Deicide - 'To Hell With God'

More of the same bludgeoning Satanic death metal.

God blasphemers Deicide are still one of the sickest death metal bands around. Glen Benton's evil presence alone is enough to scare anybody, yet alone feeble-minded Jehovah's Witnesses that might come knocking on his door. On their tenth release To Hell With God, the Floridians do what they do best; create castrating metal with lyrics that blatantly slander Christianity.

As with all Deicide releases, Benton's bass lines are barely audible. His trademark growling voice is still in command though, as he spits out his venomous lyrics with ease. But the pummeling execution of drummer Steve Asheim and the devastating guitar work of Jack Owen and Ralph Santolla make the gears turn for Deicide's brutish metal. Maybe Deicide's music was getting a little monotonous and predictable, but on To Hell With God, they prove they can still do what they do ferociously well.

The title track starts off in familiar territory; brutal double bass, razor sharp riffs, a blistering pace and Benton's vomitous vocals. The guitar leads flow nicely and give the song some melody. "Save Your," with its clever title, is a non-stop blasting affair. The blast beats are furious while accompanied by some start-and-stop tempo changes. "Witness of Death" has an early-era Deicide feel to it, although they will probably never charter into Amon territory at this stage of their careers, it’s the closest thing they have come to it in awhile.

"Angels of Hell" starts off with a classic guitar riff and lead, turning into a mid-pace riff machine before picking up the pace in the middle of the song. "Hang in Agony Until You're Dead" boasts a short but sweet sweeping arpeggio guitar solo. For the most part, all of Owen’s and Santolla’s solos are interesting and a little more well thought out than when the Hoffman Bros. were in the band, which gives the music a bit more melody.

All the songs on To Hell With God are pretty much in the same Deicide vein, although, there’s a little bit more melody and cohesiveness to their sound. It's still definitive Deicide through and through. If you're a fan of Deicide or death metal in general, then To Hell With God is a winner.

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