Glen Benton is the vocalist and bassist of Deicide, America’s most beloved anti-Christian
death metal band. With his band’s 1992 album Legion now certified as the top
selling death metal album of all time, and their Earache debut Scars Of The
Crucifix about to hit stores, Glen was kind enough to sit down on a telephone and
yell at me for a few minutes. My questions are in bold; his responses are in plain text.
And yes, this is the Glen Benton with the upside-down cross branded into his forehead.
--------------------
Hey Glen! How ya doin’?
What’s up, man?
Been doing interviews all day?
Nah, this is my first one.
Oh, okay. I was wondering if we could talk about your back catalog. Basically get your opinions about what you were going for on each record and your thoughts on them as you look back now…. You know, what you think about them musically and lyrically. Could we do that real quick?
Sure.
Okay. First album, what do you think about the first album now?
On the first album, I think the songs are fuckin sincere. Fuckin production’s horrible, but it was a really enjoyable part of our lives.
What problem did you have with the production of it?
It was just, you know, not very much money to do it. Did most of it in the B room at Morris Sound. I don’t know. I just wasn’t pleased. I don’t think I was all that pleased with the production of it.
More fond of Legion? What do you think about Legion?
I think Legion was ahead of its time. It was just too fast for everybody at the time. I think it just caught everybody off-guard. They thought we were gonna put out a la-de-da album, and here comes this fuckin piece of music, fuckin style of music that’s fuckin over the top. Everybody fuckin hated it, all the magazines hated it; now it’s years later and everybody loves it.
When did it become the biggest death metal seller of all time? Was that just recently?
I think that was just over the years, you know?
Wow. And then what were you going for on Once Upon The Cross?
What’s that?
Once Upon The Cross?
That was a fun record for me. I liked the production on it. I like the music on it. It was fun doing it for me.
Serpents Of The Light?
That was another one, man. I mean that was just like, you know, the Once Upon A Cross days as I call them. Musically and production-wise, I like the record. It was fun doing it. It was the last one Scott Burns did with us.
And you tried to make it a little less fast so people weren’t so confused by it?
I don’t know about that. We were just going for, you know… just keeping everybody’s heads moving.
How was it working with a different producer for Insineratehymn?
I really didn’t work with him.
Oh really? Oh, okay.
Yeah, he basically recorded the rhythm tracks and drum tracks and shit, and I recorded my vocals with a different engineer. So he did more engineering than he did producing. I’d say the four of us have that covered. We have a sound that we like, and we’re the only ones that are gonna achieve it, you know? Basically the engineer is what I like to call him, but he did do a fantastic job getting the levels themselves.
And In Torment, In Hell?
What’s that?
What do you think about In Torment, In Hell?
(sigh) I think that record was a fuckin rush rush hurry up and get it out and get off Roadrunner.
Oh. Were things just horrible with them?
They were shelving all the records. What’s the point of fuckin putting all this effort and all this hard work into something that’s gonna get thrown in the fuckin garbage can? We had reached our point with Roadrunner where we just stopped cooperating. Our last two records with them were just obligations, just throw ‘em the fuck out. And to me, those records are repetitious and redundant and I just, you know – to me, it was either that or give them a country record or a fuckin gospel album.
Ha! When did they stop caring?
I don’t think Roadrunner ever cared. They only care about their pockets. They care about the newest thing on the fuckin menu. That’s all they care about. They don’t know how to keep their bands happy, so what they do is every band they grab ahold of, they wanna make happy. And they put everybody else on the backburner.
And you were signed to like an eight-record deal or something?
Seven albums.
Oh wow. So how’s it feel being on Earache?
It feels great. I’m not under contract with anybody.
Oh you’re not? Really?
It’s a one-record deal. So now I’m free again.
This album sounds insane. I got an advance copy of it; it’s really crazy. Were you just going for the most brutal? Or….
I don’t know. Musically, I think the Vital Remains thing I did sparked a lot of fuckin flame under asses here in the Deicide camp. Lyrically, I’ve just had to hold back on the last albums on doing what I do best, so I just put the balls to the wall with it.
