It has been one hell of a year for extreme music, with band after band unleashing absolute killers. Already, the year has seen top-notch release from Job For A Cowboy, Ingested, and Aborted, and now it’s Deicide’s turn to step up to the plate with Banished By Sin. The band’s 13th effort, and their first in six years, it also marks Taylor Nordberg’s studio debut, and the results are typically devastating, the band having focused on delivering a varied, dynamic set, without straying too far from the brutal template they laid down with their self-titled debut.
Whatever other virtues Deicide may lack, confidence is not among them, and they kick the album into gear with the dizzying horror of From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall, which opens on a mid-tempo chug underpinned by Steve Asheim’s monstrous percussion, before picking up the pace as Kevin Quirion and Taylor trade razor-edged riffs. At the heart of it all lies Glenn Benton’s stout bark, a monolithic roar that manages to convey a range of dark emotions ranging from misanthropic hatred to anti-religious rage, despite remaining more-or-less monotone throughout. With some brilliantly understated lead allowing a touch of melody to pierce the gloom, it’s not so much an opening song as it is a mission statement, and it’ll leave fans breathless. Steadfastly refusing to lean on their laurels, Doomed To Die opens with some blistering lead, and only gets harder and faster from there. The band clearly gelled brilliantly in the studio, with Taylor slotting in like he’s always been there, and that impression remains as the band deliver the devastatingly precise Sever The Tongue, a death metal maelstrom that is not only musically brilliant, but also possessed of one of the most sinister two-part vocals in death metal’s storied canon. However, Deicide were never merely about brutality, and with the band having promised considerable dynamic on this record, both in production and songcraft, they do not disappoint. As such, while Faithless may career recklessly towards the listener, eyes filled with malevolent intent, its introductory passages offer a moment of prog-infused calm, which only serves to make the rest of the track all the more tumultuous. Up next, the band simply leap at the listener, unleashing a torrent of hate-filled, hyperspeed riffs on the none-more-Deicide-titled Bury The Cross… With Your Christ – a track elevated by the split vocals and squally solos. The first half of the album concludes with Woke From God, a track that neatly combines death metal spirit with breath-taking virtuosity from the band.
Kicking off side two, Ritual Defied has a sweet stair-stepping riff that gives way to a seriously heavy groove. It’s a hell of scene setter and it’s followed by Failure Of Your Dying Lord, a track delivered with such unholy speed that it leaves your senses reeling, as do the harmonised solos that manage to achieve a state of grace amidst all the sturm und drang. It’s easy to see why they made the dark groove of Banished By Sin the title track. With searing leads and layered vocals, this mid-tempo stomp is Deicide in excelcis. Opting for an airier sound, the treble-heavy tones of A Trinity Of None neatly showcase Deicide’s ability to inject plenty of dynamic, without sacrificing the intensity. It’s followed by the stabbing nightmare of I Am… A Curse Of Death, which simply assaults the listener from the machine gun riffs that open it, to its equally frantic conclusion. With the listener lying battered on the floor, the band administer one last kicking with The Light Defeated – a devilishly fast finale that sees the band maintain the ridiculous level of intensity established on the opening track right to the bitter end.
Thirteen albums and some thirty-five years into their career, Deicide have firmly established their sound and listeners really should know what to expect. That said, the band have refined and honed their sound to the sharpest point imaginable, and Banished By Sin is a masterclass in both extremity and fine musicianship. While Glen Benton may continue to delight in pushing buttons, it’s the music that is to the fore of everything he does and this album is no exception. Put simply, if you love death metal, you will love this – Banished By Sin is monumental in every sense of the word. 9/10
