Death is June -Deicide's "Serpents of the Light"

This album is where I began to lose interest in the band, as I thought they had grown too similar to the death metal norm. Going back to listen to this, I can hear where I got that impression, but the songwriting continued to improve, rather than just steamrolling you. Benton's vocals are more articulated, though the primary focus is on the lower growl. However, this does not mean they are not prone to bouts of blast beats before kinding thrashy grooves. There are bursts of the higher demonic  vocals jut not a flowing layer of them over top the lower growl;

"Blame it On God" is more of a hyper-aggressive speed fest, though his vocals are more deliberately placed, which helps the song's overall framework. By 1997, Scott Burns had obviously dialed in the death metal sound that is reflected in the overall sonic presentation of the album. The formula seems to kick into the song as fast as you can, then create more space on the verse, though "This is Hell We're In" . The vocals are almost sung on the chorus, perhaps taking notes from what Morbid Angel had found greater success with at this point in time. 

"I Am No One" is driven by a riff that kicks absolute ass. This dominates the previous songs so far. 'Slave to the Cross" is more like filler as it sounds like post-Vincent Morbid Angel. "Creatures of Habit" digs in harder, but is more straightforward. "Believe the Lie" feels more like who they are. "The Truth Above" starts off with a blast before it reins in the verse that reminds me of the title track from the first album. "Father Baker"  is more of a blunt for trauma, that buzzes with a thrash energy . I will give this album an 8.5, it would e interesting to see how it stacks up against other death metal from this time periods, it's a good album just not their best .

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