"World Painted Blood" is the eleventh and final studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on November 3, 2009, this album was produced by Greg Fidelman and executive produced by Rick Rubin, who also worked with the band on previous albums.
The creation of "World Painted Blood" was a three-year process, starting in 2006 and ending in 2009. Unlike their approach in previous albums where songs were written individually by band members, these 11 tracks were conceived from jam sessions. It was recorded in stages across studios in California and Las Vegas. The album title was suggested by guitarist Jeff Hanneman, inspired by the possibility of the world engulfed in blood.
"World Painted Blood" received positive reviews from music critics and fans, applauding its diverse range of styles and powerful musicality. Despite its relatively late release in Slayer's career, the album was considered an adventurous venture into new sounds by the band, encompassing elements of genres like death metal and punk alongside their signature thrash metal sound.
This album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned the band a Grammy nomination in 2010 for the track "Hate Worldwide" in the Best Metal Performance category. Despite severe health issues forcing him to withdraw from the band, Hanneman's contributions to this album were significant, making "World Painted Blood" a poignant finale to the band's discography.
