DEICIDE "Deicide"

(Roadracer Records, Roadrunner Records)
Release date: 1990
Running time: 33:35

Review: Here is the first full length Deicide album, released after a few demos under the monicker of Amon. The famous floridian band sets quite a few standards of stereotypical american brutal death metal. Each song is very intense, catchy, brutal, with lots of doubledrumbass or fast blastbeats, speedy tight drums, fast and ripping guitar riffs; A big heavy loud sound, and extreme vocals, here between growls and screams. Something very attractive, yet so caricatural! Like the lyrics, reflecting occult, demonologic, evil and very anti-christian ideas. These topics sound very artificial, but I although can not help being catched by the tides of vocals, and by Glen Benton's conviction and assurance, to preach and hurl evil induced spiteful words. In the same time I feel a funny mood through all this, like where he repeats the word "Satan" more than 15 times in one of best Deicide song ever, "Sacrifial suicide" and when they use very bizarre vocal effects (reminding me of witches' possessed voices in Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" movie trilogy) in the great song, "Dead by Dawn" (surely influened by "Evil Dead" and Loftcraftian mythology). This band doesn't sound so serious, it's a lot of fun to my mind, nothing scary at all! Their basic brutal death metal style kicks some serious ass! The problem is that this band is mainly supported by some really trendy metalheads. The total running time is short, so it's not too boring.

Tracks: 1)Lunatic of gods's creation 2)Sacrificial suicide 3)Oblivious to evil 4)Dead by dawn 5)Blasphereion 6)Deicide 7)Carnage in the temple of the damned 8)Mephistopheles 9)Day of darkness 10)Crucifixation

DEICIDE "Legion"

(Roadracer Records, Roadrunner Records)
Release date: 1992
Running time: 29:05

Review: A short atmospheric introduction, frightful eerie sounds of demonic goats, some strange incantatory spell words, and Deicide's crushing brutal death metal onslaught is back a new time, for about half an hour. The imperfections of the first album are rubbed out, thanks to a crystal clear sound production by Scott Burns in a better shape this time, and a more straightforward direction of song structures. A big chunky sound, with tight brutal drums, frenzied rythmic guitar riffs. In fact, several great very fast blast beats, as well as persistent doublebassdrum parts (sometimes giving a groovy feel, like on "Holy Deception"). But with pre-dominating ultrafast tempos all along the record. Probably Deicide's most catchy album. Glen Benton's vocals are also better than on the first album; more powerful and spiteful... still with a humouristic tone; I repeat it, this band isn't that serious, just listen to "Satan spawn, the caco-daemon"... Lyrics are always entertaining Satan-worshipping stuff about decapitation of saints and funny shits like that. Great powerful trendy brutal death metal masterpiece. Easily available at your local record store and maybe from some supermarkets (who knows?!)

Tracks: 1)Satan spawn, the caco-daemon 2)Dead but dreaming 3)Repent to die 4)Trifixion 5)Behead the prophet (no lord shall live) 6)Holy decption 7)In hell I burn 8)Revocate the agitator

DEICIDE "Once Upon the Cross"

(Roadrunner Records)
Release date: 1995
Running time: 28:12

Review: Ah! Things start to get interesting. This is Deicide's most worked album, they kinda changed their sound. Something always so intense, but in a different way. There's more control of brutality, less chunky and less humouristic. There's a more obscure feel added to it. And in the same time, they composed some of the most catchy pieces of brutal death metal ever. Songs just sound like being played in a less artificial way than in the past. It now sounds totally natural. Only great brutal and profound guitar riffs, powerful fast drums. The lyrics and vocals(always growls & some backing screams) by Glen Benton are excellent and perfectly fit to the songs, even if I don't care really about the ideas through them, I can't help being catched up by the insane rythm and strength of Glen Benton's vocalised words. Their ideas are by the way now pushed to the very extreme in explicit wicked songs like "Kill the christian", or on the inside artwork, representing a dissected Christ (astutely hidden on the front cover). This album is great in all points. A must of big production trendy brutal death metal.

Tracks: 1)Once upon the cross 2)Christ denied 3)When Satan rules his world 4)Kill the christian 5)Trick or betrayed 6)They are the children of the underworld 7)Behind the light thou shall rise 8)To be dead 9)Confessional rape