Oh really? So the last two you really aren’t all that –
The last two records, I really didn’t put too much effort into writing the lyrics, as far as, I mean writing back-up vocals and all my other shit that I usually do. I didn’t put as much intensity into those two records as I did this one.
Oh okay. Who was it you were listening to when you were younger that made you want to form your own extreme metal-type band?
I was listening to lots of people. Shit man, I mean – I don’t know. I grew up listening to the fuckin Beatles and Chuck Berry and Elvis and fuckin all that kind of shit growing up. And Rush and just all that fuckin classic rock shit, I guess. I’m almost – I’m 36 now, so I was back in the day when Barry Manilow was fuckin on the radio every day. So yeah, all that kinda shit. Stones, Beatles, fuckin the Who, all that shit growing up. And I seen Sabbath back in what - ’78 or ’79? Whenever the fuck it was. I was fuckin eight, nine years old or whatever it is.
Wow! Jesus. Like Never Say Die? Or Technical Ecstasy?
The last album with Ozzy. My cousin took me, and from that point on, Sabbath, and then I started getting into the heavier stuff like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction and just all that kind of stuff. Possessed. Bands like that. Nowadays I don’t listen to much metal.
What kind of stuff are you listening to now?
I just listen to oldies. I don’t listen to too much music, you know what I mean? I throw in whatever catches my fancy at the moment. This morning I was listening to the Ramones, so…. I listen to just about everything.
Do you in subtle ways put any of that influence into your –
Nah, I keep it – that’s why I don’t listen to much new metal, because I don’t want anybody to ever accuse me of ripping them off. When I write lyrics, they just come from the inside.
What’s on this new bonus DVD?
A three-minute and a 30-minute fuckin like hangin out with the fuckin kings of metal, I guess. I don’t know. One of those kind of things. We shot the video for “Scars Of The Crucifix” when we were in Nottingham, England.
Oh, you shot a video?
Yeah. So that should be coming out over here soon.
Have you ever done a video?
No, it’s our first one. It’s a black and white.
Is it a concept video or a live one?
Not really. It’s basically us playing underneath an overpass. Or an underpass, playing under an underpass. It’s all staged with a bunch of Hell’s Angels riding around on Harleys. So yeah, it’s basic. We didn’t do too much of the fuckin theatrics and trying to act like fuckin – We thought for our first video, it’s like when Metallica did their first video, for “One” - it was black and white, just a basic video. I mean, they did some back- and-forth shit with an old movie or some shit, but we just wanted to keep it really simple for our first video, because to me, if you start getting too theatrical, it starts getting cheesy. So I mean as far as like blowing shit up and virgins and fuckin blood fuckin all that kinda crap, nah man. We went for just us being us playing. It turned out pretty good. Everybody who sees it loves it.
As one of the first people who kinda innovated that death metal vocal style, do you get annoyed at how many bands out there keep copying that style over and over again? Or do you just feel like it’s part of the –
No, you know what a lot of those singers don’t realize – they sing from their throats. I’ve never sang from my throat. I always sing from my diaphragm. So when I’m hollering and all that screaming and shit, I’m not singing from my throat. I’m pushing it all out of my gut. And a lot of singers that do this kind of thing – they might be able to achieve that sound for a little bit, but if you keep fuckin doing that to your throat for a few years, you’re gonna be done for.
Do you still do the vocals like where you do one really low one and then one high –
I go back and forth between low and high.
Okay. But you do kind of the overdubbing your voice over your voice in different ways? Do you still do that?
When I record, I do three tracks at once. I do a low track, a medium track and a really nice – we call it the Cobra.
How do you recreate that live? Or what do you do live?
Live-wise, I just bounce off – I usually just do the basic low vocal and then highlight things with high screams. I haven’t found a vocal effect that can do what I want it to do actually.
Oh, okay. Let me see…. Oh, I have to ask you about the upside-down cross.
What?
I have to. Do you ever cover it?
Do I ever cover it?
Yeah.
With what?
I don’t know; a hat or something. I’m just wondering if you ever get tired of people looking at you and stuff.
Nah, you know what? I don’t even think about it. I’ve had it so many years, I don’t even think about it. And you only really notice it at nighttime when shadows hit it. During the daylight time, unless you really look at it or it’s your first time or whatever – most people around me don’t point it out. I’ll be sitting somewhere and somebody will catch a glimpse of it and come over to me – “Whoa, man. What the fuck did you do to yourself?”
Do any Christian types ever try to pick fights with you or anything?
Nah. No. My last incident I had the Jehovah’s Witnesses escorted out of my subdivision.
Really?
They came to my house and I warned them. They came back to my house again and they all got a fuckin free ride out of here in the Sheriff’s car.
What does your brand of Satanism mean to you basically?
Well, when people say Satanism, I say Christianity labels me as Satanist. I mean, there is no such thing as a Satanist as far as like - who the hell do you call a Satanist? Anton Lavey? There’s a lot of different philosophies –
Oh, so you were just labeled a Sa-
Yeah, I get called a fuckin Satanist and that, but what I believe is that the Commandments of God are a crock of shit. I believe that I’m not gonna fuckin live my life by any kinda fuckin laws that have been created by a fuckin, I don’t know what you call him - I just call him a fuckin joke. But I don’t live my life like that, as far as like if there was a God and there is a Satan, if there is a Hell and there is a Heaven, I’m not going to Heaven. And for good reason! Because the people I’ve met that believe in God and all that kind of crap – they’re usually just idiots, and I can’t stand to be with them. So I would say I’d rather go to Hell, man. The people there are a lot more interesting.
Oh, okay. So you’re not actually Satanist – that’s just what you were branded?
Like as far as what? Burning churches?
Yeah, or the Lavey –
I mean, what do you want to call a Satanist? Somebody that goes around butchering babies and fuckin up little teenage girls’ heads with Satanism shit? No man. It’s a philosophy – a way of life, a way of thinking. It’s not like I’ve got a fire in my backyard and I’m dancing around it in my goatskin and my fuckin chaps.
Ha!
You know, or I’ve got an altar set up, got a lady up there – fuckin, that’s all Halloween shit. I’m more of an intellectual fuckin combatant of fuckin God. So yes, if you’d like to fight the battle against Christianity, do it on a fuckin intelligence level, not a fuckin theatrical level.
I myself basically dislike the idea of all religions. Trying to base your life on –
Anything organized I don’t want anything to do with. If you gotta pay 99 dollars to get a fuckin membership card or some shit like that to the fuckin Church of Satan or whatever the fuck, I don’t want nothing to do with that. It’s a business. Christianity, religion, all that shit – it’s all a fuckin business.
Based on fear.
You know how I got my profession doing what I do, there’s people out there in the world who think, “I’m gonna take the easy way out. Digging ditches and washing dishes and shit like that ain’t working for me, so I think I’m gonna go to monk school or whatever, priest school, and take the easy way out.” A lot of people do that. I just think it’s just a way of making a living.
Are you against all religions like that? Like Islam and Hindu?
Any organized religion. If you wanna believe in this and that, I’ve always been one of these people that’s like – I’ve been persecuted for what I believe and I’ve always been one of those people that’s like, “You believe what you want to believe. Just leave me out of it.” So I won’t come out looking for you unless you fuck with me. So if you’re gonna show up at my shows and picket me, yeah I’m gonna get out there. I’m gonna throw water on ya, I’m gonna kick you in the ass, I’m gonna fuckin give you a wedgie. But if you go your way and do your own thing, believe whatever the fuck you wanna believe. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s all about freedom to fuckin do what you want and believe what you want.
When they picket you, what are they trying to accomplish? Trying to get your fans NOT to be your –
I think what it is most of the time is just these boredass fuckin Mothers Against Devilish Fuckin Death Metal or whatever.
Ha!
There’s always these fuckin Christian geeks fuckin in the street that are fuckin bored, but most of ‘em – 98% of them don’t even know what the fuck I look like, so I can go out there and just bullshit with them.
I know these people think of you as “evil.” Who do you think is truly evil in the world right now?
