Artist: Deicide
Label: Earache Records
Release Date: 2/24/04
|
|
Title: Scars of the Crucifix Artist: Deicide Label: Earache Records Release Date: 2/24/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
3 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
5 | ||
|
| |||
Abyss's Review:
It seems that Glen Benton's work on Vital Remains' impressive Dechristianize has revitalized him to some extent. The Deicide frontman received his best reviews in years due to that album, and it appears he's hoping the momentum will carry over to his main band. It isn't long after the listener initially presses play that he/she realizes that Glen seems dead-set on expanding his vocal range. Now, I don't want you to get crazy, thinking there are any clean or soulful passages on this album, but the vocals do go beyond the garden variety burp'n growl that these guys are known for. In fact, Mr. Benton's vocal delivery is often a frantic and desperate animal that's pretty damn cool, screaming and screeching with a newfound youth.
"One word review: Great." Of course, Deicide (like most well-established acts) have been accused by critics of stagnating and having their best years far behind them, and it would be hard for me to completely disagree with many of those statements. But I really thought that their last album, In Torment In Hell, was their best since the mid-nineties, and while I like seeing this band break their mould a bit, I must admit this album as a whole is less impressive than their last. It's solid, no doubt, but the songwriting doesn't really stand apart. In fact, the most memorable part of the album is a sample which I believe is supposed to be some sort of Satanic chant, but sounds more like Adam Sandler spouting gibberish at the dinner table in that scene from Billy Madison.
For all of the interesting turns the vocals are doing, the guitars are generally the same as they've been. In this regard, this band has expanded their sound, but only by so much. The songs are still brief (as is the album), centering on (usually) one good riff and never really exploring beyond that. It is this timidness that really holds the band back, like they are ready to try something different, but are afraid of what their core fan base will think.
But remember that all of this criticism is through the jaded eye of a long time metal fan that puts a bigger onus on well-established acts. All in all, this is a really good album that has a nice guitar sound and does a good job of satiating the death metal jones. One word review: Great.
Death's Review:
Earache is going all-out for the release of Deicide's first album for the label, Scars of the Crucifix. And why wouldn't they? Deicide is one of the best-selling death metal artists of all-time and a pioneer of the genre. So the label gets an established, veteran act, and the band gets a fresh start. Neither side is letting this opportunity go to waste. Earache is upholding their end of the bargain by hooking fans up with a bonus 35-minute "making-of" DVD entitled "Behind the Scars," 8 colors of 115-gram vinyl, U.S.-only slipcase and UK/European-only deluxe digipack editions, and a cool "find the hidden metallic Deicide pick" contest (reminds me of Willy Wonka and the "golden ticket") where you can win a Deicide B.C. Rich guitar. All very cool stuff.
"Scars of the Crucifix is a solid new death metal release." Deicide delivers too. Long-time fans will find the band mining familiar territory yet doing so with a reinvigorated sense of purpose that was missing in recent years. I love the mixing of the dual high/low, scream/growl vocals lines, giving life to the demonic essence Deicide is famous for. The riffs are interesting enough, the songwriting is decent, and the themes are as blasphemous as you expect from Glenn Benton and Co. The production is reasonably well done too. Personally, I prefer Benton's work on the last Vital Remains record, but all in all, Scars of the Crucifix is a solid new death metal release.
Hel's Review:
It is rare that I put in a new release from a familiar band and find myself surprised by what I hear, yet this is exactly what occurred with Scars of the Crucifix. I was genuinely surprised in the first moments of the opening track, and my eyebrows remained raised throughout. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is no drastic departure from the usual Decide style, but at the same time it is a fresher, more vibrant, version of what we have come to expect.
"There is a pervasive feeling of renewed damnation and while the blasphemous themes remain intact, they hold a fresh feeling of eternal torment that has been lacking of late." There is really one single thing that I can point to as the cause. I’ve decided to call it “death metal counterpoint” – a second, higher pitched, vocal line weaves throughout (unlike the isolated instances found in the past) the songs and manages to enhance them in a way that increases my enjoyment of the album overall. How they will pull this off live, I have no idea, but I hope that they find a way, as this is one of the primary reasons I think this record is an improvement over their last few.
There is a pervasive feeling of renewed damnation and while the blasphemous themes remain intact, they hold a fresh feeling of eternal torment that has been lacking of late. Another of the outstanding features of this record is the excellent production, which is clear and well balanced.
The departure from the largely monotonous vocal lines of the past, and the vibrancy of the album’s tone make this one of the best Deicide albums to come out in recent memory. If you’ve become disgruntled with Deicide of late, check this one out – you may be pleasantly surprised. I certainly was.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.