Deicide

The year is 1985 and death metal is an emerging scene in extreme music, as a natural evolution and a brutal form of thrash metal. Landmark releases such as 'Seven Churches' by Possessed and 'Scream Bloody Gore' by Death set the standards for this new genre. Heavily influenced by Bay Area thrash and iconic bands such as Slayer and Dark Angel, death metal takes its form with the debut albums by Morbid Angel, Obituary and Autopsy in the late '80s. The year is 1990, and Deicide release their self-titled debut album, which elevates death metal to new extremes.

Emerging from the depths of hell, 'Deicide' is hailed as the most extreme, evil and satanic piece of music of its time. Glen Benton's vocal style, featuring simultaneous growls and screams, is a demonic possession in itself, standing out as the most distinctive trait of Deicide, even in their latest releases. The guitarwork by the Hoffman brothers is reminiscent of Slayer's early works, but with an added layer of speed and heaviness. In contrast with the thrashy riffs and solos, Steve Asheim's drumming is purely death metal - ferocious, fast, marked by double bass drumming and blastbeats that keep the intensity high throughout the album.

Primarily maintaining a fast-paced tempo, with occasional mid-tempo shifts, the album does not sound monotonous and keeps the listener engaged throughout the 33-minute long duration of the album. The music and lyrics are written by Glen Benton and Steve Asheim, with the Hoffman brothers contributing to a lesser extent - a controversy that eventually led to their split a few years later. The lyrical themes are an ode to Satan and provocatively anti-Christian. What else would someone expect from a guy that carved an inverted cross on his forehead?!

The production is not as clean as in the subsequent albums, which helps preserve the album's malevolent atmosphere. There are no fillers in this album; each track serves as a hymn to Satan, a true death metal offering. Overall, 'Deicide' stands as a milestone record that set the standards for the evolving death metal scene.

It's difficult to quite pinpoint exactly who started what when talking seminal albums in a field. However, that fundamental concept in any good death metal of deconstructivism in music is certainly here in copious amounts. Those barely intelligible introductory riffs played hard panned in solo: so raw as to be immediately revolting, and as if symbolizing the absurdity and chaos of life, with probably the best example early in 'Dead by dawn'. That chromatic ascending hammer-on pattern concluded in that odd time signature that eerily feels delayed is undeniably existential anguish in an art form. It's laden with scorn, and so unrepentant of its nakedness, like reveling in its agony. The classic moments on here are the obvious ones, but the album is rife with riffs a bit less familiar: the one midway through 'Deicide' would rival virtually any riff from around 1990. That 'Mephistopheles' outro riff starts off in solo/panned hard left, plain unearthly, and then when the drums grant their own fury to the mix it's like the band are taking the audience on a short trip 5 years ahead of 1990.

Fans of this classic often say there isn't a bad song on it; and that is a justifiable claim. Plenty of early extreme bands benefited from how vacant and hungry that scene was for anything that remotely ticked a box and essentially got away with being hollow musically as long as they provided the spectacle. Deicide did have the spectacle, no doubt, but they also had proper song-writers on board too. The guitar-work at times shows its Slayer inspiration (mid-range power chord passages, wacky soloing...), and as a member of a famous band once said: "It was like Slayer intensified a thousand times". Interestingly, front-man Benton generally rejects the appellation "death metal", and one can see why as Deicide was more of a complete experience that existed in its own space.

A paramount dimension in that unique macrocosm of extreme music is Glen Benton, and the room the compositions left to accommodate his presence. These are, in a sense, like text songs: music produced to host the all-important lyrics. Just transferred to the extreme metal world. Every fan of the band knows: there's that cadence to the words there. He's not just belching them out, and has said himself he liked the vocals to play their own memorable part as an instrument - and it's obvious this is in motion here. Metal music; and even more so death metal; can often be so guitar-centered, so focused entirely on the riff that it neglects everything else around it. One could actually use the term "arrangements" when referring to this record. Now, they're not exactly background synth bells, but the infamous double vocals, among a fair variety of different utilization of the voice, like Benton's possessed grunts or his resonating extra lows that usually clamor a distinctly indelible line - "I - rule - this - world", or of course the popular "JOIN US" as a track intro.

So, about the lyrics then. Yes, some lyrics seem like remote occult prose - stylistic aphorisms. But a lot of the stuff is vastly superior in magnitude to almost all other death metal of that whole period. The thoughts are actually coherent and to some degree manage to avoid anti-christian clichés, opting for a thoughtfully crafted message instead. And whether one agrees with that position at all, the truth is the text being written with purpose, compounded with that efficient cadence, all brings an aura to the music and complements it.

Read this:
Book of the dead, pages bound in human flesh
Feasting the beast, from the blood the words were said
I am unseen, dreamt the sacred passage aloud
Trapped in a dream of the necronomicon

These are carefully picked, weighted words, loaded with meaning and put together in phrases that feel eminently thought-provoking, like they're unraveling vistas from an ancient allegorical story, and not merely some linear description.

One final point to look at here: the cover art. Doing a bit of research should indicate to the curious seeker that medallion is probably Pan, from Greek mythology. The characteristic horns and beard combo, along with the symbolic leaves at the bottom. Further exploration must be left to whomever is reading; this being out of the review's scope; but a chief facet of Pan was his insatiable lust, and he is also the god of panic, which he could inflict onto his foes.

The album ends as it started: an atmospheric sample of a gate opening, and some half an hour later, shutting.

So much has been said about the Floridian death metal scene in the early 90s, that it has pretty much become common knowledge in the metal scene. And while there have been plenty of amazing bands that have made some amazing albums, none have proved more influential and great than Deicide. While their newer stuff isn't as good, their older works are classics. Their eponymous debut in particular is easily one of the most influential death metal albums to come out and one of the best metal albums to come out in 1990. Everything about this album is great, and there's just so much to love about it.

One great thing about the album is the instruments. While death metal albums before focused more on speed and brutality, "Deicide" is more focused on the power of the instruments. In every song, each guitar riff has a dark sound that brings out some catchy, yet disturbing riffs. The drums are also innovative, as they have a mix of fast beats and complex patterns, pretty much being the base of the chaotic atmosphere. Even the bass is notable, with its slow and doomful sound providing a good foundation for the guitars. All the instruments on this album are amazing, but the best ones are in the tracks "Sacrificial Suicide", "Dead by Dawn", and "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned". Those three tracks take advantage of the primal production the most and give the atmosphere a more raw sound. There are very few flaws in the instruments (if at all), and offer some of the most iconic riffs in death metal history.

Not only are the instruments nice, but the vocals are also astonishing. Glen Benton's vocals might be typical in modern death metal, but when this album came out in 1990, they sounded innovative. Before that, a lot of death metal vocals were nothing but screams and roars. However, Benton would take the vocals in a different approach. His vocals include more growls than usual, and he used a pitch-shifter to make his voice sound deep and scary. These vocals also flow well to the messy instruments, and even executes them better with his mighty sound. One of the best vocal moments on the album is "Dead by Dawn". Benton shouts out verses about devils and bringing dead souls to hell, and he uses the pitch-shifter for the backing vocals, which only executes the creepy atmosphere further. And then there's the famous "DEAD BY DAWN!" chorus, which still remains my favorite death metal chorus. These pitch-shifters are taken to a new level, with their voices sounding pure demonic and hateful. The vocals are very beautiful overall, and will eventually influence many other death metal albums to come.

And then there are the lyrics. While they might not sound special on paper, their execution is marvelous. Take this verse off of the song "Deicide" for example, which quotes:

I can strike the light and see through the truth
For I'm the Deicide, Dominus, what could you do
Thou has failed you now, one again and always will
On the cross, forgotten son, a sacrifice it had to be done

This verse talks about how the Deicide named Dominus is a devil here to prove to the listeners that their god has failed them. Seems like basic lyrics for death metal, but its execution is well done. As I've stated before, the instruments are absolutely mad and bring in a crazed atmosphere, and the vocals make Benton sound insane. With all of this in mind, they make the lyrics sound much more powerful and evil. It is especially executed well in "Day of Darkness", where despite the short length, its poetic verses on death make the subject matter seem terrifying. So while the lyrical abilities are basic, their execution is close to perfection.

