Scars of the Crucifix

It takes approximately 20 seconds of listening to the title track for Scars of the Crucifix to completely blow In Torment in Hell out of the water, as at last we have a seemingly hungry Deicide again waiting to attack the listener with hyper-blasphemous death metal mastery. Unfortunately for the band, these pangs of inspiration don't extend that far outside the confines of track 1, as even though this album is mostly a shift away from the lamentable grooving nonsense that characterized both In Torment in Hell and Insineratehymn, the band still aren't out of the woods yet in terms of making music you want to listen to. A band making something that was less bad than what they had previously made doesn't make the album in question a worthwhile venture, and Scars of the Crucifix is a prime example of that particular scenario.

Above all else, the main issue with Scars of the Crucifix is that the songs, despite being a return to the "classic" Deicide style, pretty much all feel half-baked and underdone. It feels rushed in a different way compared to In Torment in Hell, as unlike that album's slow-motion march to nowhere, this album is a 200m sprint where the runner crosses the field to get to the other straightaway instead of actually running around the turns. It's paint-by-numbers death metal designed to get in and out as fast as possible, with no real variation amongst sections within the songs themselves, and most songs just kind of stop without having a real ending. When a song actually feels like a real song instead of just a random collection of riffs, such as the genuinely great title track and the awesome ending breakdown to "When Heaven Burns", it's more of a surprise to the listener than anything else. The riffs themselves are once again every basic death metal riff you've ever heard in your life, nothing that you can't already hear done way better on Legion or Once Upon the Cross. Some lines pop out to the ear, such as the opening of "When Heaven Burns" and most of "The Pentecostal" before the song turns into a piano recital, but that happens less often than you'd hope for. The drumming is a bit more into it this time, probably because the music isn't trying to walk through quicksand here, but it's still nothing to write home about.

At least you can actually hear the drums on this album, for the production's something of a step up from In Torment in Hell, with more sonic clarity to the overall package, but the primary issue now is that the drums and vocals overpower the guitars to such a degree that you can only slightly make out what the Hoffmans are doing. Maybe that's a good thing, considering they are clearly not into the idea of crafting quality songs. The vocals being the de facto star of the show this time around is an especial issue as Glen Benton's high/low vocal layering is overused to an extreme degree on Scars of the Crucifix. I don't recall earlier albums being so reliant on the vocal layering as this one is, and between the extreme amount of layering at play and the uninteresting vocal lines, it turns trying to listen to the vocals a massive chore. I know it's kind of his "thing" that he does, and when used sparingly and in logical points throughout a song, it can really enhance the impact of a particular section of music. When done to death, as it is on here, it becomes more of a gimmick than anything else, almost as much as Deicide's "3edgy5me" Satanism and anti-Christian lyrics, which are all the same as they were on the last two albums. At least start writing about famous incidents of death and murder like you did on the first album, Glen. It'd do wonders for freshening up the staleness that is Deicide in the early 2000s.

Alas, this was the end of the road for our favorite roid-raging, cyber-busking guitarist brothers, Eric and Brent Hoffman, as they'd depart from Deicide just eight months after the release of Scars of the Crucifix. A whole swamp's worth of mudslinging has occurred between the two and Glen Benton since then, all the way up to just a couple years ago, but Deicide would reconvene and prevail with the quite-frankly career saving marvel that was The Stench of Redemption in 2006. Benton seemed very, very happy to be off Roadrunner and on Earache around this time, so what gives with Scars of the Crucifix sucking so much? Well, Benton says that he and Asheim wrote everything, a stark contrast to the Hoffmans saying they both wrote AND recorded most of this album, so let's say he's the correct one and the Hoffmans had no writing input for this record. Considering his personality and personal hatred of Eric and Brent, I wouldn't be surprised if either A. Glen was so burnt out on trying to work with the Hoffmans that he had no real inspiration for this collection of songs, or B. He intentionally wrote shitty, boring music just to spite and fuck with Eric and Brent. Option A is the much more likely one, but a part of me chuckles at the idea of option B being the true reason behind the paradoxical nature of a seemingly inspired group of musicians making something as banal, been-there-done-that, and, quite frankly, lame as Scars of the Crucifix.

After two of the worst album releases you could ask for in death metal - and I know there are much worse, it's questionable whether the band redeemed their identity and expanded in lyrical themes and better music, after four years of two incredibly trashy records. I know that the The Stench of Redemption and beyond are fairly their best in modern standards because since that record the band started to add more length.

