Deicide - Banished by Sin (Deathcore)

Deicide, by now, needs no introduction, but a bit of historical context feels necessary before dissecting the mess that is Banished by Sin. What started as a promising project with Eric and Brian Hoffman, later joined by drummer Steve Asheim and Glen Benton, has long since descended into tragic self-parody. The feud and ensuring split with the Hoffman brothers in 2004 — highlighted by their parting jab at Benton, calling him a "fat homo", which still burns him to this day no matter how hard he attempts to hide it — marks the beginning of the band's slow descent into mediocrity. Ever since, it seems Benton — the least talented, and most idiotic, member of the band — has been on a futile mission to prove he can still hold down the fort. Spoiler alert: he can't.

Fast forward to the 2010s, where Deicide went from barely passable to mediocre, to now a full-on caricature of themselves, and the entire death metal genre by way of association. Overtures of Blasphemy in 2018 was a new low, so much so that Century Media had to disable YouTube comments on the official album stream due to the flood of well-deserved ridicule. Bland, repetitive riffs, uninspired playing, and Benton's laughably bad vocal performance had the effect of turning death metal into an unintentional comedy routine. One might have thought the bar couldn't sink any lower after the critical beating In the Minds of Evil received. But Benton, ever the contrarian, decided to go ahead and prove everyone wrong with Banished by Sin — just not in the way anyone hoped.

Now, why rehash all this before diving into Banished by Sin? Because in the six years between releases, one would think that Benton might have reflected, maybe even made a valiant effort to redeem his band's ever-dwindling relevance in the genre. But no, Banished by Sin proves, unequivocally, that Deicide has given up the ghost entirely. They simply lack the talent to play death metal music.

Let's start with the few redeeming qualities of the album — yes, they do exist, though faint. First off, the production is an improvement over the abysmal mix of Overtures of Blasphemy. The guitars have some punch, the bass is audible (finally), and the overall balance of instrumentation is leagues ahead of the prior disaster. Second, Jack Owen, formerly of Cannibal Corpse, seems to have injected a slight boost of energy into the songwriting. It's not stellar by any stretch, but there are brief moments of life here and there. Lastly, the cover art — marginally better than the previous effort — is at least visually passable.

But now onto the music itself, where things predictably fall apart. Sure, the drumming has improved, and the music is more energetic at times, but the album suffers from the same disease that has plagued Deicide for years: unbearable monotony. Riffs are painfully basic, endlessly repetitive, and so uninspired that they make even the most pedestrian ambient black metal bands sound like virtuosic technical masters in comparison. Yes, Deicide was never meant to deliver complex arrangements, but there was once a time when the band could manage some variation — think back to Legion or any album that featured the Hoffman brothers' guitar work. That spark, sadly, has long since been extinguished. Whatever fleeting potential the songs show is quickly snuffed out by a dragging, directionless execution that leaves even the solos sounding limp and lifeless.

To put it bluntly, Banished by Sin is a serious contender for the worst death metal album of the year. It's chugging, dull, and reeks of uninspired deathcore elements that make calling them "riffs" feel overly generous. If you're after some genuinely brutal and technical death metal, steer clear of this modern-day travesty. Instead, do yourself a favour and spin To the Depths, In Degradation by Infester or Devoured by Pigs by Khranial — records that will remind you how death metal should be done. Banished by Sin, however, should be banished from your playlist.

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