Deicide – Banished By Sin

Written by on 04-05-2024 at 11:04.

37 years after its conception as Amon (or was it Carnage after all?), Deicide comes up with album number thirteen. The 37 year lifespan was far from certain when Glen Benton and company knocked on the door in 1990 – well, actually kicked it in – with the self-titled debut. I still remember that the band, partly due to Benton’s extreme image and perhaps also because of the music, which was quite straightforward (and still is), was viewed with some suspicion and was not really appreciated by the Dutch metal press. But the fans of hate-drenched, straight-to-the-point death metal paid little attention to that and the band took off on a long journey. So, you see, you shouldn’t believe everything a reviewer writes. And that certainly applies to this review, so we’ve added some music to it, as far as YouTube allowed, under the motto “the proof is in the pudding”.

With a bit of luck, you’ll hear, like I did, that Banished By Sin sounds remarkably fresh. No old(er) men at work here! Well, actually, they are, but you wouldn’t know it. In an energetic, almost clean production and mix, which still carries the fire of the youth of early classics, Deicide unleashes twelve songs on you in less than forty minutes. That somewhat clean mix may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Another review described the sound as “oddly polished and clean”, but I can live with it just fine, also because it offers a different perspective on the band’s work.

All four band members – including new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (Inhuman Condition) – have contributed three songs each. And there are quite a few highlights among them. From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall kicks off after a characteristic bear growl, fiercely charging ahead, featuring a riff that runs nicely along the guitar neck, and Benton unleashes his high screams once again on mankind, doubled with his heavy grunt, of course. In Doomed To Die, after a doomy (well, duh) start, we hear clear sonic reflections of the debut and Legion in the fervent, staccato chorus. The band has never been very experimental, really. In the way they stick to their own style, they’re more like the Motörhead of death metal. However, in Severe The Tongue, we briefly hear a somewhat melodic black metal riff before Benton barks the meters into the red again. Bury The Cross … With Your Christ is a more straightforward old-school piece. Easy on the ears and easy to bark along with. That’s also a quality, making it one of the better tracks here.

Failures Of Your Dying God is, as expected, no love song and sounds somewhat generic placed in the middle of the album. On its own, the song convinces a bit more, especially in the guitar work towards the end. It turns out to be a prelude to more adventurous string work in the title track, which alternates between industrial chuggy and groovier work, with some catchy solos laid over it. Not too many, of course, because it all has to find form in around three minutes. And thus, Deicide firmly stays within the paths they’ve paved for themselves. Some may say that after thirteen albums, those paths might be getting a bit deep and worn out, but that’s why I appreciate the slightly more polished sound. Also in the stomping, angrily spat into the microphone, Reign, chaos, mass worship Prepare the rise of Satan in The Light Defeated, where the guitarists are allowed to really let loose in varied and adventurous solos (showing that it could have been done more often).

That the album sounds a bit different is not coincidental, we read in the information accompanying the record. In it, the man with the inverted cross (on his forehead, mind you!) says that he spent a few years in a dark corner and that some life events changed him in such a way that now he really doesn’t care at all about what others want. It’s followed by a hefty: “The guy who started this shit is back! And it’s good to be back!” For once, these don’t seem to be empty words. Speaking of words: the band will probably never make it to the shortlist for the Boekenbon literatuurprijs (Dutch Book Voucher Literature Prize) with their lyrics (if only because they write in English), but it is hard to suppress a small grin at lines like “Religion is the answer, If the question is disease” (The Light Defeated). Oh (or Ai) enough has been said about the cover art, right?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the new one fits into the extensive Deicide-oeuvre, and maybe it’s not necessary to do so. The most important thing is that Banished By Sin presents a Deicide that hasn’t completely reinvented itself but does – especially in the production and mix – sound fresh and slightly different. So welcome back, Glen…, as if you were ever really gone!

Score:

82/100

Label:

Reigning Phoenix Music, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall
  2. Doomed To Die
  3. Sever The Tongue
  4. Faithless
  5. Bury The Cross … With Your Christ
  6. Woke From God
  7. Ritual Defied
  8. Failures Of Your Dying Lord
  9. Banished By Sin
  10. A Trinity Of None
  11. I Am I… A Curse Of Death
  12. The Light Defeated

Line-up:

  • Glen Benton – Vocals, bass
  • Steve Asheim – Drums
  • Kevin Quirion – Guitar, vocals
  • Taylor Nordberg – Guitar, vocals

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