Slayer - Diabolus In Musica [LP]

Tracklist:

1. Bitter Peace
2. Death's Head
3. Stain of Mind
4. Overt Enemy
5. Perversions of Pain
6. Love to Hate
7. Desire
8. In the Name of God
9. Scrum
10. Screaming From the Sky
11. Point

Diabolus in Musica is the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on June 9, 1998, it is the second studio album to feature drummer Paul Bostaph. Although receiving mixed critical reviews, the album sold 46,000 copies in its first week to peak at number 31 on the Billboard 200.

Guitarist Jeff Hanneman wrote most of the album's content which has been described as Slayer's most experimental album. It is the band's first studio album to be played mostly in C♯ tuning. The album's title is a Latin term for The Devil in Music, a musical interval known for its dissonance. Lyrical themes explored on the album include religion, cultural deviance, death, insanity, war, and homicide.

Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman described the writing process as, When we were writing this album I was looking for something to beat; I wanted something to beat, but nothing impresses me right now. Nothing sounded really aggressive or heavy enough to inspire me to beat it, so I just had to come up with my own shit. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and was recorded at Oceanway Studios.

Adrien Begrand of PopMatters felt Slayer introduced characteristics to its music including tuned down guitars, murky chord structures, and churning beats. He believed these characteristics were adopted in response to the then-burgeoning nu metal scene. Drummer Paul Bostaph claims the album is his favorite as he thought the album was as experimental as Slayer got. This included incorporating groove metal elements and strange vocal effects as said by an interview for High Times. Bostaph returned to Slayer after his short-lived side project The Truth About Seafood, and the band entered the recording studio four months later.

Diabolus in Musica was released on June 9, 1998 by American Recordings. In its first week of release, the album sold 46,000 copies in the United States and debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200 Chart. As of August 16, 2006 the album has sold 290,000 copies in the United States. Reviewing 2003 Slayer box set Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, Adrien Begrand of PopMatters dubbed the album a unique record [...] It's as if they're stepping in to show the young bands how to do it right, as songs like 'Bitter Peace', 'Death's Head', and the terrific 'Stain of Mind' blow away anything that young pretenders have put out.