Thirteenth blasphemy for Deicide.
The first traces of the band date back to 1987, under the name Carnage then Amon, but it wasn’t until 1989 that the current name was adopted. On the eve of its thirty-fifth birthday, the band led by Glen Benton (bass/vocals, ex-Vital Remains), Steve Asheim (drums, Order of Ennead), Kevin Quirion (guitar, I, Enclave, Order of Ennead) and Taylor Nordberg (guitar, Goregäng, Inhuman Condition, Ribspreader…) unveiled Banished by Sin, distributed by Reigning Phoenix Music.
Opening track From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall, is the first wave of Old School aggression, offering a catchy introduction before releasing the reins and letting violence flow at a steady pace. The frontman’s massive growl, complemented by the usual self-possessed backing vocals, is as powerful as ever, as on Doomed to Die, where screaming leads occasionally join the effective rhythmic pattern to give it that lingering infernal touch. The jerky riffs return on Sever The Tongue, a track where bass is particularly prominent, giving for example the break and solo a rather oppressive sound, while it’s with a relatively soothing melody that Faithless hits us, injecting a slightly softer touch to its devastating riffs. The album continues with Bury The Cross…With Your Christ, a track the band had the good taste to unveil on December 25th, and which is sure to please long-time fans with its uncompromising approach, then it’s with cutting guitars that Woke From God takes over, integrating heavy influences while letting the musicians vociferate. The explosive riffs return with Ritual Defied, which couples furious passages with some slower but heavy patterns, but the composition passes quickly enough, giving way to Failures Of Your Dying Lord on which I can already imagine frantically shaking my skull at the band’s next live performances thanks to its solid blast. A few Black Metal influences appear on the scathing Banished By Sin, but it’s really with their pure Death basis that the band make sure we raise our fists, then A Trinity of None speeds off again to pour out their hatred with thick riffs. There’s a catchy change of pace in the middle of the track, before we return to cruising speed, as I Am I…A Curse Of Death delivers another wave of raw, full-throttle rage, before giving way to The Light Defeated, the final track which takes a similar approach with a slightly more pessimistic mood and easy-to-remember choruses.
Deicide returns after six years with twelve new compositions tinged with the hatred and aggression we love. Banished by Sin goes by a little fast, but not without hitting us in the face before ranking alongside the band’s other albums.
85/100
