Deicide (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Deicide | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Florida, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Death metal | |
| Years active | 1987 - present | |
| Label(s) | Roadrunner Records Earache Records |
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| Website | deicide.com | |
| Members | ||
| Glen Benton Ralph Santolla Jack Owen Steve Asheim |
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| Former members | ||
| Brian Hoffman Eric Hoffman Dave Suzuki |
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Deicide is an American Death metal band. The word "deicide" means "the killing of deities" or, in the Christian era "the killing of God or Jesus Christ". The word can also mean "one who kills God", a moniker perhaps rather fitting.
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[edit] History
Deicide was formed in Tampa, Florida in 1987, first playing under the name Carnage. After Glen Benton joined the name was changed to Amon. During this time they released two demos: Feasting the Beast (1987) and Sacrificial (1989). In 1989 the band's name was changed to Deicide by force of Roadrunner Records, as Amon was the name of the house in the King Diamond album "Them". Deicide then released their self-titled debut album in 1990.
The band's original lineup consisted of Glen Benton on bass and vocals, brothers Eric and Brian Hoffman on guitars, and Steve Asheim on drums. Both Eric and Brian tended to play complex solos at fast speeds and with overlapping riffs, which gave Deicide the definitive heavy sound and complex song structures. This lineup remained intact until November 25, 2004 when the Hoffman brothers departed the band due to disputes with Benton and Asheim over several issues, notably royalties. The guitar roles were then filled by ex-Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen, and Vital Remains guitarist Dave Suzuki. Following the tour, Suzuki was replaced by Ralph Santolla, formerly of Death, Iced Earth and Sebastian Bach. Santolla stated he is a Catholic and this has received a small amount of shock and ridicule from some metal fans. In spite of this, Deicide's The Stench of Redemption album received rave reviews, and is one of their biggest sellers yet.
[edit] Members
- Glen Benton - Vocals and bass
- Steve Asheim - Drums
- Jack Owen - Guitar (since 2004)
- Ralph Santolla - Guitar (since 2005)
[edit] Former members
- Brian Hoffman - Guitar (1987-2004)
- Eric Hoffman - Guitar (1987-2004)
- Dave Suzuki - Guitar (2004-2005)
[edit] Discography
- Deicide (1990)
- Legion (1992)
- Amon, Feasting the Beast (1993)
- Once upon the Cross (1995)
- Serpents of the Light (1997)
- Deicide: Remastered (1998)
- When Satan Lives (1998, live album recorded at the House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois)
- Insineratehymn (2000)
- In Torment in Hell (2001)
- The Best of Deicide (2003)
- Scars of the Crucifix (2004)
- The Stench of Redemption (2006)
- Doomsday L.A Live - E.P (2006)
[edit] Billboard charts
- 1992 Legion Heatseekers 16
- 1995 Once Upon the Cross Heatseekers 22
- 1997 Serpents of the Light Heatseekers 17
- 2004 Scars of the Crucifix Top Heatseekers 24
- 2004 Scars of the Crucifix Top Independent Albums 18
- 2006 The Stench Of Redemption Top Heatseekers 11
- 2006 The Stench Of Redemption Top Independent Albums 21
- 2006 The Stench Of Redemption Top Internet Albums 205
[edit] Controversy
As might be expected for such a blatantly anti-Christian band Deicide has been plagued by controversy relating to their heavily antagonistic lyrics. This was only reinforced by such "stunts" as frontman Glen Benton branding an inverted cross into his forehead.
Deicide have been banned from playing in many venues (such as Valparaiso, Chile over a promotional poster featuring Jesus Christ with a bullet hole in his forehead [1]) and with various festivals such as the ironically named Hellfest, after several graves had been spray-painted with "When Satan Rules His World", which is a song from Deicide's 1995 album, Once Upon the Cross. - Most recently, their music video for "Homage for Satan", which features blood-splattered zombies on a rampaging mission to capture a priest, was banned from UK music TV channel Scuzz. [2]
During the early 1990s in Scandinavia, black metal was wreaking havoc all over Norway, and it was well documented that the black metallers disliked American death metal intensely (despite a few members of the inner circle enjoying acts such as Morbid Angel). In the early 1990s, Deicide was on tour in Europe with Gorefest, a Dutch death metal band. In Stockholm, and after the first band performed, a bomb was detonated in the club they were playing in. Many people blamed animal rights activists who were angered at Deicide's lyrical themes of animal sacrifice, but Glen Benton blamed the incident on the fanatical black metal fans.[citation needed]
