### Deicide: The stench of redemption

#### 29/08/06 || Statik Majik

I’m one of those fuckers that feel the switch from Roadrunner to Earache did more than good for Deicide. You see, they knocked my socks off with “Scars of the crucifix” but sure as hell blasted off all my clothes with the latest release, “The stench of redemption”. I suppose the departure of the Hoffman brothers and recruiting of ex-Cannibal Corpse and ex-Death guitarists gave some needed fresh energy for the band as well. For whatever the reasons, the album at hand is top-notch Deicide. I won’t even start comparing this to prior Deicide releases except by stating that if you like any of the other albums released by them, you’re gonna love this one. Or something is terribly wrong with your ears.

No matter what kind of image you get from the latest news concerning Deicide’s live-behaviour, when these servants of Satan enter the studio it’s fucken mayhem that they bring. Honestly. Benton sounds as evil and monstrous as you would expect him to, Asheim pounds those drums like there’s no tomorrow and the guitar-work of Santolla and Owen… Fucken priceless. All the elements you ever loved about Deicide are there, and then some. “Scars of the crucifix” was already a good start but with their latest effort Deicide sure as hell is back on track.

If you liked the extremely fast and furious yet extremely short solos familiar from the older albums, you’re probably going to be a bit disappointed with “The stench of redemption”. Or not. But the point is that the solos on this satanic release are a tad longer and much more “audible” and “clearer” than on the prior Deicide albums. I would even go as far as claiming this to be the most melodic album from the guys, ever. Well, as melodic as you would expect a band with this kind of brutal devotion to go to. Want examples? Well, the whole album is a perfect example, and you better believe it.

And as much as I hate comparing bands to each other I just cannot help myself… Seriously, after few spins I noticed that I’m getting minor Vital Remains vibes from this album. But I mean it in a good way. It must be because of the guitar-work cos that’s what changed the most compared to earlier Deicide-albums. ( No shit Sherlock, they DO have new guitarists here after all. ) Seriously, sometimes when this disc is playing in the background and there’s a part where Benton keeps his mouth shut, I wouldn’t even recognize this as a Deicide album unless I’d know it. Ok, that was probably some exaggeration, but that’s only to emphasize the progress compared to their prior releases. Yes, you heard me, it is possible to use words “progress” and “Deicide” in the same sentence.

One more thing that’s worth the mention is the length of this album. This is the first time that Deicide album clocks way over 30 minutes. Ok, it’s 38 minutes or so, but trust me, after gazillion of albums that last for almost exactly 30 minutes or less, that 8 extra minutes is definitely something that needs to be brought up.

And I just did.

A word or two about the album artwork: it rules. I suppose it’s because their current label is willing to invest more money in order to make the package look more tempting than their previous label did. At least I’m thrilled to see booklet with some effort put into it. “Scars…” had a nice package and so does this. I’m sure plain symbols and black paper with white lyrics would’ve done the trick as well, but I’m willing to take real artwork over that any given day. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I’m also sure that once I listen to “Stench of redemption” more and more (aka for a year or so), my score for this piece of plastic could end up being a bit lower, but for now here’s a well deserved rating for this brutal release:

8,5 /10.

- Information
- Released: 2006
- Label: Earache
- Website: www.deicide.com
- Band
- Glen Benton: vocals, bass
- Ralph Santolla: guitar
- Jack Owen: guitar
- Steve Asheim: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The stench of redemption
- 02. Death to Jesus
- 03. Desecration
- 04. Crucified for innocence
- 05. Walk with the devil in dreams you behold
- 06. Homage for Satan
- 07. Not of this earth
- 08. Never to be seen again
- 09. The Lord’s sedition