Truly evil? My old lady.
Ha!
She’s evil. Women are fuckin evil, okay? That’s who I think are evil. I think George Bush is evil, okay?
Yeah, I agree with that.
But women? I think women are the fuckin evilest thing that ever was placed upon this Earth.
What is she doing to you?
Nah, I’m just kidding. But women – women are evil! As far as like anything else that’s evil, I don’t think anything out there can compare with the wrath of a fuckin woman. Piss one off and this fuckin tail fuckin springs out of their ass and they just fuckin turn right into the devil. That’s what’s evil. Evil. Let’s see – what’s evil? Booking agents! Booking agents are evil too. Record companies are evil. Yeah. Pretty much what scares me on this world are fuckin genital warts and fuckin booking agents. Shit dripping out of your dick is evil.
What’s that?
Shit dripping out of your dick is evil.
EEEWWWW!
You know what I mean? It’s evil. You look at some of these guys that run these fuckin Churches of Satan and shit; I look at them and I’m like, “You know what? You guys are doing us the worst fucking injustice.” You know what I mean? Why not just put a pair of Mickey Mouse fuckin ears on. So I say it for all of them: Leave the theatrics at home. Read books and shit. If you wanna fight God, fight Christianity, do it with words. Actions only make us look stupid. Burning churches down, all the other bullshit that came out of Norway and shit. They’re all 17-year-old kids fuckin bored fuckin rebelling against Mom and Dad and shit. What kind of life do you have in a place like Norway? What do you have to talk about in an interview? “Oh uhh… I killed a reindeer last night. Then I shoveled the driveway.”
HA!
A lot of that shit was just stuff they could brag about in interviews.
They were trying to bring back like the Pagan days or something?
Pagan days, whatever. Heh heh! Come on guys, are you that miserable?
Did you like any of the music at all?
Yeah, some of the bands. I think Immortal when they were around – I think they were a good band. Musically wise, they were a good band. But a lot of it – most of it – all it is is a bunch of fuckin “blur metal” is what I call it. Like “B-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L!” There’s no texture, there’s no nothing. There’s just blastbeats and guitar riffs that don’t even make sense. It’s just “’AR-RAR-RAR-RAR!’ B-L-L-L-L-L! ‘AR-RAR-RAR-RAR- ROWR-RAR-RAR-RAR!’ B-L-L-L-L-L! ‘AR-RAR-RAR-RAR!’” It’s like, come on, man. How can you listen to that shit?
That’s what some people would accuse Deicide of though.
Yeah, but you know what? Heh heh. I’d have to disagree with that. That would be an uneducated fuckin opinion.
You have to listen to your albums several times to get what’s going on sometimes. They’re pretty intense.
But you can get what’s going on!
That’s true.
You know what? With those bands, you don’t EVER get what’s going on.
Because there’s nothing going on?
Exactly! At least with us, we throw you a little bone once in a while in the form of a catchy hook riff or something. Either that or, you know, the lyrics of this album – people are gonna want to read the lyrics sheet. They’re gonna want to read along. That’s part of the issue. When you do a good job, people want to know what the fuck you’re saying. Even if you can’t understand it when you listen to it! A lot of people that listen to this stuff can understand me more than other people. So I’m one of the more fuckin understandable people in this scene.
Oh okay. I just read a book about the history of metal called Sound Of The Beast.
What’s it called?
Sound Of The Beast.
There’s so many of those out now.
Yeah. And it says something about, which I hadn’t heard about – I guess it happened a long time ago – these black metal guys planted a bomb at one of your concerts.
I don’t think it was black metal guys.
Oh yeah? Do you think it was like Christian folks? Or –
I think it was animal activists or something. It wasn’t really much of a bomb. I do more damage in the morning to my toilet. All it did was knock the fuckin door off its hinge. And they make it sound like someone detonated a small nuclear device or a dirty bomb or something. It was maybe a quarter-stick of dynamite. That kind of charge. More like an M-80 or something. Maybe a couple of M-80s placed in a bucket by the door or something, but it wasn’t that big a deal. That was more hype; it was fuckin Roadrunner trying to hype it up. Their office did get firebombed back in the days.
Really? Ugh. Do they know by who? Or for what reason?
It was one of the animal activist groups.
What have you done to raise the wrath of them?
I shot a squirrel during an interview one time. Then they put that in the interview and it was all over.
It was just for that? Really?
Yeah, I was having a problem with squirrel infestation in my attic. And there was one squirrel left, and I could never get his ass. And one day when I was sitting in the backyard doing a fuckin interview, it came out of the house, out of the attic and came running across the clothesline in the backyard.
I saw a dog catch a squirrel just the other day, and apparently there’s a thousand-dollar fine if your dog kills a squirrel.
A lot of places, man. They fuckin locked some dude up around here for shooting squirrels with a BB gun. I guess they call it animal cruelty or whatever, but I call it getting rid of a fuckin rat with a fuckin bushy tail.
Yeah, that’s what my wife said! She was like, “If a dog caught a rat, there wouldn’t be a thousand dollar fine and it’s the same thing.”
Exactly. They get in your attics, they chew the fuckin insulation off your fuckin electrical wires.
Oh, that’s what they were doing?
Yeah! They were chewing the foam installation off my Freon line for my air conditioners. So all my pipes were sweating up in the attic and leaving stains on the ceilings. So I got up there, got the nest down, let the babies mature and shit, let the fuckin things get out of the house and then I blocked the hole. But there was one fuckin squirrel in there and I couldn’t get his ass out.
So in your life, you kill one squirrel and an interviewer happens to be there.
Yeah. At that point, I started getting death threats and shit. I’m not one of those people that goes around fuckin killing animals or anything like that. And I tell my kids to stay away from that. I mean, I did do some shit like that as a kid. But come on. If you fuckin put a BB gun in a nine-year-old kid’s hands, the bird population is in danger.
Does Earache have the same kind of distribution as Roadrunner?
I think so.
And the album comes out in two weeks? One week?
In February some time.
Okay. And what are you doing in terms of touring?
Right now, we just got off a three-month tour, so we’re gonna take a little break and then I’m gonna do my Vital Remains thing.
Oh, you’re still doing that? That wasn’t just a one-off?
No.
Cool!
Yeah, these guys have pretty much all the material ready for a new album. They’re just working on the arrangements and things.
Do you write the material that you sing for them as well?
No, I just sing. I did it as a favor to one of the guys, because for a while they didn’t have a singer. Originally I was just doing some back-up vocals for them. When I was asked to do it, I didn’t say anything to anybody about it. When it came out, everybody in Deicide freaked out. They all thought I was leaving the band. Pretty much everybody thought I was leaving the band except me.
You can’t leave Deicide! It’s Deicide!
No matter who I play with, I’m still coming back to Deicide, man! I just do little side project things to make some money. But it’s fun, because I don’t play bass; I just sing. So it’s fun. I get to move around because they’ve got this wireless system and shit.
When you listen to other bands, is the bass like one of the main things you notice?
Only when it’s shitty!
Oh okay. Who are some shitty bassists?
Nah, I just like when people get a good bass sound. I like to listen to Geddy Lee and John Entwistle – that kind of shit. Steve Harris… I actually used to play with my fingers for a long time. The reason I switched to a pick is because in this style of music, the bass player has to be tight because it’s just so fast. It’s hard to play that dynamic with your fingers. When you’re speed – when you’re blasting, all you hear is “beep-boop-bl-bleep- boop.” It should be more like a guitar. It’s just like playing rhythm guitar.
Okay. Alright. I think I gotta let you go. It’s been half an hour.
Okay.
Thanks so much!
Thank you very much.
Alright, bye.
To be honest, I NEVER noticed his upside down cross on his forehead! I had to look at some photos very closely to actually notice it.
Thanks again for the cool interview!
Face it, Benton's a tired old man who ran out of material 6 albums ago, and is bitter about anyone else showing up his limited creativity (not that it is very tough). Not even the brand is interesting anymore. Go listen to "In The Nightside Eclipse" again and wake up, stupid.
also there were lots of ruours claiming he would sacrifice animals on stage and i remember a guy from sick it all saying he would just beat up glen if he'd do it.
early 90's ruled!!! carcass was the law!!
