Undisputed Attitude

There's little doubt that at one point Slayer was influenced as much by Metallica as D.R.I. Unlike Guns 'N' Roses' weak attempt to patronize their punk idols on The Spaghetti Incident?, Slayer perform tunes like D.I.'s "Richard Hung Himself," Verbal Abuse's "Verbal Abuse/Leeches," and Dr. Know's "Mr. Freeze" with such verve and exuberance that it's hard to question their sincerity. The biggest letdown on the entire record is a new original, entitled "Gemini," that slogs along. Their cover of The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is more spirited.

Punk purists may object to a metal band paying homage to these tunes, but Undisputed Attitude proves the two worlds aren't that far apart. Hopefully Slayer will draw from this inspiration once again and create a new album of originals with the same punishing hybrid of hardcore and metal.-- Adem Tepedelen