I always liked the title track, which regardless has a music video. The music is fast, it compiles multiple screams and Glen expanding on his other vocal ranges. The song is pretty melodic and probably contains the best Deicide guitar solo; it's so shredded and melodic. Go Now Your Lord Is Dead was surprisingly good in being Deicide's shortest track. It's explosive enough to sound great. The Pentecostal was the first Deicide track I tried, and it was a lucky pick that I liked the song; it's actually the best on the album. It's also explosive and the verses come with lyrics that are in your face. The variation between Glen's vocals sound great.

This is what I suspected. Mad at God sounds like it's from the last two records and the vocals are horrendous, and even its amazing guitar solo couldn't cover for the lack of innovation. Conquered by Sodom sounds alright for its heaviness but needs more push. First we had Mad at God, now it's Fuck Your God. Glen must be really angry... When Heaven Burns is one of the heavier tracks on the album, yet still lacks the proper push because the shredded guitar solo and the blast beats don't cover for the song enough. Enchanted Nightmares: never mind the fact that it's one of the shortest tracks, it's so forgettable... now here's another problem: what's with the incomplete song titles? From Darkness Come - come what? Title is clearly incomplete (regardless that the song sounds like the rest, with blast beats and guitar solos being the best part). Same with Go Now Your Lord Is Dead. What's up with that? The Pentecostal is actually short than advertised. It contains a piano outro.

This was the last record to include the Hoffman brothers after they and Glen had an animosity. But this last attempt at regaining any quality, the two brothers managed to do so with their guitar skills. They later went to reform the band's old name, Amon and release Liar in Wait in 2012 as their debut. The Amon: Festering the Beast demo compilation was re-released in 2016 under the name Sacrificial through a different label. Now with all that aside, this record was a slight improvement from the last two disastrous records. Yet almost the entire album couldn't beat the title track in sounding original or better. The album strongly consists blast beats and shredded guitar solos. The vocals in some bits aren't bad, but the quality of the songs are drastic. Best tracks are the title track and The Pentecostal.

The beginning song to this album was a classic title-track, but the album as a whole is filled with putrid vocals and mediocre guitar riffs even with the Hoffman brothers in the band. I just thought that the backup screams drowned out the riffs so it was hard to hear the guitar fully. That's my major beef with the album. Otherwise, the riffs that could be hear were classic Deicide. The leads too were quite awesome especially since Eric Hoffman was coached by Ralph Santolla.

I think that this album is quality death metal, just nothing that fantastic. The riffs follow the vocals, but they don't really stick in your mind. Fast tempo guitar a lot of the time which was classic during the Hoffman brother's era. However, not enough good riffs to make the album that noteworthy. Just the title-track really sticks to me and it's a song that cannot be outplayed. The riffs were simply awesome and the vocals weren't really annoying.

Of course the lyrical topics are the same as expected. But you couldn't really make out what Glen was saying only if you look at the insert it gives the lyrics to all of the songs. Mindless writings that are wholly worthless and the Satanic stuff just gets old after a while. It doesn't take much thought to put in anti-Christianity lyrics to an album. Without the Hoffman brothers, Deicide just isn't the same. They made Deicide awesome, Glen sure didn't. His vocal outputs here show no talent whatsoever.

The lead guitars on the album were really well put out. Arpeggios, sweep picking, high quality tremolo picked scales to the core. The rhythms just needed improvement. There wasn't anything that really stuck out to me except like I said the title track. It's the only song that really deserves praise on here. I don't know why they put together putrid music after the first song. There should've been more thought put into the rest of the album.

Production wise everything was well mixed, but the vocals (high pitched screams) drowned out the guitar as I mentioned. That really dampened everything. It took away what the album could've been seriously. If there wasn't backup screams that went along with the low end bellowing then I would give this release a better rating. Some people like this album and I do too, but the vocals just get annoying after a while. Too much screaming and not enough guitar sound to go along with it.

I'd say that this is the last mediocre release by Deicide. They should've just called it quits after this one. What they play now is just pure poor death metal. Scars of the Crucifix would've made it better if Glen would've taken the time to construct his vocals so that the music could go well along with it. But he didn't, so this album failed. His comment on an interview he said that he hates the Hoffman brothers more than anything in this world. They made Deicide great, he's an idiot.

Right from the opening credits, Deicide's 7th album already seems like a jilted bore. Of course, I'm talking about the rather bland cover image, an area which has never been the band's forte (but at least the first two albums had cool symbols present). Unfortunately, the growing pains here run far deeper than just the bland image of Jesus above which an empty logo and title are imposed. You see, Scars of the Crucifix suffers from the same fate as its predecessor, the oft maligned In Torment In Hell: the songwriting sucks. Granted, this was a period of turmoil for the band. In fact, this is the final album to involve the Hoffman brothers, but from the sound of things I have to suspect that there was some unrest somewhere which turned into the acceptance of sub-par material being ushered forth.

