World Painted Blood, the eleventh studio album by the Thrash Metal band SLAYER, was released on November 3, 2009. This album marks the final recording by drummer Dave Lombardo and the late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, both original members of the quartet.
Following their previous album Christ Illusion (2006), World Painted Blood was recorded during a challenging time for bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. His older sister, Anamaria, lost her battle with cancer in June 2009 after fighting the disease for over a decade.
“At the beginning of the year, when we started recording the album, my sister had been battling cancer for 14 years,” Tom explained during a 2009 interview with Metal Hammer. “When we started recording this album she was on the way out, and I wasn’t much use. But I was always in the studio: I didn’t want to be alone in the hotel room.”
Prior to Anamaria succumbing to her illness, Tom dedicated a significant portion of his time to visiting her in the hospital. Understandably, he was hardly inclined towards creativity during this period.
“I would spend most of the day with her, and then in the evening I’d go to the studio and record what I needed to record, go back to the hotel, listen to what I did, get up in the morning and go visit my sister again,” he recalls. “Then I’d come back, and depending on what was going on and who was doing what, I went into the studio – and even if I wasn’t doing anything, I was there because Jeff or Kerry [King, guitar] or Dave was doing something.”
On how sister illness affected his songwriting process, Tom said: “I couldn’t focus. I just couldn’t put my mind into those thoughts. I was too busy… my mind would wander. I said to the other guys, ‘This is what I’ve written – if you can use it, then great; if not, then I understand’.”
After concluding their last world tour in November 2019, the band, SLAYER will headline three prominent festivals, Riot Fest, Louder Than Life and Aftershock Festival, marking their first live appearances since then.
