Review Summary: ‘To Hell With God’ ultimately succeeds because it is able to inject a sense of song writing diversity with enough subtlety so as to preserve the signature Deicide violence.
After a stunning return to form with 2006‘s ‘The Stench Of Redemption‘, it looked as though the injection of fresh blood into the band had brought to Deicide a new sense of dynamics and song smithery which made them an exciting force in the death metal scene once more. Although the largely panned follow up ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ threatened another dip in quality with a collection of rather insipid material, ‘To Hell With God’ has done much to remedy this and cement Deicides relevance in an ever flourishing death metal scene.
The primary attribute that makes this release such an stimulating listen is the variety displayed within the songs. Although, as the opening title track makes apparent, this is still very such a Deicide record, as a barrage of tremolo picked riffs and intense blast beats greets us. Yet, the clear focus on dynamics throughout the album gives the release on a whole a fresh, invigorated atmosphere, as the gargantuan grooves replete in songs such as ‘Angels Of Hell’ and ‘Into The Darkness You Go’ prove that the band have more weapons in their arsenal that mere velocity and a constant assault.
Coupled with this are the greatly rejuvenated vocals of Glen Benton. Previously relying for the most part on a consistently low, guttural roar, Benton’s voice, although remaining in a similar vein, have lost some of the redundant low register, and in such cuts as the furious ‘Save Your’ gain a clearer, raspier quality as he spits his lyrics with a new found sincerity and conviction, only making for a more stirring experience to listen to.
As before, the musicianship is absolutely stellar. The drum work of Steve Asheim continues to show why he is considered one of the ultimate death metal talents as he attacks his kit with dexterity, inventiveness and aggression, and the guitar leads of Ralph Santolla and Jack Owen retain a melodious slant whilst also being fiercely technical and rapid.
‘To Hell With God’ ultimately succeeds because it is able to inject a sense of song writing diversity with enough subtlety so as to preserve the signature Deicide violence. With a line-up more than capable of bringing fresh ideas to the table, there seems to be no reason why the death metal veterans cannot continue establishing themselves as a enduring creative force.