The production is perhaps a notch up from In Torment in Hell, but this is yet another empty canteen of blasphemous sustenance in a desert of dried ideas. Deicide had in effect become a paragon of the very generic, faceless death metal they helped influence across a thousand other, aspiring bands. Pedestrian chugging rhythms intertwined with streams of half baked streams of blasting mutes that fail to generate even a handful of fingers worth of quality riffs. "Scars of the Crucifix", "When Heaven Burns", "The Pentecostal", and "From Darkness Come" are littered with truly lamentable snoozing palm mute mosh rhythms unfit to shine Pontius Pilate's knob. Deicide had never exactly scrawled out malevolent notation worthy of the standard of shock and brutality beneath which they marched, but these songs don't even feel remotely aggressive and muscular, traits that made Legion such a success.

Even the titles continued to feel lazy. "Fuck Your God", "Mad About God", "When Heaven Burns", its all the same shtick the band have been churning out for years, and while some might find this devout dreariness as 'refreshment', or a band unchanging in the face of an ever expanding genre, it simply isn't going to cut it. Scars of the Crucifix maintained the same slicing leads as the albums prior to it, but they also seemed indifferent and dialed in at the last moment, with zero appeal beyond their own writhing, sporadic and sudden existence. It was honestly no surprise when Benton announced that the Hoffman brothers were out of the band. Whatever personal issues existed, whoever was in the right or wrong, this lot were simply not making any music of note together, and had not been for years. Fresh blood was necessary, and fresh blood would Glen Benton find in some worthy scene veterans who were kicking about loosely.

Scars of the Crucifix is another of the cult heroes' darkest hours. It persists as an example of why one should break the bread before letting it grow stale.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I know I'm not in the majority with this, but I consider this album catchy as hell (no pun intended). I've been in a Deicide listening mood for the last couple of months and decided to make my own little iPod mix of "Deicide Radio" containing ONLY music from Deicide. As opposed to the Pandora version of the same thing where they play the band and other similar artists.

So I have every release from Deicide and have the mix put on random and turns out I actually find myself liking the songs from 'Scars Of The Crucifix' quite a lot. I understand that the song titles seem "childish" in it's redudndancy, and the music is somewhat slower than the first 2 albums. But fuck me if the music here ain't brutal. In the end, that's what I want.

After two disappointing albums in 'In Torment In Hell' and 'Insineratehymn' they had to up the ante, especially since it's their first album for Earache Records. The title track is one of the best Deicide songs ever, no denying that. 'Fuck Your God' is another brutal track, 'Mad At God' is another one I like. But the two tracks that standout for me outside of the title track are 'Enchanted Nightmare' with the machine gun like drums of Steve Asheim and 'When Heaven Burns'. I understand when a band doesn't sound the same as the "peak" days, but I still enjoy this release.

A recurring theme throughout the album is Eric Hoffmann's use of the finger tapping on almost every song. It worked to perfection on the solo at the end of 'Scars Of The Crucifix' and I don't mind the use of it on other tracks but I feel that he got "tap happy". I know he used this technique as well on 'Serpents Of The Light' so this isn't a new thing from him.

Overall, this album is enjoyable for a Deicide fan like myself, and no, I don't enjoy everything from them. So I'm not THAT delusional. If I had to recommend 3 albums to get first they would be 'Deicide', 'Legion' & 'The Stench Of Redemption'. Those are their best, the next three that are great, but not as essential would be this album along with 'Serpents Of The Light' & "Once Upon The Cross'. But as you know in reviews, it's all subjective.

I like death metal. I love Dismember and older Entombed but Deicide never got my attention. For Scars of the Crucifix, we have one of the most boring 29 minutes of my life. This 29 minutes drag out and feels at lease twice as long.

Lyrics are some of the most pathetic lyrics I have ever read. Glen should have taken some creative writing classes in school. Not that I’m offended of the anti-Christian lyrics but they sound like something a generic 12 year old could write. Song titles like Fuck Your God and Mad at God are two of the most cliché songs titles next to Don’t Judge Me or Know Your Enemy.

Vocals on the album are layered in high pitched screams and low grunted growls. When separated they sound pretty cool but most of the time they are mixed in together. If you watch the DVD that comes with this album you will see that Glen recorded one vocal line at a time to get better effect. But listening to it, it just sounds like a 40 year old man making a bunch of random sounds into a microphone.