With all of these reasons, it's easy to see why "Deicide" is one of the most influential death metal albums ever. From the total chaos of the instruments to the deranged vocals of Glen Benton, this album is a beautiful mess of destruction. While getting a CD or vinyl of this album is hard and expensive, I recommend you get one when you have the chance, because once you give this record a spin, you will never look at extreme metal music the same way again.

Back when I was younger I have to say that I wasn’t really keen into death metal. I never could get until the lighting fast nature of the music and guttural singing employed by most of the genre. It just honestly wasn’t something I liked at the time. That was until I began my journey with Death then shortly Deicide; after that I began to dig deeper and deeper and finally the whole genre clicked for me and I’ve been a death metal fan ever since. My first death metal album that I ever actually really got into was Death’s “The Sound Of Perseverance” which got me hooked to the band. I’ll share my experience with that album when the time comes so fast I’ll forward some time later. After I collected all the possible Death albums I could get my hands on I came to find Deicide’s self titled debut mixed in Death’s cd section in a record store. I had some extra cash and thought I’d give it a chance and buy it and let’s say I was floored by the album. Everything from the rhythms to the vocals caught my attention and to this day it’s probably my favorite Deicide record.

“Deicide” is a unrelenting assault of rapid death metal riffing and satanic filled guttural growls. The album never lets up and it does really create the sense that this album is dripping with “evil”. A large thanks to that feel has to come from Glen Benton and his iconic death growls and black metal like shrieks. The use of both vocals, some times overlapping over one another creates the sense that you’re in another dimension full of demons and monsters. The best representation in my opinion has to be “Dead By Dawn” as the quick repetition of “Dead by dawn! Dead by dawn! Deeeaaaddd Byyy Daaawwwnnnnn!” being screamed out along with the extremely speedy riffing and double bass drumming brings you into the world of the “Evil Dead” films. That over-layering of shrieks into the harsher throaty yells was something different in the genre at the time and helped distinguish Deicide from the rest.

The album is actually pretty simple in its writing. What I mean by simple here is that the writing isn’t very much complex as the chord progression doesn’t have much variations and the most difficult part about the songs is the speed of the playing. It’s just a powerful record in sound alone that the simplicity in the writing couldn’t take away from that feeling of aggression. When listening to “Deicide” in full, I can tell there is a ton of Slayer worship here as you can hear from the riffing to the solos in “Sacrificial Suicide”, “Blaspherereion”, and “Day Of Darkness”. Funnily enough “Deicide” is also not only just a barrage of quick riffing but also quick in it’s run time just as Slayer’s songs were in “Reign In Blood”, only running for thirty-three minutes and twenty-seven seconds in length. Lyrically, “Deicide” is total Venom worship as the major focus is all about satanic imagery and worship though there is songs with lyrics that isn’t satanic related such as “Lunatics Of God’s Creation”, which was about Charles Manson, “Carnage In The Temple Of The Damned” focusing on Jim Jordan, and the already mentioned “Dead By Dawn” acting as a tribute to “The Evil Dead” film.

With all this music that is full of blasphemous riffing and lyrics; it wouldn’t have had the same impact without the guys playing the music. I talked about Glen a little earlier but I will say that his singing here has a lot more clarity and isn’t as brutal as he is on later albums which I really like here. They really use his vocal lines as if it’s another instrument; using that multiple over layering and different vocal takes to add another dimension of rhythm. Glen also plays the bass which it sadly got badly buried in the mix. From what all I can hear of it, it does sound good but isn’t as interesting as everything else going on in the album. Both the Huffman brothers are absolutely stellar and for the life of me can’t tell you which one is doing what solo. The speed of the soloing and riffing in “Mephistopheles”, “Oblivious To Evil”, and “Dead By Dead” creates a sense of dread and malevolence, which I could just say the whole album does, that many modern death metal bands wish they could recreate with their guitars. With all the lighting fast riffing, it’s hard to believe that a drummer could keep up with perfect rhythm with both Huffman brothers but Steve Ashiem does it with flying colors. His quick precise double beats comes straight out of the Dave Lombardo school of drumming. The song “Deicide” just lets him go wild and it truly is a great performance.

Regarding the criticism on the production I think, outside of the bass being barely audible, it does what it needs to do. It creates a great sense of dread and evil that doesn’t allow the listener to take a breath through beginning to end. Hopefully there will be a remaster that keeps that core sound intact but raises the bass up more into the mix but for now, I’m fine with how it sounds. There’s also some that say that there are some sloppier moments found on the album, such as one of the Huffman brothers missing a chord or Steve skipping a beat but I honestly can’t tell when I listen.

Finally as I got towards the end of the album with “Crucifixation”, I realized how much I really loved this album. I also realized that this debut isn’t the most complicated masterpiece that I thought when I first listened to it. It has its issues and it isn’t as complex as other albums done by Death or Morbid Angel but what this album does have is a impeccable sense of rhythm and full of tight performances. The atmosphere here alone is something to praise and I definitely will praise it. “Deicide” is a fantastic release in the early days of the death metal genre and with the skills that Glen, Eric, Brian, and Steve employ, it’s an album that many wish they could match and an unforgettable one as well.

When metal dudes pushing 40 (or 30! *ahem*) talk about 'not making them like they used to', and also happen to be talking about death metal, they mean this and a short handful of others, more likely than not having oozed up from the basement layers of the twin towers (too soon?) of death metal - Tampa, Flordia, USA and Stockholm, Sweden - in the late '80s and early '90s.

This was the second death metal record I ever bought, at the young, impressionable age of 13, no less, right after Hypocrisy's Abducted; it scared the shit outta me then and it scares the shit outta me now, nearly 15 years on. The fucker never once let up, and only barely retained any of the structural trappings of popular music like verses and choruses, instead having chosen to tear them apart bare-handed and sew what mangled bits remain directly onto the blistering skin of its own deformed, multi-headed beast. It was like Reign in Blood x 1000, alternating between chromatic, demonic tremolo-picked horror film soundtracks and chromatic, bludgeoning palm-muted kill-fests, atonal leads ripping through the sonic tapestry every other minute and actually managing to sound like Hanneman (RIP) and King had they known what they were doing. Meanwhile, beneath the maelstrom raged drummer Steve Asheim's fleet feet of fury and vocalist/"bassist" Glen Benton's literally fucking possessed cast of Satanic disciples, and when the latter joined in glorious (dis)harmony, it sounded as if the very ground were being torn asunder from within and the hordes of Hell themselves were spilling out amongst the living to at last wage the long-prophesied final war. That last part sounds rather cliched, don't it? Well, suck it: this record was the source whence cliches such as that - when writing metal reviews, anyway - spring. I mean, shit: when I throw this sick fuck on, I whole-heartedly believe in Satan and God, and they're embattled in the war to end all wars.

And Satan's winning.

Deicide’s self-titled debut album is a really damn good record. Probably 9 out of 10 fans of death metal will agree that it is real damn good. It’s obviously one of the best death metal albums of the early 1990’s. This is one of the albums that got death metal more known. Tons of people own it physically and it’s pretty much a hit in the realm of death metal. The first thing that’s on this record is a sample of a prison door closing. Interestingly, there’s also another sample of that at the end of this album. You know you’re in for a wild ride and it is certainly a wild record.

Steve Asheim’s drumming is ultra fantastic on this album. He plays fast and he’s in the zone on all of the songs. He provides incredibly sweet sounding fills and he’s an expert with the double bass pedal. He puts that drum kit to damn good use on this record. I enjoy his drumming a lot on this record. Wanna listen to his best drumming on this album? Totally check out Mephistopheles, Dead by Dawn, Sacrificial Suicide, Oblivious to Evil and Lunatic of God’s Creation. He plays those drums with such amazing precision and he’s fast as hell. He really goes bonkers with those drums. I’m sure it’s like second nature to him. That’s how much of an awesome drummer he is. You probably know about that if you know Asheim’s drumming.

Glen Benton’s vocals are pretty damn cool and he sounds as Satanic as possible. He’s one of those death metal vocalists who made “Cookie Monster vocals” famous. His vocals are on fire on this album. The Satanic lyrics are awesome and it’s one of the reasons why I listen to Deicide. The best Satanic lyrics are found on Sacrificial Suicide, Mephistopheles and Deicide (the name of their band and title track). Of course, Benton sounds pretty damn evil. He has low growls and high pitch vocals. People usually don’t give him that much credit with his highs, he’s mostly noted for his lows. The vocals sound electrifying on all of the songs. He’s particularly sounding incredible on Dead By Dawn. His vocals are amazing on Mephistopheles.

The guitar work by the Hoffman brothers is fabulous and awesome. They play some real incredible riffs on all of the songs. Riffs galore when it comes to the Hoffman brothers. Too many incredible riffs to specify on this record. They play fast and they keep up with Asheim’s fast drumming. There are some really damn awesome solos found on this album. The best solo hands down is found on Dead By Dawn. I’ve mentioned Dead By Dawn a lot. It may be the best song overall. All aspects (except for the bass, who knows what’s going on there) are awesome. Oblivious to Evil sounds quite awesome too and they go really wild on that song.

The only real big flaw of this album is the bass. Benton’s bass is drowned out completely. It’s even drowned out on this remastered CD version I have. I wish the bass track was much more clear. If it was, this would be a perfect record and I would praise it way much more. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. It’s not a totally perfect album. It could have a perfect album. It’s okay, Deicide immensely capitalized on this album. Many people have this album and several versions of it exist.

Are you a fan of death metal and never listened to this? Definitely check this out as soon as possible! If you are new to death metal, I totally recommend this. Not a fan of “Cookie Monster vocals”, fast drumming, Satanism, etc.? This album is not for you or you may wanna check it out anyway. Check it out anyway, you might actually enjoy it!

Here we have, by popular opinion, a classic. Deicide's self-titled album is almost unanimously regarded in the death metal world as a landmark release, and one that helped define the genre as well. At the time of its release, death metal still was in the process of evolving beyond its thrashy roots and becoming the guttural, chaotic mass that it would eventually turn out to be. There's no doubt that this album assisted in polishing the definition of death metal, and should be considered a landmark release as such. Landmark or not, let us momentarily put all of that aside. This being Deicide's first album (under the name Deicide, that is), it is naturally rough around the edges, and worthy of a highlighting of all the things that put its listenable factor into question - whether it is a death metal classic or not.

It cannot be denied that Deicide had some excellent musical ideas which they employed on this record. Most of the songs are based around an intro consisting of a simple groove which sticks in your head almost immediately, and then evolves by means of tempo changes and unexpected shifts in the arrangement pattern. The structure thus created is an interesting combination of basic and pandemonium - as death metal should be, of course. Guitarists Eric and Brian Hoffman play parts that don't seem to be played purely for the sake of being chaotic, technical, or some combination of the two. Besides the hacky chromatic-scale-running solos, all of this album's guitars are interesting to listen to (if you can make them out through the horrid guitar tone). It seems like actual writing that has a structure, instead of the more modern approach of writing riff after riff and then arranging it all haphazardly without repeating much (see any Cannibal Corpse song after 1998). Everybody remembers the door-slamming sound effect followed by the eerie groove of "Lunatic of God's Creation", the blast-beat-laden intro of "Dead By Dawn", and the neck-breaking tempo of nearly three hundred beats per minute reached in "Mephistopheles". Deicide certainly knew how to make extreme music catchy when they were starting out, which is always a feat worthy of praise. Perhaps that's one more reason why this album is considered a classic: besides being a musical innovation, it also has earworms aplenty.

While the songwriting may be good, it is almost outweighed by other elements that are less than desirable. The most notable problem would obviously be the vocals of Glen Benton. At this time, Benton's death metal voice had not fully developed yet, so for this album, he simply shouted in a low register, doubled at times by his monotonous high screeches. At times, pitch shifters and harmonizers were used, presumably to make the vocals sound more "evil" - failing miserably as far as that goal goes. The effects applied to Benton's voice (besides the inconsistent dry/wet reverb) only served to make him sound like a cheezy radio drama villain. The effects and layering leave the impression of being added to make the vocals sound better than they actually are - the "studio enhancements" of 1990, if you will. That, when combined with the low shouts and randomly-placed screeches/pitch-shifted throat noises, makes the vocals give off a feeling of incompetence. Eventually, Benton's vocal tone would mature into an impressive growl which endures to this day, but obviously he didn't have it here. The death growl as we know it hadn't really been perfected at the time, either, and there really was nothing to do in the metal playbook except shout with a low register. Yet, we received proof on later albums that Benton can do much better than what he does on here. There's a way to make shout vocals work, but the radio drama villain vocals isn't it.

What really sinks this album's listenable factor at the end of it all is the production quality. Elite death metal producer Scott Burns produced this album, as he did with so many death metal releases of the early 90s, but didn't apply himself to this one as much as he did for some. Yes, his style of production is immediately recognizable in the cramped instruments and the hollow-sounding snare drum. No doubt it is raw, but here it gets a bit too raw for its own good. The guitar tone is absolutely awful. An utter absence of middle frequencies makes the notes blur together, and any guitar playing just on its own for a brief moment during a breakdown sounds like atonal noise. A pity indeed, for the guitar riffs aren't bad at all, as has already been mentioned. The bass is totally silent, except for maybe one or two moments throughout the entire album when a pick noise can be heard. Perhaps the only things in the entire mix that are adaquately produced are the drums, which do exhibit a certain level of sloppiness on drummer Steve Asheim's part. Burns definitely could have done better with producing this album than he did, especially given that he produced some of the Amon stuff better than he did this one.

Should this record be considered a death metal classic? Yes, it should. Is it flawed? Yes, just like many other classics. Just as Cannibal Corpse's classic albums like Butchered at Birth and Tomb of the Mutilated had some musicianship and production problems, so does this album have musicianship and production problems, and is less than completely listenable as such. Thankfully, most of the problems have little to do with the musical content, and instead have to do with the sound that one is hearing. Given this fact, it is interesting that it's rated so highly among even people who don't know how to listen to music with a "critical ear" and just listen to it because it "sounds good". Deicide was a young band back then, and their youthful creativity shows on this record. They just weren't very successful in laying down their sound on tape and making it sound good in this case. Yet, people still eat it up because of its lejendary status, no less. This is one classic that can definitely be considered overrated - due to something that isn't the music itself.

Deicide is often regarded as one of the greatest death metal bands of all time. Their self-titled debut album is among the best-selling death metal albums of all time, possibly the best-selling death metal album if you consider sales figures from the pre-Nielsen Soundscan era. Deicide was released in 1990 through Roadrunner Records, and this album is easily proof as to why Corey Taylor didn't want to take Deicide out on tour with Slipknot.

Deicide is no Slipknot as the listener is taken through 33 minutes of some of the most groundbreaking death metal for its time. "Lunatic of God's Creation" displays a crazy barrage of intense drumming and guitar riffs which shows that Deicide knew what they were doing when they made their debut, unlike Cannibal Corpse. "Sacrificial Suicide" is like a dark and edgy version of "Immortal Rites" that contains a wicked guitar solo by Eric Hoffman. "Dead by Dawn" is the album's biggest song as it's spooky atmosphere would make it a perfect song choice for Halloween parties, coupled with an eerie guitar solo by Eric Hoffman. The title track is an example of where Glen Benton's extreme hatred towards religion and Jesus are used in Deicide's lyrics. The creepy and Satanic "I rule this world" lyric drop followed by Brian Hoffman's guitar solo make this song even better.

