Slayer: Tom Araya (vocals, bass); Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King (guitar); Paul Bostaph (drums). Principally recorded at Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles, California. The sledgehammer rhythms and churning guitars of Slayer remain in full effect on DIABOLUS IN MUSICA. Seldom has an album been more aptly titled, as the ominous, minor key riffs and modalities that power the band's compositions are the aural personification of darkness and evil, engendering an inescapable sense of foreboding. The tunes here, from "Bitter Peace" to "In The Name of God," are streamlined metal, containing only the essential elements necessary to drive the band's message home. One aspect of the band's sound that makes them unique among their peers is that no matter how harried charcoal-throated vocalist Tom Araya's vocals become, they are always intelligible, revealing Slayer's preoccupation with politics and social, as well as personal turmoil.

• Released: 03/12/2002
• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop