Deicide are without a doubt legends of death metal, this every fan of the genre clearly knows. But, let's be honest, their discography is not exactly littered with consistency. No one can deny that their self-titled, Legion, Once Upon the Cross, Scars of the Crucifix, and The Stench of Redemption are some of the landmark Satanic death metal releases of the last 20 years. Since that killer return to form with a revamped line-up that was The Stench of Redemption however, the band seemed to have lost a bit of steam, much of it due to guitar stud Ralph Santolla leaving the band, who paired off with Jack Owen to form a lethal duo. In came Kevin Quirion, who is a fine player as well, but some of that spark from the Santolla/Owen combo seems to be missing. The excitement of Stench led to a somewhat disappointing Till Death Do Us Part and To Hell With God, and to a certain extent In the Minds of Evil falls into the same bucket. There is nothing bad here by any means, but it just seems like Glen Benton are rehashing the same ideas, similar arrangements, over and over again. Though Benton has one of the most recognizable death metal roars in the business, he just doesn't mix things up at all, making many of the songs here sound almost interchangeable at times. Owen & Quirion lay down plenty of brutal riffs and sizzling leads, and Steve Asheim as always is a powerhouse on the drums, but in the end it just doesn't seem to be enough. Lyrically it's more of the same hatred of God & Christianity that we've come to expect from Benton & Co., so no real surprises there, and I guess that's my issue with In the Minds of Evil, it just seems rather safe and all too familiar. For many, that's going to be a good thing, as tunes like "Between the Flesh and the Void", "Thou Begone", and "Trample the Cross" will push all the right buttons and deliver the right amount of brutality that a Deicide record should deliver.
Is this a decent album? Sure it is, but I guess from these legends I'm still expecting a little more.
Track Listing
1. In the Minds of Evil
2. Thou Begone
3. Godkill
4. Beyond Salvation
5. Misery of One
6. Between the Flesh and the Void
7. Even the Gods can Bleed
8. Trample the Cross
9. Fallen to Silence
10. Kill the Light of Christ
11. End the Wrath of God
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