Production itself is meaty with lots of bass. This is one of the only highlights of the album. Yet with the bass and guitars mostly doing a chugga chugga riffing, the meaty production actually buries everything into a pool of mud. Solos are generic American thrash/death metal solos. It seems like American bands are afraid of showing melody in their music. Look at Dismember and Entombed….catchy solos but still aggressive metal bands. Or even look at Dissection, Jon was a real Satanist and Dissection had some of the most melodic tunes in the extreme metal subgenera.

Drumming is okay, nothing that makes me want to take up drumming. The production helps Steve out quite nicely.

The DVD is what made me officially hate this band. Can you say rednecks? We have Glen the redneck biker who rather spend his day ripping off the tails of lizards rather than write a good album. Steve just flat out scares me with his collection of guns. The Hoffman brothers are just your typical rednecks you’d expect from Florida.

The band seems to be so serious when recording SotC but when you hear the final result there is nothing that says….”that was amazing.” Yes extreme metal can sound different too. Deicide hasn’t realized that in their 20 plus years as a band. Don’t even download this album….for your own good.

Alright, for the record, I did enjoy this album when I first bought it. 4 years ago. But that was only because I listened to a couple of songs, and then put it away for awhile. The next time I'd lsten to a couple of different songs, then put it away. After the third time, I'd listened to all 29 minutes of this album. Great for me, I finished it. It was only when I tried to listen to a couple of songs a fourth time that I realized something... I had been hearing the same thing the entire time. Every song... same thing. Every couple of songs, same couple of things.

So, that is my review. What? You need more? Fine, how bout this... The guitars are pretty good sounding, but they use the same techniques in every song. We have the heavy, choppy, open-note part (what the hXc community calls a 'breakup' or a 'breakdown' or something), we have the sweep solo, we have the tremolo riff where we alternate between a root note, and a note 2 steps up... we have, well, the same song. And no matter how awesome these ingredients are, when they are combined in such a monotonous way, they tend to wear on the nerves. I do enjoy this record, let me say that, but only a song or two at a time.

The vocals are nice and dual-layered, as is to be expected by Mr. Benton, but the fact is, they sound exactly the same throughout as well. Many folks scoff, and like to throw the whole "You can't understand it either way" argument at me, but I see through that. I can't understand that eiher, but I know plenty of people who listen to that. Difference is, when rap all sounds the same, it's expected. When death metal is done in identical form, time after time, people get pissed. And thats the problem here. The vocals are basically the low growl (remniscent of a flushing toilet), and the high growl, layered upon each other, without any change. Oh, let's not forget the random assortment of meaningless wailing thrown into the background every few songs (Conquered by Sodom is a glaring example).

Now, the drums. The drums are your standard death metal fare, with one huge bonus... this drummer is an infamous master of the fill. He doesn't just barrage us with blast beats (well, he does, on second thought), but he throws in quite a few impressive drum-rolls, and isn't afraid to make those cymbals sing. Problem is, these drum-rolls, like much else on this album, tend to be overdone, and lose their token value.

But, I will say this... Deicide probably sold a fair number of these albums to rebellious 13 year-olds... with song names like "Fuck Your God," and "Mad at God," how could they fail? I mean, that's genuinely shocking and offensive!

No, seriously, what the hell is wrong with these lyrics? How poetic... 'I have aways been free, one with no need, all alone and satanic, wretched and vile, fuck your god, deface him'

I get chills just reading it!

Honestly, there are few redeeming factors to this album, but in all honesty, I do enjoy throwing it on for a spin once in a while. Although, despite it's clocking in at under 30 minutes, I can rarely finish it in one sitting.

It's inevitable that every band, metal or otherwise, make a "comeback" album. And for 3 or 4 albums, Deicide went to the shitter. The godfathers of death metal had shrivelled into lifeless, tepid parodies of themselves, especially on the likes of Insineratehymn. So when they announced that Scars of the Crucifix would be their best album since their glory days, we all kept a smirk on our faces. And I don't know about you, but my smirk was actually a little bigger when this album had played through.

Why? Because on one hand, it was a big kick in the ass; this was the first album from Deicide in ages to actually have some balls and effort behind it. The ferocity came through and the Hoffman brothers wrote some of their fastest, meanest riffs to date. Steve Asheim once again proves to us that even though he is not a technical or varied drummer, he has incredible stamina and can blast with the rest of the crowd. At first glance, there seems to be new life in the band; and then the album begins its mind-numbing course through the next 28 minutes or so.

