''Deicide'' is the debut album by American death metal band

Deicide Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected. Etymology The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from m ...

. It was released on June 25, 1990, by Roadrunner Records. The album contains all of their demo tracks, plus the songs "Deicide" and "Mephistopheles".

Background

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 James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

respectively, and "Dead by Dawn" deals with the plot of the 1981 horror film, '' 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. ''Deicide'' is sometimes considered to be the bestselling death metal album of all time.Puzak, Chris
Blogcritics Music: Cannibal Corpse is top-selling death metal band
Nielsen SoundScan lists it second after

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considered ...

's ''

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

'' up until 2003; however, ''Deicide'' was released before SoundScan went into effect, so the SoundScan figure lacks pre-Soundscan sales.

Glen Benton Glen Benton (born June 18, 1967) is an American death metal musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide and was also a part of the band Vital Remains, where he has performed in recording sessions a ...

has stated that no effects were used on his vocals while recording the album, though several songs do contain a pitch-shifted vocal effect. The album was recorded at Morrisound Studios in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, where Deicide would record most of their subsequent works.

Critical reception

Bradley Torreano from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

said, "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."Torreano, Bradley. "Deicide - Deicide"

. 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

Personnel

– vocals, bass *Eric Hoffman – guitars *Brian Hoffman – guitars * Steve Asheim – drums *Deicide – production * Scott Burns – production

References

{{Authority control 1990 debut albums Deicide (band) albums Roadrunner Records albums Albums produced by Scott Burns (record producer) Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording