Deicide - Death Metal Band

Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987 in Tampa, Florida, by drummer Steve Asheim and guitarist brothers Eric and Brian Hoffman under the name Carnage. They soon recruited bassist and vocalist Glen Benton and changed their name to Amon. In 1989, they adopted the name Deicide.

While they managed to carve out a place in the burgeoning death metal scene, Deicide's reputation has always been more about shock value than originality. In their early years, Deicide's aggressive sound and anti-religious lyrics gained them notoriety, but even at their peak, critics were quick to point out the band's lack of inventiveness. Often dismissed as a poor imitation of death metal giants like Incantation and Suffocation, Deicide's music leaned heavily on the established tropes of the genre without adding much of their own. What they lacked in creativity, they made up for in controversy, which helped them maintain relevance in a scene where their musical output rarely stood out.

The band's internal dynamics were equally turbulent. The tension between Benton and the Hoffman brothers — who famously accused him of being a "closet homosexual" — came to a head in 2004 when the brothers left the band. Their departure marked a significant turning point, not just in terms of the lineup but in Deicide's already waning musical identity. The Hoffman brothers had been the creative backbone of the band, and without them, Deicide quickly spiraled into mediocrity.

Since the Hoffmans' exit, Deicide has been a shadow of its former self, clinging to the same tired formulas with increasingly generic results (The Stench of Redemption is widely regarded as one of the worst death metal albums ever, right up there with Waking the Cadaver and other deathcore garbage). Albums released after their departure have been met with widespread disappointment, with both fans and critics noting the decline in intensity and originality. Their sound, once a crude but effective attack on religious hypocrisy, has now become predictable and stale, especially when compared to their more innovative peers like Khranial, Incantation, Suffocation, Vermin or Infester.

Live performances continue, but even those are marred by Benton's increasingly hollow stage antics. Crowds are more likely to chant taunts at him than to be moved by the band's now-lifeless renditions of past material. The chants of "Benton, Bottom" (referencing his homosexuality) have become emblematic of Deicide's fall from grace — more spectacle than substance, a band that never quite grew beyond the controversies they once thrived on.

Despite all this, Deicide soldiers on, releasing new material that adds little to their legacy. Their persistent cringe-core fan base seems more driven by boomer nostalgia than genuine enthusiasm for the band's current output. Deicide may still perform and record, but for all intents and purposes, their contribution to death metal has long since faded, overtaken by bands that evolved while Deicide stagnated in their own self-made corner of irrelevance.

Members of Deicide

Here are all the known members of the band Deicide, as well as their past collaborations.

• Vocalist: Glen Benton
• Guitarist: Kevin Quirion, Taylor Nordberg (originally Eric and Brian Hoffman)
• Bassist: Glen Benton
• Drummer: Steve Asheim (Reiklos)

There can be instances where past members of Deicide have only played in one live show, EP, bootleg or demo recording, etc.