Don't get me wrong, it does have a few high points; guitar workmanship and production skills, mainly. Unfortunately, one thing plagues this release: a terrible lack of variety and dynamics. They don't know when to stop. No matter how conditioned you are to brutality, you'll be on the verge of tears from boredom halfway through the album. (Which is saying something, since it's under 30 minutes.) Sure, it's brutal; really brutal, in fact. But a serious lack in tempo variation, song structure, and substance will test your patience to its end.

Glen's vocals don't help matters, either.The growls do have a bit more life to them, I can say that much; but the layered, overproduced vocal tracks, when combined with predictable and repetitive only add to the constant droning and uninteresting nature of the music. And the lyrics... Dear lord, the lyrics. Shoot me in the face. Glen's lyrics have not progressed in any way, nor has he even attempted to make a well-thought, mature assault on Christianity. AT this point, it's laughable to see a 40+ man writing the same lyrics as juvenile deliquents. On "When Heaven Burns," Glen exclaims, "Doing it all for my love of Satan/ (I love you, Satan.)" Give me a fucking break! Hearing this, along with the childish "Fuck Your God," gave me a healthy laugh.

Fortunately, the Hoffman brothers help things out and make the CD somewhat worth the money. Though the rhythm riffs are typical atonal and speed-laden Deicide riffs, they're vicious; no denying that. "Go Now Your Lord is Dead" is a face-melter in the guitar department. The solos and leads, however, are what really shine here. Jaw-dropping sweeps blaze through the title track and "When Heaven Burns," and the frenzied, Azagthoth-esque solos pop up through the rest of the album's duration in their splendor.

Aside from the riffs and drumming, the production is a high point. Deicide returned to the thick, monstrous sound of Morrisound, where the drums are put into a sharp, pounding focus, and where the wall-of-sound guitars somehow never collapse into a muddy mess of previous albums.

I don't give a shit that Deicide are "new and improved." If it continues to sound like this drivel, count me out. Well, at least the Hoffman brothers left with some great guitar work behind them.

Scars of the Crucifix is a mind-blower. This album is another pinnacle in the Deicide collection. I had to give it 100, because when this band is on, they're on. The self-titled debut and Legion in particular are genre must-have classics, and this one easily sits atop the pedestal with those two.

This album is unrelenting. If you want Deicide with this album, you have it. Everyone is in top form here. It's too bad that this line-up is broken in half, because they really pulled all of the elements together on this one. The production is excellent, and this is Glen Benton's best work, barely edging his legendary performance on Vital Remains' "Dechristianize".

Every song here is a standout track, but When Heaven Burns is a definite winner among winners here (they and the label must have agreed, they made a video for it). This song is followed up by Enchanted Nightmare, a total assault, in traditional Deicide fashion.

I particularly like the production of the drums. They are perfect in the mix, and don't overwhelm the music or fade into the background. This seems to be a fault with most newer death metal releases, where the bass drum is more of a "click" than a "thud" and can wear on you like someone's snapping their fingers into your headphones. None of that here, excellent job.

The guitars are biting like they were on earlier releases, and sound raw while being polished. The distortion doesn't blur any of the riffs as it can on some albums, but Glen's voice is the heaviest thing on this album. His performance on this album defines the term "brutal".

From the sounds they've never tried, to songs like From Darkness Come that harken back to the past glories of the band, this album really is a classic. Certainly not the first in their storied career as death metal genre-definers.

A few of my friends in high school were big fans of Deicide, but whenever I heard their music I was always put off by the extremely 80's, somewhat cheezy solos. Now I have come to realize that the overdone solo is an integral part of metal, and have come to accept if not enjoy some "wankery" from time to time, as long as it is kept short.

Since I'm now trying to build a back-collection of the American death metal that I missed in my youth, why not revisit some Deicide? Especially if it is something new and recommended by fellow metalheads. To make a long story short, SCARS OF THE CRUCIFIX is now in my collection.

While I do like it, it is not the easiest album to sit through. It certainly benefits from being short, since 30something minutes does not give their ultrafast insanity a chance to get boring. This music is, however, VERY EXTREME - at least to my ears - a whole lotta drum abuse, wicked high/low evooool vocals, and guitars which are designed to lacerate the flesh of God. I like the album, but I think 70 is a pretty good place to put it.

I find the songs that stick in my mind most are those that slow the pace, allowing the listener a bit more comprehension of what Deicide is up to here. Namely, blasphemy, an updated version of old-school American technical death (which chaos thrown in for shits and giggles), and more blasphemy. The lyrical content, discussed in other reviews, is definitely worth a chuckle - if you take this stuff seriously, it is time to reorganize your priorities.

To conclude, a good album, brutal and well-worth its length. However, the pure relentlessness showcased on SCARS does make it a little harder to handle. Recommended tracks include - Scars of the Crucifix, Fuck Your God (most entertaining lyrics), When Heaven Burns, and The Pentecostal (minus the piano, which usually gets skipped).

