Deicide (album)
Encyclopedia
Deicide is the eponymous debut album by American
death metal
band Deicide
. The album contains all of their demo tracks plus the two songs "Deicide" and "Mephistopheles". While containing mostly satanic or blasphemous lyrical themes, "Lunatic of God's Creation" and "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned" concern Charles Manson
and Jim Jones
respectively, and "Dead by Dawn" deals with the plot of The Evil Dead
.
"Dead by Dawn" was featured in the 2009 video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
on the radio station Liberty City Hardcore.
It is sometimes considered to be the bestselling death metal album of all time. Nielsen Soundscan
lists it second after Morbid Angel
's Covenant
, however Deicide was released before SoundScan went into effect so the SoundScan figure lacks pre-Soundscan sales.
The album was important to the progression of death metal, due to its then-unmatched brutality and the vocal stylings of vocalist/bassist Glen Benton
. His deep, guttural growl was enhanced and manipulated with studio production in certain parts (most prominent in "Dead by Dawn") to make the vocals as harsh and demonic as possible.
The album was recorded at Morrisound Studios
in Tampa, Florida
, where Deicide would record most of their subsequent works.
Niall from The Metal Observer described the song "Dead by Dawn" as "simplistic yet so powerful in its delivery that you can't help but be taken aback by its ferocity."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
. The album contains all of their demo tracks plus the two songs "Deicide" and "Mephistopheles". While containing mostly satanic or blasphemous lyrical themes, "Lunatic of God's Creation" and "Carnage in the Temple of the Damned" concern Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
and Jim Jones
Jim Jones
James Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
respectively, and "Dead by Dawn" deals with the plot of The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
.
"Dead by Dawn" was featured in the 2009 video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned is the first of two episodic expansion packs developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, developed by Rockstar North. It was first released for the Xbox 360 on 17 February 2009 and on PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows...
on the radio station Liberty City Hardcore.
It is sometimes considered to be the bestselling death metal album of all time. Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
lists it second after Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
's Covenant
Covenant (Morbid Angel album)
Covenant is the third official full-length album by Florida based death metal band Morbid Angel. It was released on June 22, 1993. This album represented Morbid Angel's first foray into mainstream metal, through their contract with Giant Records. The music video for "God of Emptiness" was featured...
, however Deicide was released before SoundScan went into effect so the SoundScan figure lacks pre-Soundscan sales.
The album was important to the progression of death metal, due to its then-unmatched brutality and the vocal stylings of vocalist/bassist Glen Benton
Glen Benton
Glen Benton is an American heavy metal musician best known as the vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide, although he prefers not to use the 'death metal' terminology. He is also the studio vocalist for Vital Remains, and has performed live with them on a few occasions...
. His deep, guttural growl was enhanced and manipulated with studio production in certain parts (most prominent in "Dead by Dawn") to make the vocals as harsh and demonic as possible.
The album was recorded at Morrisound Studios
Morrisound Recording
Morrisound Recording is an audio recording facility in Temple Terrace, Florida, owned and operated by brothers Jim and Tom Morris. Since its opening in 1981, Morrisound has been responsible for the popularization of genres such as heavy metal and death metal, but of course caters to every genre of...
in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, where Deicide would record most of their subsequent works.
Reviews
Bradley Torreano from Allmusic said that "with a shockingly tight performance and a handful of evil anthems, Glen Benton and company managed to craft a death metal classic" and that "this album struck a chord that would, for good or bad, instantly inspire legions of like-minded groups. The riffs are actually memorable, with insane blastbeat drums and an uncanny sense of timing guiding the songs as they charge through one by one." He concluded the review saying that Deicide "managed to craft one truly great album in the death metal genre that will survive long after the gimmicks are gone."Niall from The Metal Observer described the song "Dead by Dawn" as "simplistic yet so powerful in its delivery that you can't help but be taken aback by its ferocity."
Track listing
Credits
- Glen BentonGlen BentonGlen Benton is an American heavy metal musician best known as the vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide, although he prefers not to use the 'death metal' terminology. He is also the studio vocalist for Vital Remains, and has performed live with them on a few occasions...
- Bass, Vocals - Brian Hoffman - Guitar
- Eric Hoffman - Guitar
- Steve AsheimSteve AsheimSteve Asheim and is the drummer and primary songwriter for the death metal band Deicide. Asheim is endorsed by Ddrum, and is known to collect guns, which can be seen in Deicide's DVD When London Burns. Asheim also plays guitar which he also played on the album Till Death Do Us Part. On November...
- Drums