Album Review: Deicide – Banished By Sin (Reigning Phoenix Music)

Death metal legends Deicide mark their devilish return with their new album, ‘Banished by Sin’, out on April 26th, 2024, through Reigning Phoenix Music.

Let’s get this out of the way at the start so we can focus on the music. Yes, the f**king cover art stinks and using AI art is f**king wrong. Do better, Deicide.

Right, the album, and you’re not going to believe this but it’s f**king heavy as sin. It would have been kind of embarrassing if it wasn’t! Deicide do death metal, and most of the time, do it very well. Happily, this is one of those times. Aside from a few misses here and there, this is an album that comes at you fast, hard, and with a blood-thirstiness that will have you fearing for your life. All with the band’s recognisable penchant for attacking religion from just about every conceivable angle.

It’s Deicide, and if you’re offended by them… join the queue, it started back in the late 80s.

It’s notable that there is some ‘turning back of the clock’ here too, as musically, a lot of Banished by Sin reflects the 90s forthrightness of Deicide. There isn’t much experimentation going on here, aside from progressive guitar parts, with the band looking to put an emphatic death metal stamp on things overall.

That being said, this is a modernised Deicide and that is notable in many areas. From quality production, to how every member of the band work together so seamlessly, to how refined elements like Glen Benton’s vocals are. A quick note on that – he is sounding strong here. Even the most anti-Deicide person will have to accept that. This is Deicide as they stand in 2024, embracing their past, while looking forward.

Still, it is death metal and at times, so fundamentally death metal that it doesn’t always wow. Happily, those moments are few and far between. Often caused by a certain level of desensitisation because of the unrelenting nature of the album, rather than a particularly bad song. Banished by Sin batters away with riffs and hooks coming at speed, solos being thrown around with complete abandon, and more guttural growls than any human should be able to utter.

Chances are, you’re already all in on this album. After all, it’s Deicide and they are death metal legends for a reason. At this stage of their career, being able to deliver something so repulsively heavy is impressive. That it is a damn fine album overall is worthy of celebration. Don’t expect anything game-changing and you won’t be disappointed.

Deicide – Banished by Sin Track Listing:

1. From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall
2. Doomed to Die
3. Sever The Tongue
4. Faithless
5. Bury The Cross… With Your Christ
6. Woke From God
7. Ritual Defied
8. Failures Of Your Dying Lord
9. Banished By Sin
10. A Trinity of None
11. I Am I… A Curse of Death
12. The Light Defeated

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