Divine Intervention in Bloomington, MN

The
rock & roll
landscape changed dramatically between
Seasons in the Abyss
in 1990 and
Divine Intervention
in 1994. With the rise of
alternative rock
, many
metal
and
hard rock
bands that had been enormously successful at the dawn of the '90s were struggling by the middle of the decade. Instead of doing something calculated like emulating
Nirvana
or
Pearl Jam
-- or for that matter,
Nine Inch Nails
Ministry
--
Slayer
wisely refused to sound like anyone but
.
Tom Araya
and co. responded to the new environment simply by striving to be the heaviest
band they possibly could. Less accessible than
Seasons
but equally riveting,
marked drummer
Paul Bostaph
's studio debut with the band.
Bostaph
proved to be a positive, energizing influence on
, which sounds better than ever on such dark triumphs as
"Killing Fields,"
"Serenity in Murder,"
"Circle of Beliefs."
Characteristically grim and morbid,
focus on the violently repressive nature of governments and the lengths to which they will go to wield power. And true to form,
's music is as disturbing as their lyrics. ~ Alex Henderson