It's very clear that Satan is the main lyrical focus of Deicide as lead vocalist and bassist Glen Benton utilizes a rather haunting death growl that would make grandma cry. Benton's title-only chorus in "Dead by Dawn" is solid proof of this statement. The Hoffman brothers Eric and Brian knew that guitar soloing is in their blood as each solo they perform is among their very best with "Oblivious to Evil" being notable for their sole trade-off solo on Deicide. The delivery of Steve Asheim's blast beats are as fast as a gatling gun with "Blaspherereion" and "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned" being arguably his fastest drum performances on this album. I know that Legion was heavier, but this is a more significant album within Deicide's discography.

Not only a significant Deicide album, but also one of the most important death metal albums of all time. If you ask a metalhead about Deicide, chances are that they'll consider it an essential album for a metalhead's collection. Songs like closing track "Crucifixation" are widely influential to the point that it possibly puts Deicide up in the Top 10 greatest death metal albums ever made. If you're a guy who mainly listens to mallcore like Slipknot and need a more understanding statement of what death metal is, Deicide is a good start. It's not just good for beginners, it's legendary.

Deicide was one of the bands I was very skeptical about, given how they pioneered the genre in their unique fashion. From melodic and brutal elements to sheer blast beats, and Glen Benton’s own stylistic shrieking and growling vocals combined into one. They’re the definition of what traditional death metal should be, I would suppose. As I mentioned in my compilation review, this review is back-to-back written with said compilation in mind. The self-titled is basically an entire re-recording of the first two demos (a total of 8 songs), other than the title track and Mephistopheles, the two new songs. As my review for the demos used to suggest, I liked the older versions more than the debut record because of the sound.

However, the cyclic lyrical themes, and how short every record felt in the first 15 years Deicide put out, are disappointing factors in this overall experience. Not a lot of tracks or at least quality substance in the long run. Of course, I’m not suggesting quantity over quality, but you could’ve recorded lengthy 8-track releases, if that’s anything to go by. Also tied with Cannibal Corpse as one of the most successful death metal bands. This goes from record sales to harsh criticism towards their music. But as pioneering as the Florida death metal scene was, the most recognizable in the bunch have showed questionable downward spiral in their music; overrated, repetitive, and lack of refinement that’s built up. ALAS, this is a Deicide review, and the whole point is to be proven wrong (and boy, was I wrong!).

Three out of the four songs I liked from the compilation, I equally enjoyed in their renewed approach. Sacrificial Suicide shows significant differences compared to its thrashy 1989 version. Dead by Dawn is full of Glen’s combined vocals, sounding much more psychotic since the song is batshit crazy. Carnage in the Temple of the Damned truly sounds like death metal. The production on this in particular fits well, and you can get that early taste of Scott Burns’s production, as he was developing. Now, talk about the two songs that desired rejuvenation from their 1987 demo (I think you already know which I’m referring to). They sound as if they’re completely new. This alone got me hooked. And speaking of new, Mephistopheles by far contains the best drums. I just loved how coordinated Steve was playing, as the song is pretty groovy and unhinged from the guitars’ standpoint.

Lunatic of God’s Creation’s bass isn’t audible enough, and the drums have louder double bass. In this version, Glen added his alter-ego, vile vocals at the end. Yet this version didn’t beat the demo, which was less raw. Blaspherereion is just as repetitive as the original. The drums sound great, but that’s about it. The title track’s melodies and the effects on the guitar solo are interesting, as well as the drumming. Yet there are much better songs available. Crucifixion didn’t have the same evilness as its demo version. Other than the blast beats and fast riffing, I knew that after the explosive intro, this wasn’t beating the original.

The potential in Deicide’s debut just grew on me to work. Some say it’s arguably the band’s best release, and to contrast with their demos, most of the songs on here turned out outstanding. Again, even though I preferred two specific songs’ demo counterparts - and as I previously mentioned that I would’ve rated the second demo 85%, the self-titled deserves this rating! Which is a huge bump up. While they kicked off the 90s exponentially well, the crucial question is whether the band would keep up with the quality material. The best songs are Sacrifical Suicide, Oblivious to Evil, Dead by Dawn, Carnage in the Temple of the Damned, and Mephistopheles.

Whatever you do folks, DO NOT play this around your kids. It's like giving them 5 tons of liquid chocolate, coffee and all the Skittles you see that fall from the commercials all at once. What's worse, your kids will be running around going

DIIEEEEEE DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU BLASHPEREION
DIIEEEEEE DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU BLASHPEREION

or

SUICIDE SACRIFICE! DESTRUCTION OF HOLY LIFE! BLOOD OF UNHOLY KNIFE! SUICIDE SACRIFICE! TAKE ME!!

or

DEAD BY DAWN! DEAD BY DAWN! DEAD BY DAWN!

DEAD
BY
DAWN!


I've heard an elitist or two refer to this album as commercial black metal more than proper death metal. While I disagree, there are a few traits about this album that make up this notion. The first are the lyrics, and yes, lyrics do alter a genre's makeup. There are some who say that this album does very little to invoke a feeling of death, rather instead choosing instead to drench itself in satanism like syrup on pancakes. I understand this perception, but what with Lunatic of God's Creation being about Charles Manson, Carnage In The Temple of The Damned being about Revered Jim's Kool-Aid, and Dead By Dawn being about Bruce Campbell's chin, there's plenty of tracks to support the album's themes are just as much about death and bloodshed than anything else.

The second trait is the vocal attack and holy mother of fuck it's no wonder Deicide received all the controversy it did, Glen actually sounds possessed here. While as far as I know nobody did backing vocals in Deicide, there's studio trickery afoot that serves as the stitching to this entire album; namely a double vocal effect with both black metal raspy vocals AND guttural death metal vocals. While picking one or the other would have made Deicide releases serviceable, this harmony for lack of a better term is what truly pushes this album, and Deicide in general into the "satanic death metal" sub-sub genre. Glen would, as early as Legion start using less and less of this approach and in the process, Deicide would lose a bit of that [black] magic that made the self-titled album so special. They really ought to have commissioned one of the other members of the band to do those type of vocals in the studio and live. Sort of like a satanic The Band.

The third trait is in the songs themselves and their simplicity. This is a brilliant collection of 10 pop gems except the form is death metal rather than pop/rock. None of the people here are superb musicians. The leads from the Hoffman brothers might as well not exist, same with Glen's bass playing (although it could be argued that this music should not have Rogger Patterson-esque shredding)and Steve Asheim is known to drop a stick during recording every so often, but this is all negated simply because the songwriting is top notch. With this album Deicide snatch the torch of death metal away from whoever had it at the time. Granted it was taken from them right back in 1991, but shit most bands can’t even get their hands on the torch. The reason I stated that your kids will be running around screaming these things is that they are [b]infectious[/b]. The fastest spreading cancer known to man is the turtle in "Tortoise and the Hare" compared to how fast these choruses and riffs will get stuck in your brain. Considering there is a DEFICIT, not a surplus of melody in these grooves, that's quite the accomplishment.

Easily Deicide's finest work. Legion might be more brutal and technical, but contrary to popular opinion, brutality and technicality are not essential components of death metal. Horror and atmosphere are, and this album nails it better than 95% do. Regardless of your opinion of Glen and his shenanigans, your death metal collection is not complete without this monster.

Recommended tracks:
Dead By Dawn
Sacrificial Suicide
Crucifixation
Blaspherion

I remember the first song that got me into Deicide was the furious "Dead by Dawn." I heard this song on the radio station LCHC (Liberty City Hardcore) on the GTA IV expansion pack Episodes from Liberty City. The station featured a lot of early 90s old school death metal and other extreme metal sub-genres. This album is still to this day one of the most evil, visceral, and monumental death metal records ever recorded. It is as well one of the most popular (if you go by sales). Deicide hasn't been great for a number of years but their early stuff was tremendous in musical quality and effort. On this album you could hear the praise for the metaphysical powers granted by Satan and pure unadulterated hatred for Christianity as a whole. It was over the top, evil, and disturbing. Songs like "Oblivious to evil," "Lunatic of God's Creation," and "Sacrificial Suicide" really show how evil death metal could be. With lyrical lines like this from "Oblivious to Evil."

