Slayer - World Painted Blood

World Painted Blood is Slayer in full apocalyptic flight, a ferocious 2009 album that proved the thrash titans had lost none of their bite.

Produced by Greg Fidelman with Rick Rubin as executive producer, it was the last Slayer album to feature the classic lineup of Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo. That gives it a special weight today. The band sound hungrier and looser than they had in years, chasing the raw energy of their eighties peak without sounding like a tribute act.

The title track opens with an ominous build before detonating into a full-speed assault, and Psychopathy Red is a short, savage blast that wouldn't sound out of place on Reign in Blood. Hate Worldwide is pure venom at breakneck tempo, while Snuff grinds along with Lombardo's relentless, punishing drumming underneath.

Araya's bark is as commanding as ever, and the twin-guitar attack of King and Hanneman stays razor sharp from start to finish. There's no fat on these songs, just riffs, speed and menace, delivered by four players who knew each other's every move.

As a final statement from the original four, it hits hard, and it deserves its place alongside the band's most celebrated records, from the eighties classics onward.