Death is June - Deicide's "Insineratehymn"

 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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