"Sacrifice of the unborn child
Enter the kingdom of darkness
Sodomized for the ritual
For there is nowhere to run
Open the gates to the manifestation
And grant me the powers of darkness."

Here is another lyrical passage demonstrating the darkness and depravity of Deicide from the song Sacrificial Suicide

"Suicide sacrifice, thrust of evil deep inside
Lucifer never lies, take away thee mortal life
Demigod, Satan son, commend to body to the ground
Father Satan, I'll find peace when I am God."

The praise for the dark lord is the central theme for this album with haunting tales of sacrifice, demonic rituals, and praise for Satan himself. The other lyrics presented on this album are filled with hate for Christianity. Glen Benton unleashes absolute fury on this album and never again did he sound so angry; later on in his career his lyrics became less hateful and more laughable. The musical elements presented on Deicide epitomize old school death metal in its fullest. Shrill, nasal, atonal, unmuted hammer-on riffs, set to sterile snare and pedal blast beats that absolutely refuse to swing. For example, in songs like "Dead by Dawn" it features descending, percussive, mid scooped, palm muted riffs based off of minor thirds, set to relentless double bass drumming. Another example of old school death metal at its finest is "Mephistopheles" where the main riff is based on a 6/8 march tempo of galloping triplets, set to double bass drumming, and dual layered vocals. Things like this give off a sense of brutality that was unparalleled in its time.

The focus on atmosphere is another trait which must be discussed also. The atmosphere on this album is incredible, when I first heard it, I felt I truly descended into the pits of hell itself. It was scary, uncomfortable, and euphoric at the same time. I kept on wanting to hear more and more of it, just like a crack addict needing his daily fix of crack. The very first song "Lunatic of God's Creation" the very first thing you hear in the song are the gates of hell opening. Then the guitar riffs of the Hoffman brothers kick in and the relentless drumming of Steve Asheim pulverizes you into a hellish frenzy. This song is basically an ode to the madman Charles Manson. Another song that gives off an incredibly disturbing atmosphere is "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned." This song deals with Occult leader Jim Jones who cultivated the mass-suicide of Jonestown, Guyana in November 1978, killing 918 people in the process.

In conclusion, this is one of the greatest debuts by any band ever. The focus on visceral atmosphere, the metaphysical powers granted by Satan, and the vehement hatred of Christianity makes it one of the darkest, bleakest, and most evil death metal albums ever written. If there was ever an example of how to craft a perfect death metal album this one would be the blueprint to follow. Take my words and listen to this thing if you haven't heard it.

This is the self-titled debut album of Deicide. This album wasn't their first release, as they did have a demo or two of sorts under a different name, but many of the songs are taken from there. I personally prefer the versions here, as the playing on this album is tighter. I don't hold this album quite as highly as Legion, but this is still a great release. Between the great performance all around and the fiery aggression, this is worth hearing.

The guitar riffs are superb. The Hoffman's rhythmic attack was on for the first two albums. It isn't what I would call particularly technical, but it is very fun and aggressive. That's not to say that this is constantly fast, as this album does have more mid-tempo groove sections and songs. Sacrificial Suicide and the title track are still fast songs, but they're not blazing, the slower passages really bring out a stomping feel. The soloing is a low spot, but I'd take this lopsidedness over Necrophagist's in a heartbeat. Ironically, it was when their riffing got lazy that their soloing improved. I actually do prefer this soloing to Slayer's, mainly because there is less of it. The short and squealy is what you'll get on those, so keep that in mind if you demand a higher quality of leads.

Often this band is compared to Slayer, and I know that there is some influence, but it isn't that obvious just by listening. Most death metal bands have slayer influence, but I just don't find it as strong as others do. Judging from what I've heard from their early demos, they weren't that much like them at any point. I'm not denying that the influence is there, just that I don't see the value in that comparison. There's Priest in Slayer, but that comparison takes a good deal of attention to realize. In actual sonic terms, I would liken this to Sacred Reich's or Sadus' debuts. There's something to the former that definitely seems similar in the riffing, but I'm not a musician and can't describe it in terminology. In the latter, it's more in approach. Both albums feature high-speed, short songs, and a kind of pummeling attack on the listener, though this is more fleshed out.

Asheim is an excellent drummer. As far as Florida drumming goes, he's pretty close to the top. He has a very, very forward attack that consists of a ton of double-bass and even some blast beats. He's not super-technical in the fusion way, but he is certainly one of the best from this school of percussion. The production on his drumming isn't what I would call ideal, as it gives it a sound akin to bashing on a stuffed trash can. His playing is fantastic, but this production job had to grow on me. Many of Burns' early jobs feature an unpleasant drum sound that is louder but not at all good on its own and no better in the context of a band. I don't know who actually wrote the music, Glenn claims Steve wrote it, but I'm skeptical. I don't know any of them in person, but judging from what the Hoffman's wrote on their recent Amon album, I would be surprised if they didn't at least have input on these songs.

Now onto Benton, I think people are too critical. His bass playing is solid, and he can raise it when he needs to. His early vocals are my favorite. I always enjoy his layering and variety. Someone mentioned Carcass, and yes they had a similar thing going on. Anyone think of some other bands? I haven't heard any others from this time. These vocals are fairly unique, and more understandable than usual for death metal. Compared to his vocals on Once Upon the Cross on, I think these sound much better. Many have mentioned that his vocals became more guttural, but I don't see how that's an improvement. He went from this to sounding like NYDM. I listen to some NYDM from time to time, but it just doesn't fit the music near as well as his original style did. His lyrics are also often criticized. Admittedly, I'm not too fond of them, but I'm not listening to death metal for lyrics. I'm listening for the music, and I hope the lyrics aren't distracting. I don't feel these are nearly bad enough and they are very catchy. It's also worth noting that much like Mercyful Fate, the debut was more lyrically varied and less Satan-obsessed.

The last point I will address is the atmosphere. There really isn't an overt attempt at one, nor is there a conventional death metal atmosphere occurring. No, this is a little different. I wouldn't say that this has no atmosphere, but it's more in the way of the attack being strong and the topic of the lyrics. I mentioned fiery, and this definitely has a hellish atmosphere about it. Between the fast, low-end production, furious playing, and Benton's dual vocals growling and shrieking about damnation, this sounds mad as hell. I don't think this is on accident, as it seems the members of Deicide were really mad about religion. This vitriol is spewed forth in a very effective manner, and it helps conjure a vibe that the music itself wouldn't have been able to on its own.

To wrap it up, I feel that this is one of the greatest death metal albums of all time. This album is definitely thrashy, but not in the death-thrash way. This just happens to be full steam ahead in the same way as many thrash bands were. Many criticisms have been leveled at Deicide, Glen Benton, but I feel most are irrelevant when discussing the music of the early albums. I would happily recommend this to any fan of death metal, and probably some thrash fans as well.

If You wanna talk about all the blasphemy in metal especially death metal since its inception, you don't need to look any further then Deicide and their eponymous debut entitled "Deicide" obviously. This album hit a new mark in death metal that would stand the test of time and would in my opinion predate a lot of bands coming in to the death metal scene afterwards.

It's 1990, the 2nd wave of death metal was bestowed upon us with bands particularly from the Florida scene(bands like Deicide), and are very distinct from the first wave of death metal bands in terms of sound and composition. The lyrical theme this album brings to the table is straight up blasphemy to the religious fucks and their god who try to shove their own beliefs in everday life down peoples throat. With that said, this is how I would respond to them by shoving this album and all its magnificent musical glory down their own throats.

