Deicide - Till Death Do Us Part

Ah Deicide, a true metal legend. That word can be thrown around a lot these days and have lost its proper meaning, and I will admit I use it a lot for no real reason, but with Deicide it is very apt. Anyone who knows death metal knows about Glen Benton's antics as the cross-branding, Satanic warlord overseeing his band's particular brand of ultra-blasphemous death metal from their awesome beginnings with their self titled debut up to this new disc. Deicide the record was a landmark for ferocity, unbridled religious hatred and birthed a genre star. And yes, they suffered a mid period slump where we began to wonder where the Deicide we all knew and loved had disappeared to. But with the removal of the Hoffman brothers and more than adequate replacement guitarists, Deicide have been reborn. The Stench of Redemption (2006) was one of the most threatening and brutal death metal records I've ever, and I became hooked on it for a number of months. Even now I will still claim Homage for Satan as one of my favourite tracks of that year without a doubt. But to the new record, can the new-look Deicide deliver again or was Stench just a glowing one off? Well the band have not disappointed. Till Death Do Us Part is awesome. Simply awe-inspiring death metal that shows that the masters still can outdo their young pretenders when they put their mind to it. Its as if they thought to themselves, well Stench was good, so lets double it. Its faster, its harder, its devastatingly heavy in parts and yet retains the grace melodic edge that Ralph Santolla's work as guitarist in Iced Earth and others undoubtedly stamped on the previous album. That gave Stench that dash of the unexpected that made it such a modern classic, and here it comes into play once again, Santolla pealing off fluid solos left and right that allows new Deicide not to be the classic blasting machine it always has been but a more measured, complicated animal. The epic, brooding instrumental opener The Beginning of the End is an unexpected highlight, as most intros of such ilk tend to be almost unnecessary, and tracks such as the title track and Horror in the Halls of Stone show that Deicide are as essential now as they were when they first tore Jesus a new one all the way back in 1990.