| The Stench of Redemption | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 2006 (2006-08-22) | |||
| 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 is the eighth studio album byFlorida death metal bandDeicide. It is the first album by the band to featureJack Owen (formerly ofCannibal Corpse) andRalph Santolla (formerly ofIced Earth) on guitars. Some editions of the album include a cover of "Black Night" byDeep Purple, with rewritten lyrics byGlen Benton.
The Stench of Redemption was Deicide's most successful release to date, peaking at No. 11 on theTop Heatseekers chart. Many critics praisedThe Stench of Redemption as a return to form for Deicide, despite the band losing both Eric and Brian Hoffman.
After mastering the album for the first time, the band decided that they preferred the sound of the rough mixes, so the mastering process was redone to better capture the sound of the original mixes.[2]
The album's music has been called "angry and brutal."[3]
Lyrically, the album explores themes of destruction andanti-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 andJack Owen utilize aneo-classical style oflead guitar playing, which is a drastic departure from theatonalshred style employed by the Hoffman Brothers.
DrummerSteve 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."[4]
The album is said to contain elements ofgrindcore.[5]
The album'sguitar solos have been described as "melodic,arpeggiated outbursts." Glen Benton's vocals have been called "evil sounding" and "mostly indecipherable." The album makes use of multi-layered vocals, and Benton's high shrieks have drawn comparisons toblack metal.[6][7]
The music video for "Homage for Satan", which features blood-splattered zombies on a rampaging mission to capture a priest, was banned from UK music TV channelScuzz.[8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [9] |
| AllMusic |  [10] |
| Alternative Press | 5/5[11] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 8/10[12] |
| Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles | 9.5/10[13] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9/10[14] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[15] |
| Metal Storm | 9.6/10[16] |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10[17] |
| Stylus | B+[18] |
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 forAbout.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".[9] Similarly, Scott Alisoglu wrote forBlabbermouth 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 recognizeThe Stench of Redemption as anything but a Hell-fried Deicide album, only that the added ingredients push the album to heights previously unattained".[12] Jackie Smit, writing forChronicles 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".[14] Referring to the album as "unapologetically melodic", Cosmo Lee wrote inStylus Magazine thatThe 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.[18]
All lyrics are written byGlen Benton; all music is composed bySteve 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 | |
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] | 84 |
| UKRock & Metal Albums (OCC)[20] | 14 |
| USTop Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[21] | 11 |
| USTop Independent Albums (Billboard)[22] | 21 |