Although I respect the influence Venom has had on the metal and death metal scene because they were the first ones to incorporate satanic themes into their music, their lyrics are a bit cheesy and dull when you compare them to this album. Deicide is not a cheesy metal band with simplistic music writing, and cheesy lyrics based on whatever it is they write if they wanted to. No, quite the contrary because a listener such as myself, would notice by the end of the first song, that this band combines such prevalent brutality, speed, thrash elements, a bit of technicality, and is the first band of its time since Slayer to bring such a strong satanic atmospheric vibe that would leave an enthusiast like myself mentally scarred. I LOVE IT!

The band members here are very talented in their own respective ways. You have an awesome subpar lineup and quite possibly the best line up in Deicide's history. If I were to listen to this album for the first time, and look back at it 22 years later, I would say Glen Benton's vocals are so revolutionary because he literally sounds like satan from hell conveying the message in every song by letting you know that he's not fucking around, and will haunt your soul day and night with his predator growling vocals, which is a good thing because the vocals here are catchy. Oh, and his bass playing is pretty badass as he's able to add some grove to the songs, and a little intricate playing as well in some songs but obviously, he's hiding his true potential of harnessing the bass as the 2nd album would manifests his true skill.

The Hoffman brothers are one of the best dynamic duo guitarists in death metal, as each song that progresses with them, it's like they're trying to battle each other to the point where you can't really tell who the hell it is that is playing. So its pretty much evident that these two are equal in skill as I don't prefer one over the other. They create such a hellacious riffage vibe that literally makes me feel like i'm in hell which is one of the reasons I love these two so much, but unfortunately they're not in the band anymore and were the best Deicide had to offer in the guitar department.

I don't know who's as fast as a drummer, and consistent like Steve Asheim during the 1990's. He's literally the Dave Lombardo of death metal, and that's a huge compliment. The guy must be running treadmills on full speed because sometimes I wonder if he goes full speed on half of a song, takes a break, and splits the other half and mixes it in by sounding like he's playing at full speed throughout one song, but no that is not the case here because he must be playing from adrenaline rush or he has amazing lung endurance to play to such standards in a band like Deicide. Either way his skills are remarkable. He is able to stay consistent and not miss a beat in songs. His fast double bass adds a lot to the fast riffage of the Hoffman brothers and the vocal speed of Glen Benton's in addition with his overall performanc of high tempo beats, odd timings, and fills. This guy is a monster who can teach the drummers of todays scene a thing or two about extreme metal drumming.

Everything that has been said needs no further progression on this album review as the overall presentation this band brings to the table for a debut is truly groundbreaking. The production protrudes the sound and skill of every single member harnessing the instruments to show us that they are here to kick our asses. With all the Cons said about this album, there is one thing that bothers me about this album. It's that throughout the whole 30 minute listening experience, it sounds kind of repititve but hey its their first album so I'll give credit where credit is due, and Deicide definately deserve it. Buy this album, and relive one of death metal's greatest most prominent crafts ever produced!

Deicide have long been the provocateurs of the death metal genre, riding and reaping the whirlwind of controversy that seems to cling to frontman/bassist Glen Benton like flies to the spoor and entrails of a sacrificial goat. From the very name of the band itself to the crude and blasphemous content of the lyrics, they feel as if they were built from the ground up to piss off the clergy, the censorship committee, and most importantly your Mom. To that extent, I've ever deigned to associate a 'bully' characteristic to their career, because I find a lot more muscle than merit through their sound. Deicide is like that tough and smelly kid from your neighborhood, that none of your friends invited to the picnic at the playground, but showed up anyway. You offer him a sandwich and a cola, because if you don't he'll kick your ass six ways to Satan, but he's not one for innocent games or quality conversation.

That trait aside, Glen Benton, Steve Asheim and the Hoffmans are neither excessively stupid or pedestrian as the analogy might infer. There is a particular aesthetic appeal to their 1990 debut which is difficult to deny. For one, the cover art is fantastic, a gleaming emblem of antiquity with glowing eyes that announce Bedlam to all those who gaze upon them, about as iconic as you can get during the formative years of the emergent genre. For another, the lyrics seem to hit all the right notes to cull the seething masses of rebels that would flock to such extremity. Serial killer Charles Manson is paid a minimalist homage through "Lunatic of God's Creation". Necromantic redemption manifest through "Dead By Dawn". The Crucifixion lampooned through the band's namesake "Deicide". Egyptian death magic given a wink through "Blasphererion". Not all of the concepts are necessarily novel or all that shocking; we had Slayer and Venom well in advance of this, but in the hands of the Floridian thugs they seem to receive a flesh layer of blood paint.

As for the composition, I was never quite convinced that Deicide were bringing to the table nearly as much as a Death or Morbid Angel. The duality of the grunts and snarls was novel if you hadn't been exposed to Carcass, and to be fair, they're often used here as the rule rather than the exception, to conjure the effect that this was a vocalist possessed of his occult convictions. Also, there is a peculiar punctuality to how the vocal lines are affixed to the rhythm undertow, an almost poetic hammer pounding ingratiated to the percussion itself. Deicide is an album of variation, mute-juggernaut mosh hymns enshrouded in blast work and frenetic if empty headed leads. Asheim was one of the better skinbashers of the scene, with strength of joints comparable to Pete Sandoval, if not the same unbridled speed. He's all over this album, and it is this performance, in addition to the chugging crunch of the Hoffman's that mark this debut as more influential than it might have had any right to be.

Here, there are few truly memorable components as far as individual guitar lines or transitions go, but the overall effect is one of unhinged barbarism conducive to a blood swilling lust for evil, and more importantly, a potent and incessant headbanging. "Lunatic of God's Creation" and "Sacrificial Suicide" make for a compelling one-two punch sequence, carnal brutality overflowing the steady drum battery through the sloven hostility of the vocals; and "Oblivious to Evil" has a curious swagger to its mid-paced verses, once again the lyrics following very closely to the pattern of the drums and guitar. Other standouts include the compressed, volatile thrashing force of "Deicide" itself; the ritual acrobatics of "Day of Darkness"; and the early Pestilence like flow of "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned" with its spike of solo chaos superior in my ears to any of the others.

Despite its strengths, Deicide is not, alas, one of my favorite cult death metal albums. Not even close. The individual tracks are consistent enough as a template for about 12,000 unspirited brutal death metal discs to follow, and no effort was spared in their construction, but there are painfully few, if any moments of meticulously calculated evil. Whereas a "Pull the Plug", "Chapel of Ghouls" or even "Memories Remain" would breathe a notorious aura of tangible horror, this is more an act of brute, overt strength. It has no subtlety whatsoever. The 'bully' again, stuffing that sandwich straight down your throat if he's not happy with the condiments. Scott Morris' murky but beef strewn mix here is perhaps my least favorite in the entire initial wave of Sunshine State slaughter; not terrible, but the bass hovers like dulled machine gun fire on the edge of perception, sauced over by the abysmal, too processed ministrations of the guitar tone.

All of these flaws will more or less see correction through the roller coaster track of the band's future discography. But here, fresh on the murder scene, the first of this killing spree, they drag against the musical and lyrical content. Decent. Unremarkable. It's ultimately a brutal but soulless surge, and while there seems to be a division among death metal fans as to which component is more important to the form, songwriting vs. sheer extremity and technical ability, I'd rather not choose sides: I desire both of these things. Deicide is focused far more on the latter than the former, more of muscle than malevolence. And though it's a potent enough establishing shot for the diabolic melodrama of the band's incendiary, infamous career, the black and sanguine ripples of its wake are more poignant than the source.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

From just 30 minutes of audio, Deicide unleashes their most evil and demonic release ever! With backup screams that makes Glen Benton sound like the antichrist, the most original and unrelenting musical genius comes about. I’ve never heard a Deicide album sound as so evil in its’ entirety. Not even Legion can top this death metal release that deserves utmost praise. Such original riffs to the songs featuring solos that are remarkably fast and furious. The lyrical concepts have always been the same by Glen, complete and utter blasphemy without any letup.

