Deicide - To Hell With God (2011)

Death Metal…Satan…Glen Benton. For over 20 years these words have been synonym with one name, Deicide. One of the earlier and more brutal bands in the scene, either because of their relentless music or their horrific imagery and lyrics, Deicide always punished believers and non-believers alike with their extreme music. But now on the 21st century do they keep on doing the satanic punishment they’ve been excelling at for so long? [1]

We are all well aware of Glen Benton and his forehead. The dude really, really hates jesus, and this hatred has been consistently vitriolic since the formation of Amon in the late '80s. So, here we have the infamous Deicide’s tenth full-length, To Hell With God. Clearly, the song remains the same. My point is, so fucking what? Do people honestly expect Glen Benton to write anything other than blasphemy? When I want to listen to Deicide, it’s generally because I’m pissed off and I want to hear some hateful, hostile, and aggressive fucking metal. Yes, Deicide have become a workman-like metal band, releasing an album every couple of years and touring small clubs and bars. Glen Benton and Steve Asheim have made Deicide into a career. I think it’s safe to say that many of the readers and contributors here have heavy metal aspirations of some form or another. I know I wouldn’t mind having Glen Benton’s job… [2]

Alright, smoldering inverted crosses aside, let’s talk about something other than the lyrical ideology of this band. Let’s discuss the driving force behind Deicide, the guy that composes the arrangements, writes a good deal of the guitar riffs, and masterfully blasts his way through album after album, Steve Asheim. In 2006, a rejuvenated Deicide treated us to one of the most utterly brutal albums to be released heretofore in the form of The Stench of Redemption. The two subsequent releases see to it that the sheer thrashing power and speed of the music are maintained. To Hell With God blasts your ass from the get go starting with the blinding speed metal assault of the title track. Fuck, man, Asheim gets straight to the point with bpms surely approaching 240 and beyond. Locked in to a blistering 32nd note template, this metal madman behind the drums is an A+ student of the Lombardo school of death metal. Asheim is relentless from start to finish whether he is blasting, double bassing, thrashing the polka or “Slayer” beat, or flying across his rack toms with expert fills. [2]

The intensity of the music is on par with Stench with a slightly dryer production. Benton spews forth mouthfuls of hatred and the standard issue blasphemy over the musicians’ blasting and tremolo-ing. The modern Deicide-machine is fast and efficient, fueled by the mighty chops of Steve Asheim, and I daresay even a bit lighthearted, doing their jobs with care and enjoyment. The departure of the Hoffmans was absolutely necessary for this efficiency to come to the fore, as Deicide’s dismal 2000-2004 period showed blatant stagnancy within the band. Enter the shred of Santolla/Owen and we get a refreshed and enthusiastic death metal super-group. [2]

The album opens up with the title track, bringing a barrage of blast beats immediately followed by the guitars and Glen’s vocals. Now the first thing you’ll notice is that Glen sounds pissed off. I mean really pissed off, to the point where I can state that his vocals are in league with some of Deicide’s better works. The song features some changes in pace, slowing down a bit here, going into overdrive speed there, and always giving you the feeling that you’re being utterly punished for something you shouldn’t have done. This track is punishing despite not being the most brutal track here, and it certainly gives you a preview of what’s ahead. [1]

The second track “Save Your” takes the brutality to a whole new level with an infuriated and exemplar execution by Steve Asheim on the drum department. This track has a Legion-like feel, something that is heard again on tracks like “Angels Of Hell” and “Hang In Agony Until You're Dead”, with their complex song structures and abrupt tempo changes. Some parts are played at hyper-speed, especially on “Angels Of Hell”, with the tempo of the songs feeling like a roller coaster through the pits of hell! [1]

With each track that passes you feel more and more convinced that Deicide put some serious work on this. In fact there are hardly any weak tracks in this record, as the album is really consistent and extremely well executed. There are some catchy chorus on some songs, and by catchy I mean those that if you scream near a church it will start burning spontaneously. Just hear the chorus on “Conviction” with its brutal rhythm section, the riot screaming on “Servant Of The Enemy” spitting forth “DIE! DIE! DIE!” and the unrelenting chorus of the closer “How Can You Call Yourself A God”, which sounds as if Glen is defying God himself for a one-on-one fight. Definitely one of the best tracks, but it could be even better if it didn’t suffer from the “Santola Syndrome”. [1]

I care to explain. Ralph Santola is an amazing guitarist, a brilliant shredder, a guy that can play anything he wants. And for the most of the album he delivers with great prowess. But at some points he just indulges too much in his neo-classical shredding. Not that I don’t like it, the guy absolutely rules at that, but I feel like it detracts a bit from the evil sound that the album tries to achieve. The album does a good job of capturing that evil atmosphere but you can’t deny that tracks like “Save Your”, “Servant Of The Enemy”, but especially the closer, suffer a bit from his overuse of melody. [1]

To Hell With God is brutal death metal. No frills, just extreme metal played at extreme speeds. Glen Benton does what he does, his voice filled with guttural hate, and the lead guitar work of Ralph Santolla is as pristine as the Catholic faith of which he is a member. The soloing on closing track “How Can You Call Yourself a God” is particularly glorious. I saw Deicide on tour for this album, the performance was tight and professional, with Asheim ripping through the set with ease and the Santolla and Owen combo slaying every lead, but Glen’s bass was inaudible. His vocals were spot on though and it was certainly a life check point to have the pleasure of seeing these death metal titans perform live. In summation, if you want to enjoy this record, try to forget about Benton’s persona for a second and experience the brutality of extreme metal master Steve Asheim. [2]

Tracks

1. To Hell With God
2. Save Your
3. Witness of Death
4. Conviction
5. Empowered by Blasphemy
6. Angel of Hell
7. Hang In Agony Until You're Dead
8. Servant of The Enemy
9. Into The Darkness You Go
10. How Can You Call Yourself A God

If you like it, please buy their original CD or Digital Album on official website/store.

Deicide - To Hell With God (2011)


These reviews are written by androdion and hippie_holocaust on Metallum
Reference:
androdion, In League with Satan... Again..., www.metal-archives.com
hippie_holocaust, Steve Asheim: Extreme Metal Monument, www.metal-archives.com