Overview

Inside, and outside, Death Metal, the Floridian musical entity called DEICIDE, has been rooted in controversies. At one point, who said that being nonconformist and denying religion is a sin? Nonetheless, DEICIDE, other than being one of the pioneers of Death Metal, and one hell of a sound, were at the center of it all. Diving myself again into the first several steps of the band, after their moniker change from AMON, along with a reminder of their earlier stages, was another blistering experience.

The band started their legacy upon the AMON name but as DEICIDE they, led by Glen Benton, defiled, obliterated and devoured the souls of their followers with utterly destructive Death Metal, injecting the deny of the cross and walking hand in hand with the dark lord Satan. Death Metal in overall showed in the late 80s what is the true meaning of technical musicianship and fast ripping paces, yet DEICIDE took these elements, along with ounces of aggression, and created a deadly universe.

Dissonance Productions reactivated their time machine, and took everyone back to the late 80s, reissuing the earlier days of AMON and DEICIDE, while reestablishing the influence of the latter's first two albums, "Deicide" (1990) and "Legion" (1992). As part of this 3CD Digipack, titled "Crucifixation: The Early Years", there is also a memory, a short journey to the past "Amon: Feasting The Beast" (1993).

The Pros

Let's start with what am I look at, and that is a high quality 3CD Digipack, bearing the artwork of this package, simple enough without a specific drawing or over artistry. There is a feeling of modesty in it, but also upon gazing at the DEICIDE logo, hell is just waiting to burst out and keep me occupied. Don't worry it did eventually. On the back of the Digipack, there are the tracklists of the three albums, pretty ordinary, but at least not letting you dig inside the Digipack or having you looking online just to remember which song is what.

Once opening the Digipack, there are two photos of the band, one from each era, crossing those years margins of the records in question, good quality photos. The inlay of the Digipack, displays the three CDs, each in a placement that in its back has the original artwork of the album, it looks simply amazing. Finding that the "Deicide" debut CD is colored in White, that was a small shocker, but the music inside is the real deal.

The booklet took my most interest I'd tell you that, and I will be honest, it does that every time, in particular when there is a good story to tell. With Dom Lawson providing such an interesting intro I was sucked into a world of blackened, and deathly, bliss. Laying down the history of that era of DEICIDE in a text that is no more than a page, only to discover the array of interviews made with Producer Scott Burns, A&R Monte Conner (Roadrunner Records) and Tour Manager Adam Parsons. These fine individuals have a place of respect in the historical, and controversial, happenings of DEICIDE. Some of the stories told are unbelievable, especially when reading about them for the first time. There you have it, a lot of time to read while listening.

Also within the booklet, there are stacks of photos of the band, whether from photoshoots surrounding the albums, playing live and of course various posters. I bet some of these are quite rare, while others striding the internet. Mathew Vickerstaff is to be credited for the design of the booklet, as the place of the photos is well made. Also the guy can be credited for the entire design of the Digipack.

Listening to "Deicide" and "Legion" on these reissued CDs, while putting on good headphones, was such an amazing experience. I got blasted into bits more than an hour, feeling as if I was living another life basically, back to my late teens. I have always liked "Deicide" better than "Legion", yet both serve the band right with the sound quality that these remasters offer. As for the compilation of old demos, "Amon: Feasting The Beast", this is how to preserve a heritage, and once again JP Braddock, that remastered at Formation Audio, did wonders to satisfy this judgmental Metalhead, and others like me, because most of us are. These demos sound so rich, even the "Feasting The Beast" older demos sound overwhelming. I believe that especially for the older recordings, this quality is fairly acceptable.

The Cons

Same old story I presume, even though with my developed understanding that it might get tough. The booklet is no less informational, nonetheless, sadly, the lyrics to the songs aren't there. Sure, it would have made the booklet a lot thicker, however, including the lyrics is part of the package and it should be as such.

I have been baffling with myself about this issue, which regards the bonus tracks that could have been part of this boxset, in particular live recordings. I do think that these should be part of every reissue copy coming out of a band, especially bands such a legacy as DEICIDE.

Summary

DEICIDE ignited Death Metal with a surge of sound that was uncanny to many others, even bands that have been in closer proximity, within the mighty Floridian Death Metal scene. These three evidences, which were remastered and reissued, are the main reason how such a legacy became so grand, devilish and gruesome. Metal music, and Death Metal in particular, can celebrate until the very last minute of each of these albums. This is a must for every Metalhead that wants to hear more and haven't yet, and of course to the die-hards that would like to be kicked into Crucifixation.