deciets
, gave love, feyleux, mourning candle, diespnea,
junr- bloodbather
angela white
the damned
darker shades of metal, hymns of goth and post-punk ...all for the worship of darkness
deciets
, gave love, feyleux, mourning candle, diespnea,
junr- bloodbather
angela white
the damned
The last album with the original line-up finds them locked in and getting serious. This is the band's first release with Earache, so maybe they felt like they had something to prove. It is certainly the best vocal performance from Glen since "Once Upon the Cross." If you have been reading these Deicide reviews this month and wonder why I am putting his vocals under a microscope when vocals are almsot just an obligatory texture in the genre, then that is exactly why. The fact that he was sounding demonic on the early album gave them something that made them stand out, and death metal vocals should always sound inhuman.
"Mad at God" finds them back on the blast, you way in the formula of songwriting. Once the verse kicks in, they have their groove established, then hammer you in the chorus. While the guitar tones did not change a great deal from the previous album, the bigger vocal sound is a game-changer. Lyrically, this album might be more limited as there was already a song " Mad at God " and now on the same album, a "Fuck Your God." "When Heaven Burns" is more of a blasting burst of a song. There is also a slight recycling of the first album here. "Enchanted Nightmare" is the first song that feels like filler.
"From Darkness Come" is a more rapid-fire aggression. A faster version of this is "Go Now, Your Lord is Dead," and they continue to close out the album in a high-paced fashion. The vocal production on this album really helps elevate the songs so I am going to give this one a 9.
"Christ Don't Care" picks up where the first song left off almsot to a fault. The vocal approach of Benthon on the first few songs is rather uniform; it's just the lower growl with fewer overdubs than we have heard from them. This song does find its groove midway. "Vengeance Will Be Mine," like most of these songs, is a total speed fest. The vocals are better on this one. There is still an unshakeable Slayer influence on some of these riffs. The drum sound effects "Imminent Doom" more than the previous songs, perhaps it's how the cymbals land. But there are some cool riffs here and there, and the song doesn't totally suck, but in the album's first act, it's the most like filler so far.
"Child of God" opens the song at peak blasting, returning to the formula they used on the previous album, before they begin recycling riffs from the first album. It would work well if there were not the feeling that you had heard them do this before. The thrashing motion of "Let it Be Done' actually works pretty well for them. There is a mroe deliberate pace to 'Worry in the House of Thieves"; this breaks them from the formula that has been in place for a couple of albums now. The last song also breaks the formula, though it chugs along a more Slayer-like path. I will give this a 9, it's better than you expect from what was supposed to be a throw away album.
The band's 2000 album was never on my radar, so this is the first time I have listened to it. In 2000, I was more into hardcore, so it makes sense why I never gave it a shot, as I am sure it would have seemed silly to me at the time. The opening track sounds more like Cannibal Corpse than Deicide to me, but it's a pretty decent take on what death metal was going to sound like in the year 2000. "Forever Hate You' is more locked in likea Slayer song and works even better. It's not a middle finger to God, but his ex-wife. The guitar tone is mean as fuck, so they were doing something right in the studio.
There is more groove in the riff that opens "Standing in the Flames " than expected, though they traded off in speed-laced passages. The vocals have pretty much jsut become straightforward low growls at this point with a few higher overdubs littered throughout the album, one appearing on this song. They are more deliberate on "Remnant of a Hopeless Path". The lyrical content I can appreciate despite the tedious nature of its singular focus. Punchy vocal accents help make this one a more memorable. "The Gift That Keeps Giving" is more of a blaster until the grinding riff takes over. It might be the slowest riff I've heard from these guys. The chorus hits pretty hard for what they are doing.
"Halls of Warship" follows a similar formula that they have been playing off of during this era, where they rip into the ong and slow into a midtempo riff for the vocals. There is a cool, more galloped riff that comes in around where I am guessing the chorus is. "Suffer Again" also shows an increased awareness when it comes to writing catchier riffs. "Worst Enemy" is not on the same level, but it does show more attention to detail and some thrash influence. "Apocalypti Fear' has an effective chorus, but the bulk of the song is more focused on speed. They close the album on a more deliberate note with"Rfusal of Penance." You can hear a little more Slayer influence on this one. I will give this one a 9.5; they recommitted to songwriting and it pays off. I might not think it's their best album, but it's in the top 5, perhaps.
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pst235