Sometimes there’s no more sobering indicator of the passage of time than realising how much has drifted by between album releases. It doesn’t seem too long ago that I was first spinning In the Minds of Evil upon release, but it will be five years (give or take a few months) by the time Overtures of Blasphemy hits the shelves. Jack Owen has since departed, but Deicide have been no strangers to a line up shuffle in the guitarist department after the departure of the Hoffman brothers in 2004, so despite new guitarist Mark English cutting his teeth on this record, it’s business as usual for Glen Benton and co.
One of the things I’ve always liked about Deicide is how focussed and concise their song writing is. Even if the quality may vary from album to album, their songs have always been blunt and to the point. No self-indulgence, no bullshit, just pure death metal filtered through the Deicide lens. It’s what they do and it’s what they’re good at, detractors be damned. It’d be doing them a disservice to say all their albums follow the same pattern, but it is the case that you generally know what you’re getting with Deicide, with each record having their own little tweaks and nuances to give it individuality. Overtures of Blasphemy continues in this vein. In a recent interview, Benton spoke of wanting to write catchy songs, and whilst this sort of language may raise red flags with some, it is again a quality that Deicide have always had, and something that is apparent on this record.
“One with Satan” rips through the opening two and a half minutes of the album, serving as standard Deicide fare to bed the listener in. The next few tracks show that Benton’s words weren’t empty sentiments, although initially you wouldn’t think it with the way “Crawled from the Shadows” blasts out of the gates. The song then settles into a nice rhythm, with some well-crafted riffs and vocal lines. “Seal the Tomb Below” has an immense, thrashing chug that should give the neck muscles a good workout, with some dissonant leads to help create a cryptic aura. “Compliments of Christ” follows and has probably the best riffing on the album. The way the tail of the riff uncoils from the tight triplets beforehand is wonderful, and the song has been replaying in my mind from the moment I heard it. You wanted catchy Mr Benton, and you sure as hell got it with this one. “Anointed in Blood” is another highly memorable number, with more discordant guitar harmonies and a tremolo fuelled staccato groove to the chorus.
Most of the other songs do not live up to the standards the aforementioned ones set, but they’re all pretty good in their own right. I do think the band sounds quite reserved on one or two occasions, but after 30 plus years in the business, it can be difficult to maintain a youthful vigour, especially in a genre as intense as this. Out of the twelve songs, “Defying the Sacred” is the only track that feels overlong, again a testament to Deicide’s ability to write sharp, snappy material. Most of the stronger stuff lies on the first half of the record, but there is a late rallying cry in the form of “Flesh, Power, Dominion” and “Destined to Blasphemy”. The former has some nice, jagged riffing and an absolute beaut of a riff around a minute in, whilst the latter’s lurching opening paves the way for a full throttle aural assault. The production and mix is well rounded, with a clear, defined guitar tone giving the riffs plenty of clout; ably supported by Benton’s bass lines trundling along underneath. The frontman’s grunts still sound fresh – but not quite as ferocious – as ever, with the lengthy break between records perhaps helping with the preservation of his vocal cords. Steve Asheim’s lively drums have plenty of presence, although the kick drum sound does veer dangerously close to typewriter territory.
It’s good to have Deicide back after their five year absence. The time out has not dulled their creative edge, as they have churned out another succinct, highly listenable record. There’s loads of great riffs and splendid lead work throughout, all tied up in an energetic little package that races through twelve tracks in less than 40 minutes. For many, the enduring memory of Deicide will be the first few records, but the more dedicated fans will know that they have been an awesome creative force for much of their career. Overtures of Blasphemy is proof of this. Mark it down as another win for death metal in 2018.
Highlights: “Crawled from the Shadows”, “Compliments of Christ”, “Anointed in Blood”
Find out more on Deicide here:
Overtures of Blasphemy is available on September 14th via Century Media Records, and can be purchased here.