The Hoffman brothers on guitars here featuring solos that are ferocious. It’s difficult to distinguish who’s solos are who’s since both members share a similar amount of talent. In regards to the music, you have time signatures that are all over the place. Down picked riffs then enter heavy tremolo picking which gives the album diversity. Chords galore alongside Glen’s most Satanic vocal efforts within their entire discography. Glen admitted to doing a lot of heavy drinking before entering the studio to record this album. But that’s obligatory.

What counts here the most is the music. With so many passing years growing worse and worse, their debut and Legion are the 2 most amazing Deicide albums in existence. But on their debut, there is complete evil with vocals that screamed out it utter brutality alongside backup studio effect screams with it. Every song on here is entirely original in regards to the riffs, the solos and the overall musicianship. Songs like “Lunatic of God’s Creation”, “Sacrificial Suicide” and “Dead By Dawn”, these dominate the whole album. But every song is good no matter which one you choose to dissect and analyze.

Utmost intensity on every song and one song about Mr. Jones called “Carnage In the Temple of the Damned” which opens up history of blasphemy in the making. The ideas and song structures make Deicide what they were during the early days: a blasphemous, unrelentingly evil and demonic death metal band that used to have such utmost talent. Be it age, laziness in songwriting that they became over the years, their debut is on of the strongest outputs to date. The music is without a doubt so extreme and brutal with everything that you could massively tell that these guys meant business for Satan.

Their unique style of riff structures in each song kept this album flowing with so much intensity and adrenaline. Nothing could outwit this one. There is no comparison to this one that holds true for the band that that used to really dominate the death metal genre. Amazing how much they slowed down over the years and lost that total progression as musicians. Sorry to hear such a talented death metal quartet go to pieces. But what matters here is their debut and how much intensity involved in its’ making. A 30 minute death metal onslaught of precision. Don’t ever leave this one out of your death metal collection!

This album is a fantastic slab of early death metal. It has inspired a huge amount of controversy over the years, for obvious reasons. Deicide as a band has always done so of course, but this was where it all started properly for them. This is where they unleashed their brutal sound of satanic hate upon the world for the first time in a full album. They influenced so many other bands that it's almost hard to believe at times. The sheer brutality on display here is incredible too; Morbid Angel was incredibly brutal and satanic too, but Deicide took this to another level. Not so much in terms of musical extremeness, as Morbid Angel had already created an album full of utter brutality, but in terms of the really extreme overt satanism and utter hatred of Christianity in the lyrics. Never before had such a concentrated blast of such absolute hate and utter scorn and contempt for Christianity and organized religion in general been placed within the context of death metal. This album is so overtly satanic, and yet it isn't self parody; Glen Benton, regardless of what he is now, was at the time at least quite clearly a genuine theistic satanist. That makes the music almost kind of scary.

The songs here are amazingly brutal. The heaviness was, at the time, incredible, and it's still incredibly heavy now. Glen Benton's voice sounded almost truly like a demon from hell spreading hate against the church. And the riffs and drumming? Well, in terms of advanced musicianship they were probably not the very greatest, but they were still clearly very good musicians. What they did fit the music extremely well, too.

The songs here are like a tidal wave of brutality and darkness. The guitar riffs that the Hoffman brothers create are some of the most vicious, angry, pissed off riffs ever, and Steve Asheim's drumming is excellent. However, it is Glen Benton's uniquely brutal vocals that really carry the songs. His hatred of Christianity is so extreme and overt that nothing is left to the imagination; but it doesn't need to be. The band throws all of this satanic brutality in your face, in such a way that it makes you angry too. Much as I'd like to, when I listen to death metal records, while they are all brutal, I rarely hear a specific guitar riff that actually sounds really full of genuine hate, malice, and rage. But Deicide are, or at least were at the time real satanists, who genuinely hate all organized religion and especially Christianity. Thus, when Glen Benton roars out words like: "Suicide Sacrifice, Destruction of Holy Life, Blood on Unholy Knife, Satan I sacrifice!" you believe he actually means it, and at the time at least he probably did. The lyrics in almost all of the songs have moments like this, though. On the title track, Glen roars out this little vignette of hate:

"Three days to rise
If he lives again he is sure to die
I killed jesus
Just to see him bleed on his pulpis throne
I am evil
I'm the Deicide and I killed the lord
No more reasons
I will kill the world in another form"

No other band had ever done anything like this before. This was satanic rituals, worship, and hatred of Christianity in musical form. It was everything the media feared, and while Deicide were obviously trying to be as controversial as possible with this album, that doesn't mean that their beliefs weren't genuine. And controversial they were indeed. Some people actually believed at the time that Glen Benton was actually possessed by demons, probably just because of this album.

Through the atmosphere of utter hatred, brutality, and satanism that the band creates through their brutal guitar riffs, excellent drumming, and the terrifying roars and growls of Glen Benton, who genuinely sounds possessed here(that, or he is actually a demon, that's how he sounds), Deicide created a new idea for death metal: to use it as a platform to spread hate against organized religion. It would seem to be the black metal bands in Norway that took this idea to its logical extreme, but US satanic death metal would continue to spread and grow, just as gory death metal did. So many bands nowadays are continuing with this kind of thing, spreading hatred against the church through their brutal death metal, and showing no mercy for the weak. And it is highly likely that almost all of these bands were influenced by what Deicide did and still does, and especially by what they first did here, with their first album.

This album is a death metal classic in every respect. Not only because of its influence on other bands within death metal(and maybe even in black metal too), but also because of its sheer power as an album even to this day. Very few death metal albums can create either a genuinely sinister or scary atmosphere, no matter how good they are on their own merits, and very few can convey a genuine sense of very real hatred for something in the real world, such as religion. This album does do the latter, in every way, without a hint of compromise.

And that's a damn good thing. As much of the early death metal legion decided to shock their listeners with violent gore-drenched tales of perversion, subhumanly low death grunts, and monotonous blast riffing, Deicide chose to shock their listeners in another way: by lyrically demolishing Christianity and providing a fucking amazing soundtrack to boot. This is easily the most vile album of 1990, as well as one of the most evil albums in the entire genre.

The album begins and ends with the sound of an iron gate, as if the entrance to hell can no longer contain its demonic fury for the half hour or so that the album lasts. The riffs that follow are blunt and forceful, never relenting unitl the album's final moments. The brothers Hoffman are quite adept at death metal riffage, blistering forth at a killer pace with just a hint of thrash metal at moments (the intro to "Deicide" for instance). These are propelled forth by the working of one Steve Asheim, a god amongst men and drummers. It's his performance that is most impressive here, playing full force at a variety of tempos. There is a bass guitar amidst this chaos somewhere, but it's unlikely you'll hear it over the fury of everything else.

But while Glen Benton's bass is drowned out, his vocals are not, by far. Still in the habit of multi-layering his insane screams and growls, there are many instances where he sounds like the devil himself, and is yet still discernable. Chris Barnes should've taken a hint from this guy. Hell, lyrically as well, as Benton's tales of blasphemy and satanism are far more sinister than anything that ever left Barnes' putrid throat.

The only downside to this thing are the solos. While the brothers Hoffman certainly have an ear for a memorable, heavy ass riff, they can hardly form a decent solo between them, insisting on only repeating the odd scale runs and whammy bar dives that Slayer's Hanneman/King were utilizing as early as '84. There are a few exceptions (those in "Dead by Dawn" and "Crucifixation"), but they're otherwise unremarkable.

But most people aren't going to listen to this for the solos. This is an album of riffs, of lyrics, of diabolical vocals, and of indestructible drumming. One of the better early death metal albums for certain.

I originally gave this an 87, but after some careful thought, I have upped it a few points.

Death metal as it existed in 1990 was centered mostly on gore-related themes, stuff very few people could hope to take seriously. On the other end of the coin was Deicide. In the early 1990s, Deicide specialized in precise, blasphemous musical attack at the expense of tonality. Short, simple songs built on a few riffs, an insistent beat, and Glen Benton's vocals.

Not many death metal albums in 1990 succeeded perfectly at creating the atmosphere that the band members intended on showing off in their work. This one was different. The album cover alone was hardly preparation for the power contained within. Upon the opening of "Lunatic of God's Creation" we are welcomed by the now-typical Hoffman brothers' downtuned double-guitar attack, Steve Asheim's blast beats, and Glen Benton's (inaudible) bass and (very audible) vocal performance.

Death metal albums as a whole tend to come up a little short in the long run, only offering maybe 75% of classic songs out of the entire album. Deicide created something so rare on this album that even they could never better it later on. Ten classic death metal songs, and if any riffs were ever used in music textbooks as the gold standard on how to write death metal riffs, at least fifteen of them here would be a good start. Add to that the evil atmosphere the band presented vocally and instrumentally, and you have the classic death metal album of 1990. It's not all perfect, however. In 1990, Glen Benton's vocals were probably the most extreme the genre had to offer. Taken in retrospect nowadays, it's a little hard to take some of the songs seriously mainly due the overuse of overdubbed shrieks over the growls, something Benton would slim down as years went on.

At least five songs here are bona fide death metal classics ("Lunatic of God's Creation", "Sacrificial Suicide", "Dead By Dawn", "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned", "Crucifixation"), but the rest hold up very nicely.

One gripe remains, however. When Deicide started out as Amon in 1987 and released the Feasting The Beast demo, they were really onto something special, and the special part of that demo came in the form of the truly unhinged, uncheesy vocals from Benton, which he later reigned in on the 1989 demo and on this album. If Benton sang on this album like he did on the Feasting The Beast demo, this one might very well could have been as close to perfection as possible.

Minor gripes aside, this is one of the fifty most essential metal albums ever, and this one belongs in any respectable collection. Buy or die!

I remember buying this back in the day and being utterly blown away by one of the most savage American death metal albums I'd ever heard at the time. Thinking back, my girlfriend at the time (who was Wiccan) was not amused, all the more reason for me to crank this all the time on the headphones! And this still holds up pretty well, all things considered.

As per usual, Scott Burns' patented "Mushtone Drone" renders the production into a blurred mess of chunky guitars, buried bass, and distant clickety-clack drums. And it actually works pretty well, with the band lending a distinct and vicious atmosphere to this album that many other bands he produced simply lacked. While lacking in professional sonics, the sound of this album does work to its advantage, as other reviewers have mentioned truthfully.

The only things that detract from the overall rating are the soloing (mindless Slayer-style wanking that made Messrs. Hannemann and King sound like Yngwie) and the fact that, well, Glen Benton's vocals are simply too over the top all the time. He layers on so many tracks of screams, growls, and roars that it gets aggravating, and it makes me want to just tell him to shut the fuck up, already. He goes waaaaay into the deep end and it often detracts from the music's impact for my taste.

"Lunatic of God's Creation" is a suitable starter, but from track 2 onward this album really takes off and the savagery commences in no uncertain terms. "Sacrificial Suicide" (I loooooove that middle bit before the solo section, it will bang the head that doesn't bang!!!), "Dead By Dawn", "Blasphererieon" (however the hell you spell it) especially bring the slaughter into your room!

The albums after this one never quite captured the same fire and essence of pure unadulterated hatred for God and anything good at all that this debut did, it must be said. And Glen Benton needs to just pack it in, because he will never match it, just like Slayer will never match the destructive force of "Reign In Blood". Nuff sed.

Production: Ambitious; aims high for acceptable production value, and falls short of this goal for reasons that no doubt have to do with lack of appropriate funding. The mix is raw, but captures the overall vision.

Deicide's debut comes at the listener with a force of a category five hurricane with intent to put one into a state of shock. Jaw dropping aggression executed with an atonal sense of rhythmic harmonic framework drive these compositions straight into a nihilistic exploration of anger and agony.

If one is lucky enough to have this be their first Deicide experience, the effect will cause the person to re-evaluate all they knew about extreme metal, especially if one is not familiar with this type of music.

Vocals here set a precedent for a new level of the "scream approach". The low-end growl accustomed to death metal is instead replaced with the yell of a wild beast on a mission to smother the listener with demonic blasphemies; using up to three vocal tracks to harmonize wretched varying degrees of antichristian tone. This technique paralyzes the listener, giving one no choice but to take notice of this maniac disciple of hell.

The aesthetic here is one of "all who enter abandon all hope"; Deicide has no intention on giving a happy alternative to god, but to enforce the violent tortures of the underworld and accept it as true reality.

Rhythm is the keyword; unique in how Deicide uses it, even creating vocal lines to give the added impression of another rhythmic layer. Even melodies strive to create deeper patterns of harmony to explore rhythm; this reviewer feels the hooks that result from this equally attribute to the overall spell this album invokes.

Bass is buried in the mix and unfortunately ignored, but guitars make up for it with abusive manipulation of distortion. High speed power chords and tremelo go back and forth between each other and is the focus of technique. Lightning quick solos muddy together a wide range of notes with the dual aspect of making sense when normally they would not in these type of patterns. The lack of style becomes the style.

Drums pound in a simple but ingenious intensity, complimenting these songs so well that at times it seems the songs revolve around what the drums are doing. Guitars and drums work together to hypnotize the listener while vocals bark theatrical satanic themes to give the listener the thrill of a lifetime.

This debut release mirrors the postmodern condition of those who see through the false hope that past generations tried to convince us as being truth. The value of this phenomenal artistic creation cannot be measured, or reached by many.

This is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. It has it all: blasphemous lyrics, harsh vocals, brutal riffs, and intense drumming. Sounds pretty cliche, right? Wrong. Not when you take those 4 elements and do them the way Deicide did back in 1990.

I'll start off with Glen Benton. He is the one everyone thinks of when they hear the name Deicide. His vocals on this album are less "br00tal" than on later Deicide albums, but still great. I found this to be common among other classic death metal bands (Dave Vincent is less brutal vocal wise on Altars of Madness than say, Covenant. Chris Barnes is less brutal on Eaten Back to Life vocal wise than on Tomb of the Mutilated). Vocal wise he has always had his own voice, which has become part of the Deicide trademark. His vocals are intense, harsh growls and shrieks, and he pronounciates his words pretty well. Glen Benton has released 7 albums, with nothing but anti-christian and Satanic lyrics. This may get old for some, but again, it's all a part of the Deicide trademark. As far as his bass playing abilities, he has a lot of skill. He either follows Brian or Eric, but doing that is no easy accomplishment, especially if you're handling vocals as well.

Now onto the Hoffman twins. Brian and Eric are some of the most overlooked metal guitarists, ever. Deicide's riffs are as brutal as you can be, without being overly brutal. What I mean is, if you take a band like say, Deeds of Flesh, the riffs are indeed BRUTAL, but so brutal that it sounds chaotic (I'm not knocking off Deeds, I am a fan of their music). Deicide are as brutal as you can be, and still easy to follow riff wise. As for their solos, they are thrash solos from hell. On later albums they even do more melodic, mid paced solos, but on this album, what you can expect are lightning fast solos that would give Kerry King a run for his money.

Now onto Steve Asheim. Another highly overlooked musician in metal. When people think of death metal drummers, they always think of Pete Sandoval. Steve Asheim is right up there with Pete. His double bass beats are solid, and his bass drums sound like an AK47 aimed at the head of a priest. He doesn't do as many snare blasts as other death metal drummers, but his drum beats are intense. When he does snare blast, it's like a jackhammer to your temple, about to make your head explode. What Steve has done was take thrash drumming and made it twice as extreme.

How can any fan of metal not like this album? Deicide will always be my favorite band, and this is definately one of their best albums. If you have not heard this album yet, I am not kidding when I say: YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS IN METAL!