As Good Friday is approaching I can't think of a better way to celebrate the last day of the bastard Nazarene than reviewing the newest incarnation from those Floridian blasphemers Deicide (www.deicide.tv). Now judging from the mediocrity in both production and song writing of their last two albums one may wonder why I'm so damn excited to review this, but I can very easily explain with one line: DEICIDE IS BACK WITH A FIERY SATANIC VENGEANCE TO DEVOUR ALL CHRISTIANS IN THEIR PATH!!!!

Having said that, its again after 2 albums Deicide enters another era. Starting with Deicide/Legion's raw energy and production, moving onto Once Upon The Cross/Serpents of the Light being more polished thus losing the rawness factor, but being so energy driven in a tried and true formula that I, at least with this band, can't get too bored of. Then there were the down years where it was clear that Deicide wanted out of their deal with old school metal legend turned pop darling label Roadrunner Records. Those albums are plagued as I said both poor production and mediocre songwriting a clear lack of fire in the hearts of Deicide.

Scars of the Crucifix starts off immediately going into a simple fast riff with some tremendous solid drumming and a dual high/low attack from demonic throat Glen Benton. At first I thought we were in for another current standard Deicide release and then they kicked in with some really strange, and highly boosted, solos. Brothers Hoffman really picked some weird arpeggios for some of the solos in this song. I mean at times I hear a slot machine. When listening to the songs you hear a lot of things and you should think, "I can't believe they did that... Wait, I can't believe that hasn't been done before." Some of the stuff may have, but I doubt it because its really quite strange. On "When Heaven Burns" they start by climbing down a scale like a black metal band, but instead of using only 3 or 4 notes they climb down the entire scale and go into a bouncy 2-3 note riff. When I first heard it I was wondering what the hell they were doing, but then I found myself really getting into it.

The base structure of their songs has not changed. You consistently get powerful sounding yet not very complex riffs; blasting drums, yet with enough variation to keep it interesting; Benton's sick growl and fast dueling solos. As usual some of the songs have sort of a samey feel to songs in the back catalog, but for some odd reason I've come to accept that from this band. The changes that make me believe this is a new era of Deicide lie within the last two I mentioned. First Benton's growl is not as clear as on previous albums. It took me quite a few listens to decipher them, with the exception of the absolutely high energy and brutal "Fuck Your God." A lot of people will complain that Benton has just gotten sloppy, and as well as that may be true, I think it really adds a new dimension to the sound of Deicide.

Now like I said earlier the solos are quite manic and sometimes silly, but they really keep you on your toes. They are quite original, even if they sound pretty simple. The big thing about them I haven't really talked about is how they are really boosted. When they boosted the solos unfortunately it gave it a bit of a computerized sound, maybe that's why I hear slot machines, but they are definitely very crisp. I think they will be really cool live without the studio trickery.

Deicide truly has returned, at least on disc. I really want to see them live again with some energy while on stage. Both times I've seen them they were very flat and at times just plain humorous. I think the perceived prospects of Glen joining Vital Remains as a full member and leaving Deicide (which Glen has denied as even a possibility) really re-lit the fire tormenting the Hoffman brothers' souls and they came to arms with their most entertaining release since 1997 brought Serpents of the life, if not their most exciting since Legion. Groundbreaking? No, not even close. Refreshing? Sure, you could call it that. Really I'm just happy to see Deicide back to putting out sonic blasphemy harsh enough to get Bob Larson's shorts in a bind again.

Yes, they are back. And this time they are here to stay, not to fall back into the depths of mistrust from the fans. The guitar riffs are better than ever (at least than the predecessor and "insanerythymn") and Earache has given the band a complete new, brutal sound which in my eyes is the best one on a recorded Deicide album. The blastbeats from drummer, Steve Aasheim are dangerous for your mind and will strictly spoken blow your freaking brain out! It is not hard to notice that the drumwork on this record is excellently performed and a lot of work is involved. I have heard that the drums were recorded with to sticks on the kickdrum to give it a better sound, though Steve plays it perfectly live. The new material from the brothers, Eric and Steve Hoffmann is undescribeable. Such riffs are like gold; seldom and almost irreplaceable. The co-operation within the band strikes once again and this time they also have managed to create some melodic, beautiful solos(for example the one on the titletrack) Death metal lyrics are supposed to sound evil and hellish, but Glen Benton brings this defination to a whole new level. These growls are insane! He shows his qualities by growling for minutes and he even combines it with screams. Lyrically, it is still the same: Fuck christiannity! But I have a feeling that these lyrics are a bit more advanced than ecspecially the two passing albums.

