Slayer's 1998 album Diabolus In Musica had a mixed reception upon its release and was largely criticized for leaning into the nü-metal sound of the time. Only five of the album's 11 songs ever made it to the band's live set, one of which Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu feels everyone should hear.
In an interview with Metal Hammer, Beaulieu named "Bitter Peace" as the one Slayer song that everyone really ought to get into.
"In my youth, I discovered Slayer," said Beaulieu. "After I became a fan, Diabolus In Musica was released. 'Bitter Peace' starts off the record with heavy, catchy riffs, then grooves its way into a thrash-fest. I always thought this track was a grossly underrated Slayer song. It displays all Jeff's writing greatness, from the heavy, evil riffing to the war-inspired lyrics.
"I saw them play this song live at my first-ever Slayer show, and they opened with it! It was so powerful, it blew me away that day. I hope more metalheads go back and check out this song. Slayer have so many amazing songs in their catalogue, this one gets overlooked, but I'm hoping to change that!"
In an interview with uDiscover, Slayer guitarist Kerry King said Diabolus In Musica was a direct reaction to the popularity of bands like Limp Bizkit. King also said he was too jaded to want to write anything at that point, and that's why Hanneman wrote most of the record.
"I was really jaded for a while back in the late 90s. I couldn't understand why Limp Bizkit was big. It affected me – I didn't want to play music. I thought, 'if this is the way that music’s going, then fuck this, I hate it.' That's why Jeff Hanneman wrote so much of our 1998 album Diabolus In Musica, which is too funky for me."
