Deicide
To Hell with God
Century Media
After over 20 years playing some of the most brutal and fast death metal in the scene,
Deicide are still going full steam ahead. Sure they had a couple clunkers around the turn of the century, and the Hoffman brothers are out of the band, but the additions of Ralph Santolla and Jack Owen a few years back really energized this blasphemous quartet. Early on the Hoffmans defined a certain sound, picking style, and vibe to the music and I was hesitant to new guitarists. However with Ralph and Jack being household names in death metal, Glen picked great replacements. Since
The Stench Of Redemption came out a few years back I believe the band upped their musical game. Redefining their sound, yet keeping that Deicide sound. Glen's vocals are vicious as ever, and Steve Asheim's drumming never ceases to amaze me.
With all that being said, the one thing that doesn't really change from one release to the next is the lyrical content. Glen Benton doesn't like the Good Lord. We get it. They have ventured out into other ideas and concepts besides "God is a Meanie Face" or "Boo on Jesus", but this seems to be their bread and butter. It's worked for them since the late 80's so why not? Besides, when your band name is
Deicide, I suppose it fits. More power to them I suppose.
So how is the disc? Nice solid production. It is a quickie with songs barely reaching the four minute mark. The art is great and the lyrics are in that Ye Olde English font but legible. The songs are speedy, deathy, and great. The riffing of Jack Owen combined with the solo finesse of Ralph Santolla are a nice combination. The two styles together are a treat to the ear. You would think that after all these years of growling and screaming that Glen's throat would be gone, but it is as strong as ever. And Steve's drumming just gets faster as the years goes on. These guys are in their 40's and and they are playing like they're 20 years old, starting out, full of piss & vinegar, and ready to take on the world of death metal. Well they have made their mark in the scene and are still continuing to dominate.
As I mentioned earlier the songs are anywhere from 3-4 minutes and are filled with deathly riffing, growls, screams, classical soloing, and enough double bass and blast beats to raise the dead. Not a bad song in the bunch. I included some favorites clips below so check 'em out and go buy this disc. On an odd note, I am just curious if Glen was doing a play on Stryper's 1986 release To Hell With The Devil. Maybe it was just a coincidence but maybe he's a closet fan and is paying respect to them.
