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The Best of Deicide

Deicide - The Best of Deicide Audio CD

A fair review of the Deicide "The Best of Deicide" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Deicide reviews here, or go back to the Deicide tabs.

Band: Deicide
Title: The Best of Deicide
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-09-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Dead by Dawn 2: Carnage in the Temple of the Damned 3: Lunatic of God's Creation 4: Sacrificial Suicide 5: Crucifixation 6: Satan Spawn, The Caco-Daemon 7: Trifixion 8: In Hell I Burn 9: Dead But Dreaming 10: Once Upon the Cross 11: They Are the Children of the Underworld 12: When Satan Rules His World 13: Trick or Betrayed 14: Behind the Light Thou Shall Rise 15: Serpents of the Light 16: Bastard of Christ 17: Blame It on God 18: This Is Hell We're In 19: Bible Basher 20: Standing in the Flames

extremely poor death metal.
Deicide are just crapppppy excuses for death. first off, I could care less about these guys being satanic. Every song is exactly the same. It starts out with cheesy samples of non-jesus/christian sytle glen benton homemade eighties horror movie "stuff"-I think they actually stole that stupid "subliminal message" intro from styx's "heavy metal poisoning" offa tha' kilroy was here album-followed by non-inspired genericola riffs and bentons ultra stupid voice changing FX vocals that sound like a. )a refrigerator motor going bad. b. )a caffeinated cheerleader talking in a "crazy voice", or benton's "natural" vocals, which just sound like some drunk redneck hollerin' at his transvestitte girlfriend on the Jerry Springer show. This is not a "I'm some kind of moralist prude who wants to shut down something that isn't "christian" enough" type review, but rather a review from someone who acknowledges that there is actually some pretty cool death metal music out there, but Deicide, however, is NOT good death metal.

In your face anti-Christ death metal
Other reviewers have stated this, but I feel this defines Deicide, and they could have taken off "Standing In The Flames", which is from the horrible "Insineratehymn". First off, I was tempted to not give this compilation 5-star because "Kill The Christian" is missing. But, whatever. To start off a Deicide review, I have to defend them. Glenn Benton's religious views are a little out of wack, as we should say, and he is obsessed with hating Christians and is also obsessed with Jesus Christ's death. His hating Christians lyrics are somewhat immature later in Deicide's career (Bible Basher is a perfect example; sounds like a six year old could write that). That is a reason why I prefer the self-titled and "Legion" over anything else, but hey, they are still a good band.

So, we get Jesus freaks coming over here saying how "God is great" and "Benton is an idiot", but religion is religion, and if you hate Christians, (like every black metal band and other death metal bands), so be it. I can defend Deicide because in America we have the First Amendment, and I personally can't stand Jesus freaks. You can prove a Christian wrong, but you can't prove an Atheist or non-Christian wrong. So, lay off Deicide, because they could be like Mayhem and burning churches and killing people. The worst Glenn Benton did was burn an upside-down cross in his head, which is wrong, but cool nonetheless.

As for the music. . . Not many death metal listeners like Deicide because they are apparently the "thorn in the side, along with Cannibal Corpse". I think that is stupid. Deicide is brutal, with two talented guitarists, an above average drummer and then there was Glenn Benton's musical ability. If there was a death metal all-star team, Benton would be up there for his vocals. They are sick. First, there is his growl, which can only be bettered by, maybe, Lord Worm or Corpsegrinder. Then he gives that high-pitched growl, which when it is dubbed, sounds like a demon has come from Hell to consume you all. He is one of death metal's best vocalists. And his bass playing is average if even that, but whatever, because his vocals and lyrics wash away his bass playing abilities.

The Hoffman brothers are also very talented. They can riff at lightning fast speed (check out "Satan Spawn, The Caco-Daemon") and then kick back into a nice solo. They solo often, especially in the earlier discs, and usually there is more then one in each song. I think in their self-titled, there were about 19. But, anyways, they are brutal, not over technical but still good enough not to be considered talentless. The drummer is good, and the double pedal bass is used a lot. Blastbeats are common as in all death metal, but the ability that shines about him is his ability with the double pedal. That along with Glenn Benton's descent bass and hellish vocals gives Deicide a unique, brutal and overall sick feel to them. But, sadly, the Hoffman brothers are gone, but Jack Owen of Cannibal Corpse is here, so that is good!

The compilation kicks off with the legendary "Dead By Dawn". Obviously, Glenn is a huge Evil Dead series fan, and I can't blame him. The song is a death metal classic, and a fan favorite. Next is "Carnage In The Temple Of The Damned", a song about the Jim Jones massacre. Another classic tune from the self-titled. "Lunatic Of God's Creation", justifying the Charlie Manson murders, is another death metal classic and fan-favorite. "Sacrificial Suicide" and "Crucifixation" follow, all classics from the self-titled. The 5 Legion songs are next, with the brutal "Satan Spawn, The Caco-Daemon" coming at track 6. This is my favorite for its overall brutality. I also like "In Hell I Burn" and "Dead But Dreaming", all sick songs. Even "Trifixiation" is good!

