Deicide

To Hell With God

Written by: PP on 15/04/2011 04:50:19

Despite receiving very mixed reviews from the blogosphere, Deicide's tenth studio album "To Hell With God" is, in my books, an instant death metal classic, and one of the few albums from the genre with potential to appeal to people outside the genre who don't spend their every breathing moment getting pummelled by double pedal blastbeats within their headphones. Much of the hate for Deicide and their approach to death metal in 2011 stems from their adoption of a modern sound with tight riffage and clear-cut production that supposedly diminishes the value of death metal in the ears of the elitists, as well as from vocalist Benton's admittedly cliché-riddled anti-religion rhetoric album in album out.

But fuck those people.

"To Hell With God" unleashes a wealth of insane death metal riffs, both serpentine and otherwise, that lash onto the listener's memory through catchy grooves and a relentlessly pummeling rhythm section. The songs are spiced up by tasty solos, which are by no means classic, but yet they add a degree of technicality to the songs further improving the quality of songwriting evident throughout the record. As one commenter put it, "the composition is simply excellent", as Jack Owen and Ralph Santolla take the listener through the ABCs of standard death metal without forgetting how to elevate the musical offering a hell of a lot above your average search-and-destroy approach to the genre. The quality of the riff throughout the ten tracks is undeniable, ranging from the lightning fast piercing riffs to the thick and medium tempo crush-fests, always remembering to add a groove or a hook to stand out.

But above all one has to give credit to drummer Steve Asheim whose work throughout the record is nothing short of incredible. Not only does he showcase an uncanny ability to add varied texture to his delivery, but the rhythms are unique, often delivered at jaw-dropping speeds (see the opener and title track "To Hell With God" for a great example) compared to the sheer technicality within. The patterns are breathtaking in places, showcasing just how the interplay between solid riffs and amazing drumming results into superb instrumental landscape.

Then there's the lyricism, delivered through Benton's thick, overwhelming growl. People will tell you it is cliché and boring to always circle around the same satanic topics, but I'll readily admit to getting some kind of sick twisted pleasure from listening to his fiercely anti-Christian/religious rhetoric in a bus full of devout muslims & Christians between Damascus, Syria and Beirut, Lebanon during my recent travels to the region. Songs like "Empowered By Blasphemy", "Angels Of Hell" and "Hang In Agony Until You're Dead" all feature sickeningly brutal vocal lines, but yet contain an element of catchy within, the key element why I think this Deicide album sounds so good. Lets just say it this way: it's one of the few death metal albums I've opted to listen to voluntarily for prolonged periods of time. A must own album in the genre.

Download: To Hell With God, Empowered By Blasphemy, Save Your
For the fans of: Hate Eternal, Vital Remains, Obituary, Order Of Ennead
Listen: Myspace

Release date 15.02.2011
Century Media

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