In an act of audacious defiance that is sure to ignite controversy, death metal titans DEICIDE have released their provocative new single “Sever The Tongue” today, Ash Wednesday, adding a layer of blasphemy to this day’s observances. This amplifies the band’s notorious reputation for challenging religious conventions, reinforcing their position at the vanguard of the death metal genre.
If the gruesome visuals of “Bury The Cross…With Your Christ” didn’t offend, then lines like this from “Sever The Tongue” certainly will: “Wrath of the holy / God is no more / Satan possess me / No savior reborn / F**k your religion / Sever the tongue.”
Glen Benton, DEICIDE‘s ever-provocative frontman, taunts, “A life undone on the crucifix hung…sever the tongue…”
“Sever The Tongue” is crafted in the infernal workshops of Smoke & Mirrors, showcasing DEICIDE‘s relentless pursuit of extreme musical devastation. The track benefits from the engineering prowess of Jeramie Kling and the adept musicianship of Taylor Nordberg, with the sonic alchemy perfected by the masterful mixing and mastering of Josh Wilbur.
This release not only serves as a harbinger of the darkly anticipated album “Banished By Sin”, set for release on April 26, but also marks the opening of pre-orders for what promises to be a monumental addition to the death metal canon. Fans eager to secure their copy can do so now, ensuring they are among the first to experience DEICIDE‘s latest sacrilegious offering.
In addition to the single, DEICIDE has collaborated with David Brodsky from My Good Eye: Music Visuals for a visually arresting video that complements the track’s blasphemous undertones. With Brodsky at the helm, the video promises to be a cinematic journey through darkness and defiance. Allison Woest returns to produce, alongside a talented team dedicated to bringing the song’s thematic elements to life visually.
“Banished By Sin” looms on the horizon, ready to cement DEICIDE‘s legacy and influence in the death metal scene. The album is a testament to the band’s unwavering commitment to their craft, promising a collection of tracks that are both ferocious and unapologetically blasphemous.
“I’ve been sitting in a dark corner for several years now,” states Benton. “A few things have come into my life that have shaken and changed me. I got inspired writing this new record — it was like flipping a switch. I no longer have the aggravation of other people’s hangups interfering with what I have and want to do. I stopped chasing everybody else’s happiness a long time ago. The guy who started this shit is back! And it’s good to be back!”
“Musically, we’re back to the 1990s style,” Benton says. “There’s modern stuff in there, too. It’s DEICIDE the way it was meant to be. My hooky songs are there, Steve‘s prog-styled songs are there, and we got Kevin‘s theme-styled songs. Having Taylor in the band has impacted DEICIDE greatly. He’s a fantastic songwriter and player. He can do anything. The four of us contributed three songs each. I’m back with the high screaming and layering. I’m just absolutely going off on this one. I’ve been told it’s one of my best vocal performances. I’m like Rumpelstiltskin — here to spin your hay into gold. Everybody’s going to be pleasantly surprised.”
“Banished By Sin” track listing:
01. From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall
02. Doomed To Die
03. Sever The Tongue
04. Faithless
05. Bury The Cross…With Your Christ
06. Woke From God
07. Ritual Defied
08. Failures Of Your Dying Lord
09. Banished By Sin
10. Trinity Of None
11. I Am I…A Curse Of Death
12. The Light Defeated
In August 2022, Benton told “The Garza Podcast” that DEICIDE‘s new music “is really anthem-style stuff. It’s really good, man. There’s a lot of prog stuff in there, mixed in there. Steve‘s [Asheim, drums] our prog guy, man; he’s the progressive rock guy. He likes to write those really black metal riffs and the progressive stuff. He’s an amazing talent, man. He plays piano. He can play sweeps on guitar. He’s a drummer. Yeah, he can do it all.”
Benton went on to say that the next DEICIDE album was written in 2021 before he and his bandmates agreed to embark on a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of DEICIDE‘s sophomore album, “Legion”. But, he explained, “We’re getting ready to hammer this deal out right now and get this thing out.”
DEICIDE played its first show with new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Two years ago, Nordberg spoke about how he landed the DEICIDE gig in an interview with “The Zach Moonshine Show”. He said: “In 2019, my band THE ABSENCE toured with DEICIDE in the U.S. And we got to know the guys and got along really well. And I actually found out that Glen lives, like, two streets over from Jeramie [Kling, THE ABSENCE drummer] and I, where we live. So Jeramie and Glen became good buddies and they ride bikes all the times. It’s a funny little thing, thinking about that. But long story short, [previous DEICIDE guitarist] Chris [Cannella], I believe he’s the head of A&R at Dean Guitars so he’s focusing on that for right now. I heard that they needed a guitar player, so I learned a couple of songs, made a couple of videos, and Glen saw ’em and liked what he saw. So we had a couple of practices, and bing bang boom, here we are.”
Cannella amicably left DEICIDE in January 2022 after a three-year run.
Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.
English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.
Photo credit: Deidra Kling