Many can ask if a classic band still has its place into musical word, and the answer is that it depends on how it’s creative and relevant today. The past serves as a reference, but past glories can’t save anyone, so it’s needed to stay ready for new trials. But there are those guys that have guts to keep on no matter how hard the difficulties are. And DEICIDE seems to be fed by difficulties, and here they are with “Banished by Sin”. As a part of the first wave of Tampa’s Death Metal, and leaving aside the polemics around the band, the quartet is known for his personal massive sound based on a brutal wall of guitar riffs and sharp bass playing, an intense (and unique) technical appeal on the drums and haunting growls of the vocals (with some harsh screams in some moments).

Although their music can be said as traditional into Death Metal ways, they’re not living off their past, when they unleashed classics as “Deicide”, “Legion” and “Once Upon the Cross”, or harvesting the fruits of evolutions heard on “The Scars of the Crucifix” or “The Stench of Redemption”, but always trying themselves to keep the high level their fans are used to. And besides “Banished by Sin” isn’t ‘reinventing’ Death Metal or even DEICIDE’s music - it’s just keeping things as they are, beside some Death/Thrash elements can be heard on the riffs - , it shows that the band is living a great moment in their career. The band hired Josh Wilbur (the same one known for his works with MEGADETH, KILLED OR BE KILLED, KERRY KING, CROWBAR, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM and others) for mixing and mastering the songs, and Jeramie Kling for the sound engineering (with additional sound engineering done by Taylor Nordberg, their new guitarist), and the result is an updated way for their music. It means that it’s still as brutal and aggressive as the fans are used to be, but in a modern and defined way. It’s the best way for drilling your ears. And the artwork of Nenad Đukić for the cover is really very good.

Again: the band isn’t reinventing things on their music (so don’t expect any changes on what is already known), but it seems that the coming of Taylor for the guitars (to join forces with Kevin) gave a different a new and refreshing taste to the quartet’s music (besides some older fans will keep on complaining for the Hoffmann brothers’ days). And there are 12 extreme moments waiting to corrode your ears, as “From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall” (a fast song with excellent Death/Thrash Metal intense riffing and sickening solos), “Doomed to Die” (if one question the technique of the drums, show this one for him, because it’s a rhythmic massacre with blast beats and double bass), “Sever the Tongue” (one of the singles of the album, and it’s a classic DEICIDE song with extreme hooks and excellent vocals), “Faithless” (in some parts, one can feel some different arrangements on the guitars, without tearing apart the classic outfit of the band’s music), “Bury the Cross... with Your Christ” (another classic song in their personal way, with a massive sound wall built upon a solid work on bass guitar and drums), “Woke from God” (a sharp and fast spear into the ears, but pay attention to the care with the leads of the guitars), “Ritual Defied” (very good contrasts between rhythms), and… No, no and NO! Don’t be a lazy fan, and let “Failures of Your Dying Lord”, “Banished by Sin”, “A Trinity of None”, “I Am I... a Curse of Death” and “The Light Defeated” roll as well, and taste this profane offering given to you.

Even after these 35 years, DEICIDE is still courageous and relevant, so if you want a taste on classic Death Metal, “Banished by Sin” is here for you.