DEICIDE — Deicide (review)

DEICIDE — Deicide album cover Album · 1990 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Vim Fuego
Spinal Tap coined the phrase "none more black". Well, there were none more black and evil than this when it ripped into the metal public's consciousness back in 1990.

This album was no groundbreaker musically, nor was it particularly original in the lyrical department. However, as far as malevolence, conviction of execution, and pure Satanic blasphemy, this was unprecedented. The name of the band itself means "the killing of God", and its hard to imagine any deity standing up to the aural onslaught inflicted here. Bass player and vocalist Glen Benton, the driving force behind the band, even declares himself ruler of the world on the title track.

While many a metal band has dabbled in Satanism and the occult to shock and impress, this band was the real thing. Benton, a lifelong Satanist, went as far as branding his forehead with an inverted cross to "drive kindness" from his soul. The cover artwork, and samples on the album further reinforce the Satanic majesty of this heretical creation. Benton was also made an honorary member of the Church Of Satan, while the populist face of Satanism in music, Marilyn Manson, had to pay for his membership!

The subject matter for the album mainly involved praising Satan and killing Christ, but there are also homages to two demagogues of death and destruction, Charles Manson and Jim Jones. Manson is referred to as a "Lunatic of God's creation", and Jones' dubious achievements are celebrated in the song "Carnage In The Temple Of The Damned".

The production is often criticised, as the sound lacks bottom end. Benton's bass is almost unidentifiable and the vocals are less guttural than they could be. However, the lack of bottom end stops the riffs from dissolving into unidentifiable sludge, and allows good definition of the whirlwind riffs and the crazed, manic solos. Also, you can understand almost every word Benton spits forth, something often neglected by death metal bands, but used to excellent effect here. "Dead By Dawn" is one of the outstanding tracks featured here. Solos Slayer would be proud of, a jack hammering double kick drum attack, some nice double tracked vocals featuring demonic screams, frenetic blast beats, and a simple shoutalong chorus are a recipe for pure death metal blasphemy.

This album is a short, yet unrelenting, blast through Satanic death metal ferocity. Many thought Deicide would be a short lived gimmick band. Yeah, right.
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