Deicide is a band I have found myself torn on since I discovered them years ago. On one hand, we have their tried and true classic albums that helped them cement their reputation as one of the biggest draws of the Florida death metal scene in the early ‘90s. On the other hand, we have their aggravating satanic gimmick which at this point is nothing but a poor joke gone way too far. Combine that with a songwriting style that has many times been called formulaic and you have a very polarizing band indeed.

Luckily, in some regards, their newest album actually helped to reinstall some of my faith in this band. Deicide has managed to include some pretty amazing guitar work here, with more than a few amazing solos packed in to boot. The riffs are definitely substantial, and though I could easily complain about “repetition” and “musical diversity,” I would be missing the point entirely, as it is a death metal album I’m reviewing. Best to just enjoy it for what it is and focus on what makes this album shine.

Glenn Benton’s vocals are rich which makes up for the almost monotonous growling he delivers on literally every record. All I really think about when hearing him is: “At least he did not decide to layer them to death like he has been known to do!” Lyrically speaking, this is just another anti-Christian rant which is definitely lacking in the metal community. So thanks for that, Benton. Sadly, Deicide has come to the point where they really force their listeners to ignore the lyrics for the sake of an enjoyable listening experience.

I’ll give this a 7/10, as this album is just another (good) chapter in the same book.

Band: Deicide

Album: Overtures of Blasphemy (2018)

Genre: Death Metal