| Christ Illusion is the tenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's second highest U.S. chart position as of 2015[update]. Christ Illusion includes the Grammy Award-winning songs "Eyes of the Insane" and "Final Six", and is the band's first studio album to feature original drummer Dave Lombardo since Seasons in the Abyss (1990). It is also the first time since Divine Intervention that they recorded songs in D# tuning. The songs "Jihad", "Flesh Storm", "Catalyst" and "Consfearacy" were recorded in D# tuning, while the songs "Catatonic", "Eyes of the Insane", "Skeleton Christ", "Supremist", and "Final Six" (bonus track) were recorded in Drop B tuning. The songs "Black Serenade" and "Cult" were recorded in C# tuning.
Depicting a mutilated Christ painted by longtime collaborator Larry Carroll, the album's graphic artwork courted controversy. An alternative cover was issued to conservative retailers who felt uncomfortable with the original. The band also put out a censored cover which censored out the offensive artwork. Lyrics, particularly in the song "Jihad", describe the September 11 attacks from the perspective of a terrorist. Following protests, all Indian stocks of the album were recalled and destroyed by EMI India. (more...) |
