Controversial Metal Opinions

[Maggot Colony]

You forgot to mention Chuck's lyrics on Spiritual Healing where he successfully channelled his 12-year old self to produce nuggets of pure gold like "Where crime is the only way to survive, Which is the best to be, dead or alive?".

[Ducky]

At least Schuldiner evolved as a lyricist over the course of his career.

Benton's bolloxolgy has been the same for almost four decades, and he may as well be singing about Santa Clause.

[astfgyl]

At least Schuldiner evolved as a lyricist over the course of his career.

Benton's bolloxolgy has been the same for almost four decades, and he may as well be singing about Santa Clause.

The first Deicide album is right up there but Death definitely have the better discography. I rate Serpents of the Light very highly as well though but everything you say about the lyrics is true

[Ducky]

I think Once Upon the Cross, Serpents, and Stench are their three best (and fuck it, Scars of the Crucifix is decent as well), but man oh man, hearing Benton bleat on about Jesus for almost four decades is toe-curlingly embarrassing.

His band are the cliché that a lot of people who know squat about death metal misrepresent it to be.

[Circlepit]

I think Once Upon the Cross, Serpents, and Stench are their three best (and fuck it, Scars of the Crucifix is decent as well), but man oh man, hearing Benton bleat on about Jesus for almost four decades is toe-curlingly embarrassing.

His band are the cliché that a lot of people who know squat about death metal misrepresent it to be.

Shots fired. This is like a death metal 9/11.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

I used to think the same about the kicking of the proverbial dead ass in Deicide's lyrics but, if anything, seeing more and more just how present dogmatic evangelical christianity still is in the US has made me more sympathetic to it   

[astfgyl]

Ah I dunno I suppose the satanic stuff has more in common with Stryper than they realise as well in terms of dedication. Akercocke would be a good example of evolving out of it lyrically over the years where I guess Deicide really never did. Covenant being my favourite MA album is probably more controversial than anything I'd say about Deicide even though I think Stench isn't good the way everyone else does

[Sworntothecans]

I used to think the same about the kicking of the proverbial dead ass in Deicide's lyrics but, if anything, seeing more and more just how present dogmatic evangelical christianity still is in the US has made me more sympathetic to it   

Glen & Steve are running out of ideas. They did have a bit of creativity back in the day but some of the lyrics of the last few years have been corny as fuck.

[Ducky]

Ah I dunno I suppose the satanic stuff has more in common with Stryper than they realise as well in terms of dedication.

Right on the money. How's what he got branded on his forehead any different than a devout religious warp-o?

[Bürggermeister]

I thought it was obvious Glenn is playing a character and the Stryper guy actually believes the shite coming out of his mouth?

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

With a name like Deicide they did actually have more leeway for opening up thematically. On the flipside, Rotting Christ is a much more limiting name, to an extent that they prob should have relaunched under a new moniker a long time ago given where they moved onto in their lyrics. Ditto Septic Flesh tbh. Those fuckin' Greeks huh!

[Eoin McLove]

A band name is a flexible thing.

[Maggot Colony]

Benton went into autopilot regurgitating the same waffle in later albums, but the earlier Deicide lyrics were creative regardless what you think of the subject matter.

Glen Benton and Karl Sanders must be sick to fuck of writing about Satan and Egypt! I mocked some of Schuldiner's lyrics on Spiritual Healing, but he wasn't afraid to tackle new topics unlike Benton who has found himself trapped in a corner. 

[Bürggermeister]

I see what you did there.

[Eoin McLove]

I think it's time to defend Benton here a bit. He sounded rabid and obsessed in the early days. To dismiss Deicide as merely being Slayer rip offs is inaccurate, although that influence is there. They had their own style of playing with the Slayer influence present and correct as a building block, but they also had their own way of crafting songs that emitted their own violent, monomaniacal dark power. It might be easy to dismiss the lyrics in 2024 but in the early-mid 90s and before that, those words were extreme. And they were backed up by serious music by, for all we knew, lunatics (of God's creation). When Benton burnt an upside down cross into his forehead back then it was truly a frightening statement. Times were simpler back then, we were all younger and more impressionable. The endless boring cynicism of older age mixed with internet irony hadn't killed the magic and mystery, so we saw a lunatic who fronted one of metal's most extreme and frightening bands acting out his vengeance on religion through self-harm. It was absolutely impressive. So to all the dismissals above I say no. Deicide were an essential band in their day and their classics hold up. That's my completely uncontroversial response