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Deicide: To hell with god
23/03/11 || InquisitorGeneralis
OK, let me start this off with some other suggestions for cute, wordplay Satanic names for new Deicide albums…
God is Not Really Not Real
Satan Says Suffer Silently
There is No Christ in Christmas
Jesus, You’re a Douche
OK, now to the serious stuff. I don’t have any strong positive or negative feelings toward Deicide. I guess I like the older stuff I have heard more than anything recent, which seems blasty and repetitive. I appreciate the fact that Deicide have been bringing brutal American-style death metal pain for over twenty years, but their more creative south Florida contemporaries Death, Monstrosity and Malevolent Creation appeal a bit more to my fickle tastes. All this being said, “To Hell with God” is fairly enjoyable. Believe it or not (in God).
Does this album’s decent score mean that Glenda and the boys will return to the level of success they achieved in the early 90’s and lead Satan’s metal horde to decimate Christendom? No, not quite. Still, this is pretty well done death metal with enough hints of melody, brutality, and groove to keep things interesting. On “To Hell with God”, as with most other Deicide I’ve heard, two things come to mind; Benton’s vocals are overdone and Steve Asheim is a pretty sick drummer. The title track backs both of those points up with gusto. The breakdown and ending of “To hell with God” are high quality stuff. The production on here is heavier than Satan’s nuts (he’s supposed to be a giant or something down there, right?) and is right up my alley. With a name like “To Hell with God”, it better bash your fucken head in. It does.
Maybe I like a good amount of “To Hell with God” because I have not really listened to Deicide’s other (supposedly) mediocre material. Either way, this is a solid death metal album that would be really awesome if Glen would shut up more and let the band fly free. The only breaks you get from him on “Witness of death”, “Servant of the Enemy”, and “Save your” are all-to-break thrashy solos. When Deicide decide to get groovy and/or go to Solo Town without vocals they kick ass. Lots of ass. “Conviction” and “Empowered by blasphemy” show that Deicide can mix it up with skill, when they choose to.
We all know that Deicide don’t really go home and piss on Nativity scenes or offer blood sacrifices to Baphomet. Only Mr. Benton really seems to practice what he preaches. I would say that the band’s Christ-hating shtick is getting old but if it ain’t broke… right? The highlights of “To Hell with God” are definitely the drumming and the guitar work. Ralph Santolla tosses in some nice melodic and even bluesy elements (thanks Iced Earth) to his leads and solos, and the songs where he breaks the typical death metal mold really stand out. His playing alone makes me want to check out “The Stench of Redemption”. On ze drums, Asheim plays at pretty high speeds for most of “To Smell a Fart”. His fills and foot work both are impressive. He seems to know the right moments to shift in and out of blasting. Twenty years in the death metal game will teach you that, I guess.
Overall, I like this a (to)hell(with God) of a lot more than I thought I would. I am not going to suddenly go out and buy the entire Deicide back catalogue, but I certainly am more interested in what these long running Floridians have to offer. Based on the strength of killer tunes like the title track, “Empowered by blasphemy”, and “How can you call yourself a god?” Deicide’s newest gets the score you see below.
If you are a total disciple of everything Benton and have an inverted cross burned on your brow, this is definitely a must have for your dumb ass.
If Deicide have lost you in the 2000’s, this might help bring you back into the fold. Maybe.
If you like no frills death metal, check “To Hell with God” out. Because that means you’re cool.
- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Century Media
- Website: www.deicide.com
- Band
- Glen Benton: vocals, bass
- Jack Owen: guitar
- Ralph Santolla: guitar
- Steve Asheim: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. To Hell with God
- 02. Save Your
- 03. Witness of Death
- 04. Conviction
- 05. Empowered by Blasphemy
- 06. Angels in Hell
- 07. Hang in Agony Until You’re Dead
- 08. Servant of the Enemy
- 09. Into the Darkness You Go
- 10. How Can You Call Yourself a God
