Divine Intervention (Slayer album)
Divine Intervention | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 27, 1994 | |||
Recorded | March–June 1994 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Thrash metal | |||
Length | 36:33 | |||
Label | American | |||
Producer |
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Slayer chronology | ||||
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Serenity in Murder EP | ||||
Divine Intervention is the sixth
Divine Intervention was the band's first album to feature Paul Bostaph, replacing original drummer Dave Lombardo, who left the band in 1992. Its songs' origins came not only from television shows, but were also inspired by various other subjects including Rush Limbaugh, Holocaust architect Reinhard Heydrich, and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Its cover artwork was painted and designed by Wes Benscoter as a re-imaging of the band's early "Slayergram" graphic. Although so much time was spent on its production, Kerry King has expressed his disapproval over the album's final mix, saying it should have had more attention.
Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, Divine Intervention peaked at number eight on the US Billboard 200 and number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, selling over 93,000 copies in its first week of sales. It was later certified gold in the United States and Canada, and was followed by the EP Serenity in Murder.
Writing and production
Araya described "For this one, I just kind of got inspired by watching TV. That gave me a whole lot of ideas. The whole idea about the dude with Slayer in his arms was brought about because reality is scarier than anything you can make up."[3] The production of the album posed as a challenge to the record company, "how to market a group whose gore-soaked, extreme music is anathema to radio programmers." It is the company's first attempt to "hit the thrash band's core-audience of rabid enthusiasts with a fan-orientated marketing assault."[4] Araya related: "We decided to take more time to bring this one together. We actually went into the studio with more written material than the past. We completed three out of seven songs outside the studio. We all sort of felt it was important to do it slowly. After the last tour, we had the intention to take the break."[5]
Composition
The
King said that the album contained origins relating to "war stories" and "explorations of madness".
Artwork and packaging
The album was issued in a clear jewel box with a die-cut cardboard O-card. It included sixteen pages, which fold out to be a poster, which displays the cover art. Both the disc and the disc tray feature — as described by Chris Morris — an "image reflective of the mania displayed by the group's fans, and exemplary of American frequently deployed shock tactics: a kid carving the band's name into his arms with a scalpel."
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[16] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[17] |
Kerrang! | [18] |
Metal Forces | 7/10[19] |
Rolling Stone | [20] |
Rock Hard | 8.5/10[21] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[22] |
AllMusic said that "instead of doing something calculated like emulating Nirvana or Pearl Jam—or for that matter, Nine Inch Nails or Ministry—Slayer wisely refused to sound like anyone but Slayer. Tom Araya and co. responded to the new environment simply by striving to be the heaviest metal band they possibly could."[11] By the album's release date, vocalist Tom Araya considered it to be their best album.[5]
Divine Intervention sold 93,000 copies in its first week,[23][24] and by 2009, it sold over 496,000 copies in the US .[25][26] It was reported that in the same year of its release, Kevin Kirk from the Heavy Metal Shop "ordered 1,000 copies of Slayer's Divine Intervention and sold every last album in a matter of weeks".[27] Although it is less accessible than its predecessor Seasons in the Abyss, Rolling Stone considered it to be their most successful album as of 2001.[28]
Track listing
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Killing Fields" | Tom Araya | Kerry King | 3:57 |
2. | "Sex. Murder. Art." | Araya | King | 1:50 |
3. | "Fictional Reality" | King | King | 3:38 |
4. | "Dittohead" | King | King | 2:31 |
5. | "Divine Intervention" |
|
| 5:33 |
6. | "Circle of Beliefs" | King | King | 4:30 |
7. | "SS-3" | Hanneman |
| 4:07 |
8. | "Serenity in Murder" | Araya |
| 2:36 |
9. | "213" | Araya | Hanneman | 4:52 |
10. | "Mind Control" |
|
| 3:04 |
Total length: | 36:33 |
Serenity in Murder EP
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Serenity in Murder" | 2:37 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
2. | "Angel of Death" | 4:52 |
3. | "Mandatory Suicide" | 4:05 |
4. | "War Ensemble" | 4:52 |
Total length: | 16:26 |
Personnel
Personnel information can be verified at AllMusic.[13]
Slayer
|
Production
|
Charts
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] | 27 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[30] | 22 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[31] | 27 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] | 31 |
Finnish Albums ( The Official Finnish Charts)[33]
|
4 |
French Albums (SNEP)[34] | 19 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] | 18 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[36] | 23 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] | 20 |
28 | |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[39] | 10 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] | 15 |
UK Albums (OCC)[41] | 15 |
1 | |
US Billboard 200[43] | 8 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[44] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[45] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Daniel Bukszpan, Ronnie James Dio. The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal
- ^ "SLAYER Frontman: MUSTAINE Talks A Lot Of Sh*t, Apologizes For It, Then Continues Talking Sh*t" Archived September 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net. September 3, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ a b CMJ New Music Monthly. January 1995. pp. 25–27
- ^ Billboard. July 23, 1994. p. 14
- ^ a b Iwasaki, Scott (January 27, 1995). "Vocalist sings the praises for 'Divine Intervention'". The Deseret News.
- ^ "SLAYER's KERRY KING Has No Interest In 'Jesus Metal' " Archived November 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. November 3, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "SLAYER Frontman Answers Fans' Questions" Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (February 20, 1995). "Death and Madness Remain the Basics in Slayer's Repertory". NYTimes.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ "State, The : SLAYER'S ARAYA RELISHES IN MACABRE AND SICK". TheState.com March 24, 1995. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ "SLAYER's KERRY KING: 'We're Not Close To Hanging It Up'" Archived April 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net. January 15, 2006. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ a b c Henderson, Alex. "Divine Intervention - Slayer". AllMusic. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ a b c Billboard. July 23, 1994. p. 19
- ^ a b [https://www.allmusic.com/album/r203780 "Divine Intervention Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Undisputed Attitude > Credits )))". Allmusic. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- American Recordings. 1994.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Sinclair, Tom (September 30, 1994). "Divine Intervention Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- EMAP. p. 43.
- ^ Arnold, Neil (September 27, 1994). "Slayer - Divine Intervention (1994)". Metal Forces. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (February 9, 1995). "Slayer: Divine Intervention : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz. "Rock Hard". issue 89.
- ISBN 978-0-679-75574-6.
- ^ "SLAYER: 'World Painted Blood' Debuts At No. 12 On BILLBOARD Chart" Archived May 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. November 11, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ Harris, Chris (August 16, 2006) "Rick Ross Sails Past Breaking Benjamin, Takes Port Of Miami To #1".
- ^ [1] Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net. April 30, 2002. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Metal/Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By Soundscan" Archived October 30, 2002, at the Wayback Machine. Blabbermouth.net. March 9, 2002. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Salt Lake City's Heavy Metal Shop Struggles To Survive In Internet Age". Blabbermouth.net. November 23, 2005. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ 2001 encyclopedia "Slayer". Rolling Stone Music. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Slayer – Divine Intervention". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Slayer – Divine Intervention" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2626". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Slayer – Divine Intervention" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ https://infodisc.fr/Album_Artiste_Choisi.php
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "{{{title}}}". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Slayer – Divine Intervention". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Slayer – Divine Intervention". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Slayer – Divine Intervention". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Slayer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Slayer – Divine Intervention". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Slayer – Divine Intervention". Recording Industry Association of America.