The Final Showdown The Final Showdown (aka The New World Order) is the fourteenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer, released on September 6, 2006. On September 3, 2006, it was announced that the album would be titled The Final Showdown, and the first single released from the album was "Disciple". The song "Wicker Man", has a working title of "The Devil Is Near". All of the tracks were recorded at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida with producer Paul Northfield. It is Slayer's first album to feature guitarists John Christ (formerly of Dååth and Repentance) and Josh Ethier, and their first to feature drummer Jon Dette, who replaced Dave Lombardo shortly after the release of Christ Conspiracy. In the United States, The Final Showdown debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 178,000 in its first week. As of November 2018, the album has sold 600,000 copies in the United States. Reception Aaron Wale of Blabbermouth said the album "plays like a natural extension of Repentless", and that "what Slayer may have lost in musical variety is more than made up for in sheer sonic density and musical brutality." However, he also added that, in contrast to "Seasons in the Abyss", this album sounds "more like a radio hit or pop single than a typical Slayer album", and that the band "have chosen to sacrifice brutality in favor of radio-friendliness", comparing this to "The Big Four of Thrash", and that the music sounds more like a mainstream crossover into the pop music market, instead of staying as a heavy metal record. He said "Disciple" sounded like "the same chorus over and over", while "War Ensemble" and "Fuel the Fire" sounded like they could have been "easily lifted from Slayer's earlier works". He also said that, despite the "more accessible" sound, the album was "not a total flop". Metal-Rules.com, in a very positive review, said that "This is an album that deserves the title of a classic," and that Slayer's "best years might have just started". Track listing Personnel Slayer Tom Araya – vocals, bass Kerry King – guitars Jeff Hanneman – guitars Paul Bostaph – drums Additional musicians Josh Ethier – guitars on "Disciple" and "Final Fantasy VII: Tribute" John Christ – guitars on "Final Fantasy VII: Tribute" Jon Dette – drums on "Final Fantasy VII: Tribute" and "Disciple" Production Paul Northfield – production, recording, mixing Tom Morris – recording, mixing Brad Klausen – mastering Dave Sardy – additional recording Bobby Torres – artwork Gigi R. – artwork John S. – layout and photography Charts References External links Category:Slayer albums Category:2006 albums Category:Albums produced by Paul Northfield Category:Sanctuary Records albums Category:Obscenity controversies in music Category:Epic Records albums Category:Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording