UMUR "Overtures Of Blasphemy" is the 12th full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Deicide. The album was released through Century Media Records in September 2018. It´s the successor to "In the Minds of Evil" from 2013 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Jack Owen has been replaced by Mark English.

Lineup change or not, very little has changed in the world of Deicide, and the listener is as always exposed to a fast and aggressive blasphemous/anti-Christian themed old school type of death metal, with Glen Benton´s raw growling vocals in front. Deicide have become slightly more melodic over the years (and the music also features more heavy mid-paced sections), but "Overtures Of Blasphemy" is still a full-on death metal assault from the opening notes of "One With Satan" to the closing notes of "Destined to Blasphemy". The band are well playing, and the tracks feature many memorable riffs, melodic leads, and powerful drumming. The growling vocals by Glen Benton aren´t however anything special anymore. Benton was one of the premier league growling vocalists of the early 90s, but it´s like he has either worn out his voice and is now relying on effects to produce his growling vocals, or he just isn´t up to it anymore. His vocals on "Overtures Of Blasphemy" are pretty standard (mostly unintelligible) one-dimensional growling vocals. There´s little aggression or passion left. He gets the job done, but that´s about it.

"Overtures Of Blasphemy" features a fat, heavy, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. Upon conclusion "Overtures Of Blasphemy" is more or less what I expect from a Deicide album these days. Their heyday is long gone, but they still produce decent quality death metal, and while I´m not jumping upon and down in excitement a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

Kev Rowland Formed in 1989, Deicide are responsible for shaping death metal at every level. When I first came across them I really wasn’t sure what to think of them, as I felt that metal was being taken into an area I personally wasn’t interested in, and slammed their 1997 album ‘Serpents of the Light’. But, over the years my musical tastes have broadened considerably, and in my fifties I now listen to music that may would consider too extreme for their tastes. Over the last decade I have revisited Deicide, and have discovered that I was a little hasty some 20 years ago, and that the band have consistently produced very good albums indeed. Glen Benton is still there of course, as is drummer Steve Asheim, as they have been ever since they formed Amon all those years ago. Guitarist Kevin Quirion has been joined by newcomer Mark English, and the band have yet again produced an album which is a solid example of the genre.

Interestingly, Benton has returned to songwriting, something that hasn’t happened since 1992’s ‘Legion’, with opening track “One with Satan,” “Compliments of Christ,” and “Consumed by Hatred,” the rest of the guys fleshed out the remaining nine tracks. “When we started the writing process,” says Benton, “I said to the guys, ‘This record doesn’t have to be boring, going-nowhere grind-all-the-time death metal. Let’s really focus on the quality of the songs, I wanted them to write tasty licks and catchy hooks this time. And let the vocals give it its definition.” No-one could ever imagine that this was anything but Deicide, Benton makes sure of that, but this is an album that actually contains a great deal of variety and styles. They never really slow it down of course, but there are times when it is more power metal than death, and these changes allow the music to breath and give the listener the opportunity to recover from the attack. If ever an album was meant to be played at 11 then this was it, and Asheim shows that he has lost none of his power and attack over the last 30 years, still pummelling the skins like an album. This may not make them any new fans, but all those who already enjoy Deicide will find that this album is one of their most disparate for a while, and all the better for it.