Deicide doesn't need an introduction, but this album sure does. A follow-up from "In Torment, In Hell", an album that I have yet to hear, so I can't compare it to their last release. I thought "Insineratehymn" was solid. However, most people have a sheer dislike for that release. "Scars Of The Crucifix" would've been much better if there wasn't so much backup screams that drowned out the riffs.
On the musical aspect, the title-track is probably the most memorable. The riffs on that song just dominate and set the stage for the rest of the release. However, as the album progresses, the music regresses. The leads are solid and technical as the Hoffman brothers did a good job on that aspect. There just could've been a better effort on the riff writing. Again no problem with the title track, but the remainder of the album is the pits.
What really is the problem is that the music doesn't follow the vocals as well as say "Insineratehymn". I was psyched when I heard the title track, but when I listened to the rest of the album, I was disappointed. The riff writing wasn't up to par or very memorable. The songs are short as usual and they could've left out the piano mix outro on "The Pentecostal". That didn't seem to mesh well with the album.
I can't get over how much one song could dominate then the rest of the album is not good at all. Well "Scars Of The Crucifix" is one album with one good song. I didn't like the rest of the music. The guitars were heavy and full of tremolo picked frenzies, but they just didn't stick to my memory. This is even after repeated listens to. I had the hardest time getting into this release.
The production wasn't a problem. Everything was even keel on that aspect. You could hear the guitars, bass, vocals and drums really well. They just as I said before went overboard on the backup screams. It made the music boring and repetitive. The band could've thought about creating something that appealed to the death metal audience. They just fell short on all attempts.
This was the last album with the Hoffman brothers. Yes, the leads dominated, but the riffs needed to be better and the vocals just were the pits. Glen could've thought about putting forth an effort like on "Insineratehymn", but he I guess wanted them to be more involved on this release. I only liked the title track and that's it. The rest of the album is boring and repetitive. Good luck on trying to take a liking to this release. It just isn't there.