Funny stuff!
Deicide Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
About those animal-sacrificing, he used to go to the butcher, buy a few pounds of meat and then let it rot in the sun for a while. When it was really getting dirty he would take it to a show and throw it in the crowd. For all those animal freaks; save some animals and eat a vegitarian!!
I am a Christian and was invited to one of the Deicide concerts by a girl who is into death metal.
I showed up, paid my money and listened to what Glen Benton had to say through his music and comments. During one of his interludes Mr. Benton made the comment, "I said f*** you to Jesus a long time ago."
After the concert I hung around and talked with him about his comment and mentioned the real issue for Mr. Benton as it relates to Jesus,
"Jesus never said F*** you to you."
In the end, Christianity is not simply about a belief system, it is about a relationship with a living God who has always lived, and a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross was exactly for people like me and Mr. Benton (he was crucified because God has a serious negative view of sin and we don't have any means in and of ourselves to atone for sin). Jesus hung on that cross to express his love for human beings (me, you, and Glen Benton). In the end, those who reject Him are only hurting themselves and spitting on the one being in the universe who truly loves them and who already did the work to make things new.
Whatever perspective Mr. Benton has on Jesus that he learned in relationship with "Christians" may not even be what Jesus would express to Mr. Benton, but what people who claim to reflect Jesus are reflecting to him.
To categorically dismiss Jesus and the Bible because of what others say about them or what others seem to do in His name is like judging Mr. Benton for what rabid, church burning, human sacrificing satanists do.
Just some thoughts.
Much respect to Glen Benton and to Mark Prindle... keep up the good work!
and i like the "oh uhhhh i killed a reindeer last night" bit.. its true though.. its like those kids who are "punk" and like love TRL and all anti comformest.. gimmie a break
Hail deicide!
I like black metal-DARKTHRONE!!!- and he does have a point about some of those bands.
'Oh uhh… I killed a reindeer last night. Then I shoveled the driveway.' Classic!
It sounds like something my mom would say about his music "Just sounds like blur and screaming." It's obvious he's getting senile.
BLACK/DEATH METAL SUCK
Of course most black metal is going to make no sense to a guy who has written one song about one thing over and over for the greater part of 20 years. Everytime he opens his mouth he proves how ignorant and single faceted he is.
hes got the nerve to down black metal musically when deicide sucks just as bad?
I live in Norway, and we don't just kill reindeer. We killed Santa Claus and WE WILL kill Glenn Benton if he drags his sorry ass over here! Isn't this the guy who said he would commit suicide by the age of 33? What is he now - like 53? Glen Benton smells like elderberries.
Hey man, I think what you do is fucking great! No one more would I want to head the anti christian movement in america then you mate.
While I do agree most black metal bands today sound like that. There are bands like you said Immortal, Gorgoroth, marduk, destroyer 666, dark funeral that keep/did playing some of the greatest metal ever.
Words are good to keep using. Sometimes actions are good too. America is just becoming worse and worse. Why? because we dont take action. I feel christians ignore words. If they dont, then try to profit from it.
Just my opinion. Cant wait for the new album!
glenn, this time you didn't take the right moment to shut up!
"Dead By Dawn"
"Dead By Dawn"
"Dead By Dawn"
"Dead By Dawn"
I mean come on, Stephen King is a "horror writer" is HE supposed to write comdies & love stories & stuff? FUCK NO! He writes what he likes, so I see nothing wrong with Deicide writing what they want to write about.
I think some of you may need a testosterone check, or some midol!
PS: BLAWR- BLAWR- RUHRRRRRR- BLUUUUUHHR!
G-L-E-N-B-E-N-T-O-N!
Every time I think I know just how stupid this fucking moron is, he goes and proves that he's even dumber!
Hey Glen, your words and actions are a great testimonial to the stupidity of your beliefs. Christianity benefits from idiots like you making fools of themselves.
