Takin’ a Trip to 1996 (feat. Griff)

Episode 3: Slayer’s Undisputed Attitude (American Recordings)

Released on May 28th, Undisputed Attitude marked a departure for Slayer by paying homage to hardcore punk. Featuring covers of such punk bands as Verbal Abuse, Minor Threat, and Dr. Know, the album seems more like an experiment in how fast the band could play more than anything. It is somewhat admirable the band decided to choose this as their follow up to their previous album, ‘94’s Divine Intervention, as that album was a minor success and most bands would’ve built on that momentum for their next outing instead of doing something out of the ordinary. Undisputed Attitude was not without its controversy. For their cover of Minor Threat’s “Guilty of Being White,” Slayer changed the lyrics to the last verse to “Guilty of Being Right.” This angered many people who asserted that the band had white supremacist tendencies. This notwithstanding, I do however like their cover of D.I.’s song “Richard Hung Himself” as well as the sole “Slayer” composition, the heavy decidedly non-punkish, Gemini. But these songs are somewhat tainted by the ill-fated attempt to rewrite The Stooges  hit song, “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” turning it into “I’m Gonna Be Your God” and replacing the sexual innuendo of The Stooges with something a lot more graphic and not nearly as funny.  

Songs:
Disintegration
I Hate You
Filler
Mr. Freeze
Guilty of Being White
Richard Hung Himself
Gemini
I’m Gonna Be Your God (I Wanna Be Your Dog)