE TIGER (if it was written by Metallica) (#MoonicProductions) / “Almost sounds like #NuclearAssault…and #RideTheLightning” / #upsidedownguitar / SEEK AND DESTROY (if it was written by #ZZTop) / #hawhawhawhaw #DenisPauna #YouTubeChannel “I almost like it better…”/ “What if you were hearing what was actually going on without the music…during a music video?” / “OOOHHH!!!” / “Listen to that song again…it #SoundsLikeVanHalen” / #threeambreakthroughs / DORA THE EXPLORER (if it was performed by #LimpBizkit) #moonicproductions #YouTubeChannel
(19:50): “Did she get it right?” / #Metallica IF DARKNESS HAD A SON (“I like that riff…”) / “Yeah, they’re pretty good…” / #yeah / #TheDocket SLAYER: DIVINE INTERVENTION #1994 / “This guy’s name was…Wes.” / Thinking back to the #TowerRecordsInstore with #Slayer back in ’94 (in the daytime) when #DivineIntervention was released / Talking about prior Slayer album mixes & production quality relative to Divine Intervention / “we have to go heavier…” / ***Does anyone else have a fucked up version of Divine Intervention on CD? ***
(28:47): #scarredforlife (“That’s way more manly than a tattoo…”) #carveslayer / #killeropener KILLING FIELDS #tobefair (“We overdosed…on metal…”) / “I’ll just cut that out…” / “As a matter of fucking fact…” / “That’s the secret to Slayer’s sound…” / “That’s a weird opener…” / #markthetime #longbuildup
(36:13): ***Wrong song, ding-dong!!!*** / “At least we know THAT’s the one…” SEX, MURDER, ART / “That’s good lyrical poetry…” / Use caution whenever you’re lip-synching to Slayer…especially if others can read lips / FICTIONAL REALITY (“Which is where I like it…in my face”) / #antisolo / #extrahardon / “Is there ever too much?” / “Do girls ever get that?” / #moistASMR (“There’s nothing wrong with moist…”) / DITTOHEAD #itsmyfavoritesong #cantbeloudenough (There’s only one way to listen to this one…)
(46:46): #tittlee DIVINE INTERVENTION (“tell me this part right here is not creepy…”) / #HellsAwaits / “The #unblackalbuming of #Slayer” / “Bast off?” / “That makes it sound worse, doesn’t it?” / #RussellsReflectionsASMR (“Look at this photograph…”) / “It doesn’t matter, dude…” / #rabbitholeASMR / “Look at that motherfucker’s #wiki…” / #markthetime #AndySneapASMR
(54:32): ***Has anyone heard the #PaulGilbertDioAlbum?*** / #RussellsReflectionsRepriseASMR #tangentionalwasteASMR / “Dude, do they compose?” / #deepbreathandbegin CIRCLE OF BELIEFS / #swampchicken #wetchicken / SS-3 (about Reinhard Heydrich) / Okay, HERE’s the right one… SERENITY IN MURDER (***go check out the video on #YouTube***) / The ultimate #pausemoment / #shitgasm
(1:04:04): “The cannibal, the cook, the legend…” / 213 (Easily one of THE creepiest guitar openings on a Slayer song EVER!) / “It’s close…” / “It’s so spastic…” / That last line of vocals…#creepy / “To add creepy to creepier…” / “They’re like huge #spacedildos…” #eventhorizon #sciencewords #snortworthyhilarity / #killercloser MIND CONTROL / “Figure it out, fuckface!” / #trackingchanges / “Did you just fart?” / #weirdtextASMR / “You don’t know anything about comedy…” / “You’re right…” / “Send titties…” / Favorite tracks? / ***Where does this album rank relative to the catalog (up to this point)? *** / “I got it…” / A modernized take on Hell Awaits / “That’s a new t-shirt…” / “Just quote #DickTaintler…” / ***HAVE A GREAT SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!!!*** THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / “I think Slayer gets the last word…” / ***Stop by the #BunkerpoonGiftShoppe and Purchandise some Merchandise at metalnerdery.com/merch *** / #outroreel / When someone says: “You’re in good hands..”/ “You’re gonna edit that out, right?” / #cricketsASMR #outroreelextendedmixASMR
Check out some of our other episodes on SLAYER