DEICIDE have paid their dues long ago and have become so (in)famous that their fans will buy anything - even if it’s a subpar release, such as the horrendous Insineratehymn and In Torment in Hell albums. While the band made a huge comeback with The Stench of Redemption, they used up their good riffs on that release and promptly released the weak Till Death Do Us Part album soon thereafter.
Fortunately, To Hell With God is a beast of an album, with tasty riffs that haven’t been seen since the Serpents of the Light disc. The title track surprisingly kicks everything off, and while Glen Benton’s typical barking vocals are still the weakest link, the drums are processed and tight, with guitar riffs that are thick and intense. This type of energy was revamped with The Stench of Redemption but now kicked into high gear with songs like “Save Your” and “Conviction.”
With furious blast beats and double bass in tow, speed and intensity are emphasized heavily throughout the album, and To Hell With God definitely proves naysayers and detractors wrong. Drummer Steve Asheim is the main songwriter now, and he shows that the Hoffman brothers aren’t missed at all. Asheim and Jack Owen have taken it upon themselves to write some old school riffs that DEICIDE fans have missed for so long.
Since the addition of guitarist Ralph Santolla, DEICIDE has incorporated some amazing solos, opposed to the haphazard uninspired SLAYER whammy bar style that the Hoffman brothers favored so much. “Angels of Hell” shows off exactly how Santolla likes to shred, and his style fits DEICIDE much better than it does with OBITUARY. Benton has started a new habit of writing hilarious and long song titles, such as “Hang in Agony Until You’re Dead,” but fortunately, the music is fast, furious, catchy, and diabolical.
With flashbacks of “When Satan Rules His World,” “Into the Darkness You Go” has a similar feel and pushes the intensity to the max. The closer, “How Can You Call Yourself a God” contains one of the most hilarious chorus lines ever written, but you’ll soon find yourself happily singing along to this line.
As always, DEICIDE albums purposely end around 30 minutes so that the listener can press play again. The lyrical content and song titles are unintentionally hilarious, but it’s the music that counts, and To Hell With God is a fantastic album for a band that was thought of already as dead and buried. (Century Media Records)