The opening track; Scars of the crucifix is there not much to say about. I guess everybody (included me) has had the intro riff glued to their brain several times. What is outstanding on this track is the double bass drum performance from Steve Aasheim. I have not heard such fantastic footwork since "Legion" and 1992 is a long time ago.

"Conquered by sodom" is the third track and one of the fastest. It starts out with a thypical Deicide style: A groovy background riff and a chaotic, slayer-sounding solo. When the double voice, blasphemous growling from Glen starts, the showtime has begun and so marvellous it continues through the entire song.

The 4th song contains a lot of the things Deicide have made their huge success with. "Fuck your god" starts out with a coinfidential, booming riff before the speed takes control and hell is unleashed. The songs highlight is the chorus where you are compelled to sing along.

"From darkness come" is my personal favourite, maybe because of the mixure of groove, technical appearences and speed. If you consider the first songs as good, this will definately fall in the taste of yours.

The last song; "The pentecostal" is an unusual song,seen from a Deicide fans point of view. Despite its originallity, it is a great song with a lot of musical qualities. A remarkable thing on the song is the evil piano in the end. Ok, it is a bit weird, but it fits Deicide perfectly with its grimness and its horror sound.

Conclusion: Perfect album. You shall seek for a long time to find something compereable.A heavenly(or maybe a hellish) record from a superb quartet.

"Deicide" have returned once more after a three year period of silence with the album Scars Of The Crucifix (which sounds a bit of a reminiscence of the album name Once Upon The Cross). However, does this CD pack the punch that seemed to follow it wherever it went?

Well, with the over abundance of Satanic metal acts lately, it's hard to find anyhting really new and shocking in the style. But it's no suprise that after that rather long silence, the band would be back with full force on this release, with some of the best songs since Legion.

'Scars Of The Crucifix' (the title track) sets the mood for this insane ride into hell, which continues on through the whole album. However, the backwards message found on the track 'When Heaven Burns' will leave you laughing when you actually hear the guy say it in such a horribly bad manner.

However, the big shocker on this album is definately the vocal work. From deep and gutteral to demonic and blackish, and both at the same time, they will have your hair standing on edge and at attention throughout the whole album. Especially when they command you to shout exactly what the track's name entitles, 'Fuck Your God'.

The lyric construction isn't that great, but some of the lines are catchy and definately worthy of being repeated for no apparent reason as the guitars from songs like 'The Pentacostal' and 'Enchanted Nightmare' race through your head all night.

If you are looking for the latest blasphemous album, this one is it. From insane music, drum work, and killer vocalwork, the only let down on this album would be the sometimes cheap guitar solos that inhabit the album. Outside of that, there is no real reason to not own this release. While it's your traditional anti-religion metal album, it is still one Hell of a ride by one of Christ's top ten hated bands.

SOTC is the newest release from the death metal old-timers of Deicide.

AND IT RULES!

I was sceptical about buying this one, because Deicide albums are always 30 minutes long and cost like 16 euros. But the samples at www.deicide.com made me realize that I had to have it. SOTC is much better than the predecessor, In Torment in Hell, and that is coming from a dude who considers ITIH a good album.

Some people say that Deicide albums are all "shallow and one-dimensional". I don't agree at all. Deicide's style is interesting because the songs are very simple, but at the same time very technical. But mostly, I like them because the riffs are very heavy and Glen's growling vocals are awesome. Also, Steve's drumming is excellent.

All those things apply fully to SOTC. It is significantly faster and more brutal than ITIH. Brutal riffing and drumming everywhere, and some of the most powerful vocals I have heard from Glen. Some songs are quite simple (especially the first three songs and When Heaven Burns), whereas others use strange, "progressive" rhythms.

This is irritating at times, because it makes the songs less catchy and harder to listen to, but without them, I think the album would be too monotonous.

The production is exceptionally good here. SOTC is one of the best produced albums in my collection. The guitar sound is extremely heavy, and the drums are powerful without being too loud. Only irritament here is that the high-pitched backing vocals dominate a bit too much, often drowning out the deeper growling vocals (which I like better).

Highlights are the title song, When Heaven Burns and Fuck Your God, the latter being possibly the most brutal song ever from Deicide. The last song, The Pentecostal, is the weakest, and ends in a long (and IMO rather useless) piano solo. Also, the progressive rhythms don't always work and seem at times pointless and bolted-on.

Other than that, the lyrics are cheesy and predictably, it's only 29 minutes long and the nine songs sound sort of the same, but that is what you'd expect from Deicide.

