The post Hoffman brothers era of Deicide has been an up and down affair. From the excellent (but divisive to some), more melodic Ralph Santolla led release The Stench of Redemption, to the crap fest of ‘Til Death Do Us Part, the blistering To Hell With God, then back to crap again with In The Minds Of Evil. Well I’m happy to report that album number 12 is in the ‘up’ category.

With Glen Benton still in top, Christ hating, bellowing form, Steve Asheim still a force behind the kit, they are infused with energy in the form of Kevin Quiron (Council of the Fallen, Order of Ennead), who now on his second album and out of Jack Owen’s considerable shadow has really fleshed out his leads and song writing contribution, as well as Monstrosity’s Mark English, (even though he joined after everything was written he contributes to the leads and solos) and the combo of old (and haggard as fuck) and new blood has resulted in a lethal, balanced combination and Deicide’s best release in quite some time.

The sticking point for some however, will be the Jason Suecof production. Though he produced the last effort, here, the tone is ultra crisp, crystal clear and almost thrash metal like in its clarity. To some, it will lack bite and a ‘nasty’ edge, befitting the God loathing subject matter, but personally, I like the clearer tone as it allows English’s riffs and Quiron’s leads to really breathe.

Song wise, the 12 track, 37 minute album is what you’d expect from Deicide, with no deviation from the recipe that made them death metal royalty. Quiron adds some subtle melody, but this is still Christ hating, brimstone spewing Floridan death metal, with equal parts razor sharp blast beats, technicality and pummeling mid paced riffs.  Raging opener “One with Satan” is what can only be termed a by the numbers, classic, standard Deicide track, signalling the band’s lack of compromise right from the get go. Then, you get “Crawled From the Shadows”, arguably the best track  Benton/Deicide has penned in quite some time, and I’m guessing there’s some residual Santolla (RIP) influence on this one.

There is then two paced numbers in”Seal the Tomb Below”, another instantly  recognizable Deicide number, with a steady main riff that would be right at home on the band’s first two seminal record and unspectacular but meaty “Complements of Christ” . “All That is Evil”, is another fine track mixing both burly stomp and more melodic solo filled blasts. First single, “Excommunicated” returns to the old school furor of the opener, and a fitting anthem for the current state of affairs in the catholic Church.

Admittedly, the album’s second half is essentially more of the same, but you don’t listen to Deicide for experimentation, snappy time changes or progressive elements- you want your face scorched off by the infernal fires of hell, and the likes of “Crucified Soul of Salvation”, “Flesh, Power, Dominion” and sudden album ending closer “Destined to Blasphemy” do the expected face scorching with typical Deicide aplomb.

It’s satisfying to see old dogs like Deicide, Internal Bleeding with upcoming Corrupting Influence and reborn  Monstrosity, with The Passage of Existence, overcome actual death and still release quality, top notch death metal albums almost 30 years after birthing the scene and sound they essentially still influence to this day.

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