I mean, Glen describes the black metal thing with the same attitude as the people who was use to criticize death metal at the begining.
Actions which make satanism look stupid? What about burn a cross on your forefront? Or commit suicide at 33 to celebrate Christ death? HOW OLD WERE YOU GLEN?
Don't get me wrong, I like Deicide (the first 2 albums being absolute masterpieces) but I can see the funny side of the thing, I guess.
And finally, I have to say that Glen has some good point: I've always thaught that Black Metal is for silly kids and face painting it's for theatre...... but it's just me. BM has so many fans around the world that something must be good. I just cannot see any metal feeling in Panda lookalike people. They're like Manson to me: Bullshit!
It's sad that all these old death metal bands that have not released anything interesting since the early nineties bag on the black metal scene. It's pretty hypocritical, considering that all their arguments they use are the same ones that ignorant people used on the death metal bands when *they* were coming up. I think it's a sort of lashing out, because subconsciously, bands like Deicide and Slayer (remember the tirades Kerry King would have about the "cookie monster" bands?) realize that their place in the market is being filled by another band. Before they were the fastest, most shocking, most whatever bands in the world, and now they're just a stepping stone or a benchmark and no longer really relevant.
It's nice when a band returns to form, but after almost an entire decade of mediocrity, it's a case of a little too late. Bands like Emperor may sound shitty to Glen Benton, but they have released more albums consecutively that have stayed longer in my CD player than 80% of Deicide's albums - and they're the ones that made me like extreme metal in the first place.
If he fails to see the ingeniousness of bands liek darkthrone, mayhem and emperor, then that's his loss!
Oh, and maybe you should get your facts straight about norway, and not play mr. know-it-all?
too many bands try too hard
Hammers Rule!
Up The Irons!
Iron maiden's gonna getcha!
But i have to agree on what this loser says: why not mickey mouse ears?! same shit, new wrapping!
Take a bow Benton, I couldn't have put it better myself. This retarded shit combined with the dungeons and dragons shit, lame costumes and theatrics so bad it makes an episode of Saved By The Bell look good is what makes Metal look stupid. People bitch, "nu-metle sukz! Iron Poopchute RULZE!!" but fuck, I think I'd rather listen to Taproot, Mushroomhead and Hatebreed than someone dressed like a fucking gremlin pissing on the bible while making vocal noises usually reserved for a dog trying to shit out a car.
The problem is that when you say "use words" you have to remember that most of these church burning mongoloids don't understand the rudimentry basics of language. You're talking about people who hate all lyrics unless they involve the words "Blood, death, eating intestines, scat, satan, gore, chainsaw, messy gore." So any words you might have to say anything to them are wasted and you're better off pantomiming your message with a pair of spock ears on with a battle axe.
And before these retards start in on me about what "real" metal is, if by "real" you mean, "dressing up like an SCA nerd" then I think I'd rather be called mallcore.
Hey regardless if you like him or hate him. He did a great fucking job on the new VR and the new Deicide! Its been voted by many as one of the best Death Metal albums of 2003.How about a VR tour Glen? Dechristianize!
But there are way too many different kinds of metal to argue which one is the "real" one, I'll agree with you there.
At the end of the day, it's better to just listen to and write what you like, and don't stick your neck out and say dumb stuff about things you don't like. Then you just make yourself look like a jackass, just like Glen.
Hahahaha amazing!!!
I used to hate this guy cause of his satanic beliefs, but this interview has shed some light on my opinion about him. It's good to see that he's backing his beliefs with some true substance and not with the "theatrics" he mentions. Props for Glenn for keeping his shit real
Actually I loved when he used to call up that religious freak Bob Larson and threaten to kill him. That was pretty funny, only because Bob and his radio crew would never see it coming. And it was always on a Friday too, which was always a great start to the weekend.
Prior to august 2002, and getting into the death metal scene - i was a great admirer GnR, Nirvana, soundgarden and listened to a few metallica songs as i was growing up. Getting into death metal for me was 'meant to happen'. if you got that last sentence, understood what im trying to say then \m/.
