Death Metal
Reigning Phoenix Music
Release Date – April 26th 2024
Line Up:
Glen Benton – Bass/Vocals
Kevin Quirion – Guitar/Backing Vocals
Taylor Nordberg – Guitar/Backing Vocals
Steve Asheim – Drums
Tracklist:
1 – From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall
2 – Doomed To Die
3 – Sever The Tongue
4 – Faithless
5 – Bury The Cross…With Your Christ
6 – Woke From God
7 – Ritual Defied
8 – Failures Of Your Dying Lord
9 – Banished By Sin
10 – A Trinity Of None
11 – I Am I..A Curse Of Death
12 – The Light Defeated
Deicide was formed in 1987 and they show no signs of easing up anytime soon. Here, we have their thirteenth studio album. In recent interviews, I have seen with Glen Benton, he mentions that this might be a bit more progressive—a word that turns my blood to ice! But have no fear, all the requisite brutality is here along with crushing riffs, pounding rhythms, and that trademark guttural voice.
‘From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall’ starts with a fabulous chugging riff and some whammy bar action dive-bombing before Steve Asheim rattles out a beat change and they steam into a righteous slice of banging death metal that only Deicide knows how to do. It’s fast, it’s heavy, and it punches below the belt! More dive bombs and a screaming solo from Taylor Nordberg, and we’re into ‘Doomed To Die,’ which travels like a loco with no brakes and it’s just as heavy before the proggy intro of ‘Sever The Tongue,’ which soon develops into a disturbing and nasty slab of pounding metal. ‘Faithless’ has another proggy intro and dare I say it—melodic, before a razor-sharp riff takes us away on another frightening journey before we get seriously nasty and heavy on ‘Bury The Cross..With Your Christ.’ If you have ever questioned Benton’s hate for Christianity or all things religious, then this will definitely confirm where he stands on the issue. There’s also someone unknown who gives us a black metal voice along with Benton’s which just adds menace to the proceedings. The guitar lines opening ‘Woke From God’ are stunning and carve through like a freshly sharpened bacon slicer, clean and precise. Then they step on the gas and charge like a bull rhino straight into the pounding ‘Ritual Defied’ with another huge chugging riff before more of the same on ‘Failures Of Your Dying Lord.’ The title track starts with a hardcore line before it settles into some mighty blackened thrash and boy does it groove! ‘A Trinity Of None’ is a raging beast that doesn’t take any prisoners, then we get the machine gun riffery of ‘I Am I…A Curse Of Death’ before the final cut ‘A Light Defeated,’ which is another death metal banger and a fine way to end.
Blimey, this wore me out. The energy and anger that seeps from the speakers is tangible. Benton and his mates relish in the brutality, and how Steve Asheim can play at this pace live for over an hour just amazes me. Guitarists Taylor Nordberg and Kevin Quirion must be one of the best pairings in metal. The guitar work is just incendiary, and as for Benton, well, the bloke’s a legend and he just does what he does with no compromise! This should come with a warning—warm up before listening because I felt it was the aural equivalent of circuit training with very little time between exercises. I’m off for a lie down in a dark room. This is certainly one of the best Deicide has produced, maybe THE best?
Written by: Smudge
Ratings: 10/10
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