Guitarist Kerry King wrote the majority of its lyrics, taking a different approach from earlier recordings by exploring topics such as religion, murder, revenge, and self-control.

"[7] The band's longtime producer, Rick Rubin, was too busy to work with Slayer, and felt "burned out"—unable to create intense music.

Drummer Paul Bostaph follows a simple rule suggested by Rubin when in the studio: "The perfect take is the one that felt like it was going to fall apart but never did."

One day you're living your life, and then you're hit by a car or your dog dies, so you feel like, "God really hates me today.

"[8]The song "Threshold" is about reaching one's limit with a person in a situation where one is about to break—and are about to blow up as they get "under your skin", while "Cast Down" features a fallen angel who falls into drugs.

"[10] While other members went to local pubs, Araya spent his free hours reading books about serial killers such Gordon Burn's Happy Like Murderers: The Story of Fred and Rosemary West.

reviewer Jason Arnopp describing the album's lyrics as "so packed with foul and abusive language that it sounds as if D-12 and the Sopranos family were going head-to-head in a Celebrity Swearathon.

"[11] God Hates Us All was originally intended to be named Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, but Araya suggested that the title would be better used for a box set, which the band later released in 2003.

The liner notes intersperse the lyrics between passages from the biblical Book of Job, partly crossed out with a black marker.

King's concept for the cover was to show nails in the shape of a pentagram and have them miss keywords in Bible verses so it appeared as if it had been created by a sociopath.

He later complained that the outcome was: "typical of a record company with absolutely no idea what the fuck they were going to do", and said that the cover "looked like a seventh grader defaced the Bible."

However, concerns regarding audio mixing, the album cover, and the band's label (American Recordings) changing distributor, caused the release date to be delayed until September 11, 2001.

[11] Rolling Stone's Rob Kemp wrote the record was "Slayer's most brutal record since 1986's immortal (or undead) Reign in Blood," describing the music as "galloping double bass-drum salvos which switch on a dime to furious double-time pummeling as ominous power chords and jagged shred solos slice and dice with Formula One precision."

Blabbermouth.net reviewer Borivoj Krgin dismissively labeled the album as "another failure on the band's part to take the initiative and reinvent themselves."

Krgin described King as "the weaker and less inventive of the two main songwriters" feeling the album "follows a familiar direction that almost always sounds tired and forced."

Krgin also singled out Araya for criticism and called the vocalist: "a hollow shell of his former self, boasting a singing style that is monotonous, devoid of creativity and at times virtually unlistenable."

In its simplest form, a song like "Exile" could pass for Motorhead pushed through the blades of a lawn mower but that's selling Slayer short.

[34] Paul Bostaph sustained a chronic elbow injury that hindered his ability to drum and resulted in his decision to leave the band.

[35] His third-to-last performance with Slayer was recorded on War at the Warfield which Bostaph has not viewed the footage of, likening the experience to: "breaking up with a girlfriend," and saying he wants to move on with his life.

[37] Following the tour, the band continued their search for a permanent drummer, and sought solicitation via demo tape and snail mail.

He re-joined Slayer and attended music festivals worldwide to promote God Hates Us All and also recorded drums on the 2006 album Christ Illusion.