Now about Deicide and Glen Benton, Personaly when I first listened to my first deicide songs which im sorry to say i downloaded off other users on kazaa (i now own 2 albums so heh) i was very fucking impressed. Its songs like 'Once Upon The Cross' that fucking allow me and many others im sure, to 'unwind'. I think as the lead vocalist in one of the most influential bands in its genre, Glen is fucking superb.
Who gives a FLYING fuck about the thing on his forehead ? what if Glen had an abnormality on his forehead like an over growth ? what if it was a tattoo of a fucking angel with the words inscribed 'i bring you love and joy - this earth is beautiful' (when infact its clearly not...look at how ppl treat one another for starters, the rich are evil the poor arent...im from England, West London and for the first time my ears began to function for a purpose...)
Cmon we're living in a very strange world here...homosexual marriages, peadophiles being given minimum prision sentences and put back into our neighbourhoods right next door to familys, terrorism, exploition of the poor by the 'rightful rich folk'. Im surprised im not out there myself producing masterpieces like 'once upon the cross' BURNING crosses on stage and pissing over doctrines and all that garbage ppl are blindly following. heh.
As if society isnt full of fucked up people already, you get MORE of those type when they knock off a perfectly acceptable music genre known as 'death metal'. death metal is partially about 'expressionism' . i hope theres such a word, if not fuck it there is now. so anyways like i was saying - black metal, death metal, gore/grind - theyre all their own thing - i get along fine with anybody into any of those genres because there really isnt THAT much that seperates me from a lets say 'emperor' fan or a 'dimmu borgir' fan. there are songs from certain black metal bands that i even enjoy listening to.
For me Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Kataklysm, DEICIDE \m/, Incantation, Nile, Hate Eternal, Decapitated are bands that are communicating to their fans through a form of music that they and the bands themselves understand, love and enjoy.
I don't declare war on anybody whos into their own stuff, just dont knock me off for liking my stuff. I need my regular dosage of death metal or else i begin to act foolish and vulnerable to the hypocrital coniving fuckers in society. Death metal added more to my persona and i see things from all kinds of views. Less arguing please - respect one anothers musical tastes - picking on death metal heads is like playing with fire, you'll get burnt heh.
now i really think ive forgotten what I was REALLY gonna say...but there u go cant type for ever can i. Oh and Glen, if you ever read this - man I think youre a class act. stay brutal all \m/
Anyways, metal from Norway rules, heck, there are Christian death metal
bands from Norway that sound better than you, (Extol for example).
I dont think anyone should keep bothering him though, he does have his
privacy and freedoms. Eh, he's going to hell anyways, leave him be while hes
still on earth.
ps: My God... He has kids...
heh...heh...h..
Wake up, people! Theres more out there than this void called Deicide - a bunch of dirty, stinking slobs that call making a bunch of noise talent. This shit is NOT death metal. Deicide shud rather go learn from the real masters of death metal - Death, Obituary, Carcass, Napalm Death and gods like those! Rather read intelligent interviews with Chuck Shuldiner for instance. Why do people like Shrek Benton get to carry on with their shit but masters like Chuck Shuldiner pass away after a long time of suffering with a terrible illness. Id love to see Shrek Benton taking on God......he will be squashed like a bug.......now that will rock more than Deicide`s untalented unfunny joke anthems. Rather be regulars on Jerry Springer, boys...
Real Metal forever....Slayer`s the law!!!!
Up the irons!!
none of you fucking haters have the chops to be in deicide.
LONG LIVE GLENN!!!!
Face it ladies, most of it sounds like it was recorded on a tape deck in an aircraft hanger somewhere outside Oslo, and the fag face painting sucks reindeer nuts.
If you like that shit then listen to it and don't rag on a guy for having an opinion.
Sure, they suck NOW, and even I was ready to write them off years ago because of Benton's annoying attitude, but I'm sorry, the self-titled album, Legion, and to a somewhat lesser degree, Once Upon the Cross, are all death metal classics.
What is with all the sheep writing here too? Didn't realize the Bible Belt visited markprindle.com, I woulda thought nothing holy ever entered this site!
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