All in all, I'll rate it 9/10. A great album for anyone who likes death metal (except those who already hate Deicide).

Well, here we have everyone's favorite, Deicide. This album is very fast and better than the last two releases. The opening track is incredible and really stands out as a Deicide great...possibly even a death metal great.

But alas, the problem with this album is that no other song even compares to the title track. There are lots of blast beats used, which I usually enjoy, but it almost seems like the blast beats are used to compensate for the not-so-good guitar riffs. The blast beats don't even sound that heavy either; the hi hat is kinda closed and the snare just doesn't stand out much.

The vocals also got on my nerves a little bit. Those things Glen does where he records his high pitched demon-like vocals on top of his normal vocals occurs way to often. I enjoy it when used seldomly, but this is too much. I'd say 25% of the vocals are done in that manner on this album. The reason I gave this album a 60 is because despite all the negative things I've said, the songs are still pretty enjoyable occasionally.

Well, that concludes my review. My thoughts: Deicide was just getting back their groove on this album. They got some of it back, but not all. I think we'll see it on their next album. If not, then we have a Metallica of death metal.

I'll start this review by stating the blatantly obvious: Deicide's last two albums sucked goat balls. Therefore I was quite surprised to discover that their newest release is not only a stunning return to form, but easily their best album since 1995's crushing Once Upon The Cross, not to mention the most technical since the groundbreaking 1992 classic Legion. It seems that finally being away from their long-despised former label Roadrunner (aka Trendrunner) and onto the much more respectable Earache label has given Deicide a new lease of anger and creativity. Far from being another by-the-numbers snoozefest, Scars Of The Crucifix sees Deicide regain their former status as a punishing death metal killing machine, while throwing some new tricks into the bargain.

The opening title track starts out with a deceptively slow chugging riff, before kicking into gear during the chorus, replete with a searing tremolo which flows into some shredding arpeggiated lead guitar work, while "Mad At God" (dumb title, great song) and "Conquered By Sodom" are even more vicious. The drumming is once again a dizzying blastbeat holocaust, with plenty of tempo changes and excellent fills keeping things interesting. The main improvement here, though, is both in the solos - which are far more interesting and varied, as opposed to the blizzard of chromatic chaos that used to pass for lead breaks in most Deicide songs - and the vocals, which are once again a double-tracked demonic nightmare of hateful bellowing and shrieking. Glen Benton actually sounds seriously pissed off this time, instead of just belching disinterestedly. Later highlights include the blistering "When Heaven Burns" (easily the best song Deicide has written since "Behind The Light Thou Shalt Rise"), and the closing epic "The Pentecostal", which ends with a bizarre backward piano melody (yes, a piano on a Deicide album), which suddenly reverts to normal before looping backwards in the final minute. A strange end to a very vicious album, but it works incredibly well.

Overall, if you were disappointed with Deicide's last couple of efforts, this is an album you can buy blindly with no fear of disappointment. Obviously if you've never liked them, this won't change your mind, but longtime fans who've been hoping for a return to form will be smashing crosses and burning bibles in joy when they hear Scars Of The Crucifix. I certainly was... well, I would have been if i'd had either of those things available...

I was a bit apprehensive about buying this, because both Insineratehymn and In Torment In Hell were not very good. Deicide sounded worn out, and I really doubted that they would ever make a good album again. I was wrong...
I sense a bit of Legion on here. A lot of the faster parts have a really frantic feel to them, which adds to the sense of chaos that this album has. I miss the chugging of Once Upon the Cross, but the speed of this album is really cool. In the beginning of "When Heaven Burns," there's an interesting, semi-atmospheric black metal riff, which is followed up by some more heavy Deicide riffing.
Glen's vocals have really improved. While I can't say that they're intelligable, who gives a flying fuck? This is death metal! I think his brief stint with Vital Remains has prompted him to pick up the speed of his delivery. Glen fucking belts out every song, and thank god, he's using the double tracking on the vocals once again.
Eric Hoffman has totally stepped up to the plate on this one, as far as his solos go. I've never been a big fan of Deicide's lead work, except on Serpents of the Light, but this album proves to me that Eric is a very competent guitar player. His brother, Brian, is still doing the crazier styled stuff, so if you're really into that type of thing, it's still here.
Steve Asheim's drumming is solid. Not quite as fancy as Pete Sandoval, but very powerful. If you have a good sound system, listen closely to the bass drum fills. Very effective and interesting.
Well, it was recorded at Morrisound, so you can expect the typical production on here. Nothing really different, but it sounds tight and powerful.
Great effort, and I hope that they can keep up the good work.