As most of you will of heard by now, Deicide are back! With a new line up, no less, following the departure of the Hoffman Brothers (sacked or quit depending which story you read!). In their place come Ralph Santolla (Iced Earth/Death), who for me was a surprising choice, as he normally plays in more melodic metal bands, and Jack Owens (Cannibal Corpse), who isn't a major surprise to be honest.

Have to say, I've not enjoyed a Deicide cd in full since Once Upon The Cross (still my favourite), they've been consistently good live, but their albums have had some good tracks on them, but as a whole have generally left me bored!!! So, I was interested to hear how the new line up would sound.

Well, the 1st thing that struck me from the off, was the sheer power they've found! The last few albums have, for me, had horribly thin, weightless productions, particularly Serpents of the Light, which was like an angry bee buzzing in the speaker!!! No worries here, Deicide have injected a lot more weight into the drums and guitars especially, without sacrificing the speed or the bite that they are known for. The guitars in particular have a lot more crunch and bludgeon to them, no surprises really, when you consider Jack Owen is the master of this kind of guitar sound.

This album is instantly 100% Deicide, but better, more focussed than we've heard for years! The Hoffman's leaving obviously lit a fire under them, and left them with a point to prove. And they've done it well. One thing that does stand out on this release are the amazing solo's, the Hoffmans weren't exactly shit in that department, but Ralph Santolla plays solos that actually complement the songs, rather than show off finger dexterity. His solos are extremely melodic in places, but this adds to the overall attack, as it brings home the more brutal nature of the songs.

Lyrically, it's what we've come to expect from Glen Benton, loads of christian baiting, with titles like Death To Jesus and Homage For Satan, you can guess what's he's growling about!

In all they've pulled out their most consistent album since Once Upon The Cross, and have given themselves a fantastic platform for the next phase of their career. This album was written by Glen Benton and Steve Asheim, so it'll be interesting to hear what they produce next as a group. Overall, if you like Deicide you'll love this, it may even see them pick up some newer fans along the way too.

****

Review by Dom