The Stench of Redemption is the eighth studio album by Florida death metal band Deicide. It is the first album by the band to feature Jack Owen (formerly of Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (formerly of Iced Earth) on guitars. Some editions of the album include a cover of "Black Night" by Deep Purple, with rewritten lyrics by Glen Benton.
| The Stench of Redemption | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | March–June 2006 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound Recording (Tampa) | |||
| Genre | Death metal, blackened death metal[1] | |||
| Length | 41:12 | |||
| Label | Earache | |||
| Producer | Steve Asheim | |||
| Deicide chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Stench of Redemption was Deicide's most successful release to date, peaking at No. 11 on the Top Heatseekers chart. Many critics praised The Stench of Redemption as a return to form for Deicide, despite the band losing both Eric and Brian Hoffman.
Musical style
editLyrically, the album explores themes of destruction and anti-Christianity. The Stench of Redemption is the first Deicide album to have writing credits attributed to individual band members. While the album's riff-writing stays true to the Deicide's traditional sound, Ralph Santolla and Jack Owen utilize a neo-classical style of lead guitar playing, which is a drastic departure from the atonal shred style employed by the Hoffman Brothers.
Drummer Steve Asheim said of the album, "I'd have to say 'Stench' is definitely my favorite and the one I'm most proud of, Benton too I think. It really all came together on this one, the material, the players, the sound, the vibe... It was a real pleasure doing this record with this line-up, almost effortless."[2]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [3] |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Alternative Press | 5/5[5] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 8/10[6] |
| Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles | 9.5/10[7] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9/10[8] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[9] |
| Metal Storm | 9.6/10[10] |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10[11] |
| Stylus | B+[12] |
The Stench of Redemption met with positive reviews, with most reviewers praising the added melodic dimension, which they attribute to the new guitarists. Chad Bowar, writing for About.com, praised the guitar team for "breath[ing] new life into Deicide's approach. You might not even notice because of all the blast beats and breakneck riffing, but there are some actual melodies here. They have added a subtle layer of complexity to the band's brutal arsenal, which makes the songs that much more powerful".[3] Similarly, Scott Alisoglu wrote for Blabbermouth that the new guitarists "add to Deicide's legendary death metal sound by upping the six-string dynamics and giving these compositions a much-needed injection of compositional depth. That does not mean that you won't recognize The Stench of Redemption as anything but a Hell-fried Deicide album, only that the added ingredients push the album to heights previously unattained".[6] Jackie Smit, writing for Chronicles of Chaos, claimed that the addition of Jack Owen and Ralph Santolla not only "lit under the remaining original members' collective behinds", but also added a melodic dimension "unlike anything the Hoffman brothers were ever able to muster".[8] Referring to the album as "unapologetically melodic", Cosmo Lee wrote in Stylus Magazine that The Stench of Redemption is "no less brutal" as a result of the melodic inclinations, and praised Steve Asheim's "massive, memorable" riffs and Benton's "diabolical" vocals.[12]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Glen Benton; all music is composed by Steve Asheim
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Stench of Redemption" | 4:09 |
| 2. | "Death to Jesus" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Desecration" | 4:31 |
| 4. | "Crucified for the Innocence" | 4:35 |
| 5. | "Walk with the Devil in Dreams You Behold" | 4:58 |
| 6. | "Homage for Satan" | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Not of This Earth" | 3:19 |
| 8. | "Never to Be Seen Again" | 3:24 |
| 9. | "The Lord's Sedition" | 5:41 |
| 10. | "Black Night (Deep Purple cover)" | 2:43 |
| Total length: | 41:12 | |
Personnel
edit- Glen Benton – bass, vocals, executive production
- Steve Asheim – drums
- Jack Owen – guitars
- Ralph Santolla – guitars
Charts
edit| Chart (2006) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 84 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[14] | 14 |
| US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] | 11 |
| US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 21 |
References
edit- ^ "The Stench of Redemption - Deicide | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Deicide interview (06/2006) - Metal Storm". Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
- ^ a b Pretorius, Neil. "Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption Review". About.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Deicide The Stench of Redemption". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ Freeman, Phil (October 4, 2006). "Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Alisoglu, Scott (August 28, 2006). "Deicide: The Stench of Redemption (Earache)". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ Henderson, Tim (July 26, 2006). "Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Smit, Jackie (December 8, 2006). "Deicide - The Stench of Redemption". Chronicles of Chaos. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
- ^ "Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption". Metal Storm. August 22, 2006. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz (August 18, 2006). "The Stench Of Redemption". Rock Hard (Vol. 232) (in German). Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Lee, Cosmo (August 28, 2006). "Deicide The Stench of Redemption". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ "Deicide - The Stench of Redemption". offiziellecharts.de. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "The Stench of Redemption". Official Charts Company. September 2, 2006. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Anon. (September 9, 2006). "Albums: Top Independent". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 36. p. 88. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Anon. (September 9, 2006). "Launch Pad: Top Heatseekers". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 36. p. 89. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.