The next 10 songs are the weaker points on the album, which is the weaker part of Deicide's career. Of course, the "Once Upon The Cross" songs are good, but when they get to the Serpents and the In Torment In Hell songs, they are average. Not bad, but cannot match up to the self-titled, Legion and Once Upon The Cross years. Even so, there are standouts, like "When Satan Rules His World", "Bastard Of Christ", "Blame It On God" and "Bible Basher". I like some of these, but they still should have put "Kill The Christian" on. So, if you want some great, old-school Florida scene death metal, pick up this great compilation. Then, pick up Deicide's self-titled and Legion. Then, pick up their peers from Florida, like Morbid Angel and Obituary. Death metal is one of the best genres, because it is talented musicians playing at ultra-fast speeds proving they beat up anything, and these pioneers from Florida proved that they can make death metal a household name.

Exceptional, As Far As Death Metal Goes
Call me a wimp if you will, but I honestly don't care what you think, because there is no reason in hell (ironically) to be this angry at God. While some people may question why I bought this instead of getting all the other albums, I'm going to admit that I do not like the overt Satanic themes displayed in the artwork. Go ahead and ignore God if you want to, I'd rather you be that than a Satanist. I am comfortable enough in my Christianity to listen to Satanic music and not be affected by it, as I am with all music. But musically, I rather enjoy Deicide's intense energy powered by their anger towards God, while I might not appreciate the lyrics. There are few death metal bands that make me believe that they are on fire for their cause, and Deicide is one of those few. But what bugs me is that there isn't really an established view that frontman Glen Benton takes on. What we CAN solidify is that for some reason, he has a deep hatred of Jesus Christ and loves Satan. But those beliefs aren't really Satanism; Satanism is actually based heavily on individualism and promotes self-fulfillment rather than the worship of a single divine being. In fact, Satanists don't worship Satan at all; he is merely a representation of what they believe. So before you go slapping the Satanist label on Deicide, make sure you know what you're talking about, because Benton doesn't seem to. Worse, according to guitarist Eric Hoffman, Benton is not actually a Satanist. Read all about it on their Wikipedia article.

The individual members of Deicide are relatively talented and were very influential in defining what death metal is today, having appeared in the late 80's/early 90's among other bands like Death and Morbid Angel. Glen Benton has a very angry sounding scream that slowly evolves into more of a growl as the album progresses (which spans their career up to 2001's "In Torment In Hell") but rarely employs other techniques and starts to come off more as annoying by the end of the album. His bass playing isn't anything to call home about, but it definitely makes the sound even more muddy than it already is (a must in good brutal death metal). The guitar players, Eric and Brian Hoffman (in the original lineup; after their departure, they were replaced by former Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen and Ralph Santolla, formerly of Death and Iced Earth), layer their individual riffs to create a veritable wall of sound; in addition, the solos never sound out of place and the majority of them are relatively technically adept, even if they aren't quite as skilled as other death metal guitarists like Chuck Schuldiner or Trey Azagthoth. The drummer, second only to the guitarists, is the most talented here, pumping out insane blast beats and impeccable footwork. Though the sound may be very grating and amelodic, this is a prime example of brutal death metal at its most unforgiving.

The only problem I have with this album is that there is absolutely no progression, musically or lyrically, from the beginning to the end. I prefer at least some sign of melody in my death metal, but there is very little of it, as Deicide is more focused on heaviness and brutality than musicianship. While some consider this a good thing because they didn't "sell out", I prefer some variety and melody in my metal. But if you're just looking for some harsh, antagonistic, f**k-your-God death metal, then you've found a winner.

Track Selections: "Dead By Dawn", "Trifixion", and "This Is Hell We're In"

7. 5/10.

Hmm
All I have to say is this: Everyone giving this one star, claiming to be a Christian who's offended or wants their money back or whatever. I have nothing to say about Deicide. . . Here's a novel idea: If you're a Christian, how about YOU DON'T BUY CDS FROM A BAND CALLED "DEICIDE"? Christ, blame it on your own stupidity. That's like me rating gospel music 1 star, ranting about how the band name "Jesus our lord and savior" was somehow misleading. Use the thing in your skull.
- Thus says the Pellington.

The Best of Deicide

They've never won a grammy, never had a cameo in a movie or tv show, never had a platinum selling album AND have never been played during mainstream radio hours. This 'Best of' compilation cd truly showcases the massively widespread influence of Deicide. And yet, a best of CD?

Why you ask? One simple reason: they practically invented death metal, and with help of a blossoming record company, unleashed their own sweet little brand of metal.

I've heard KVLT kids on 'true' messageboards say that Roadrunner sucks now because they've signed bands like Slipknot and Killswitch Engage. The fact is, Roadrunner has showed nothing but the utmost respect for Deicide over the years, as is blatantly obvious with this compilation.

Now. . . on to the CD.

A glorious amalgamation of tracks from the band's first five albums, these songs sear through your ears and leave you wondering if what you just heard was real. Before I purchased this, I had mostly heard songs off of 'Scars of The Crucifix'. Needless to say, I was most impressed with Glen Benton's vocals (all four hundred overlapping tracks of them), and while I thought every one else did really well for themselves, I continued to listen because of his vocals.

Then I downloaded 'Blame It On God'. . . and wow. I knew that something momentous had been going on before the lineup changed, and I wanted to find out what.

The only thing that bothered me about this CD was the way that it was compiled. In my opinion, they could have sacrificed a few songs for others, such as 'Kill The Christian' and 'I Am No One'. But then again, they probably wanted an equal offering from each album.

I don't like rating individual songs, mostly because when ever others rate songs, I usually don't agree with them once I hear it. So, new fans! If you've heard SOTC stuff and want to hear what Deicide were like in their hayday, pick this up.

You will not be sorry.

You can see a complete list of all Deicide discography, or go back to the Deicide tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.