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Deicide

Wywiad przeprowadził - Wouter Roemers
Florida death metal veterans Deicide have been delivering high quality Satanic death metal since the early 1990's. After a few uninspired and bland records in the early years of the new millennium Deicide returned to form with 2004's "Scars Of the Crucifix" and confidently presented their revised line-up and sound with 2006's "The Stench Of Redemption". Now in 2008 Deicide have delivered another admirable yet different sounding record with the more personal and gloomy "Till Death Do Us Part". Drummer Steve Asheim talks to Masterful Magazine about the band's latest line-up qualms, their new record and his up-and-coming prestigious extreme metal project Order Of Ennead. Hi Steve! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview for us. How does it feel being the spokesperson for the band? Have you adapted to this role easily, seeing as to how Glen usually does the majority of the press?

Well, I look at it like you have to do what you have to do. I'd prefer to be the dude in the background, it's a lot easier. But this is cool too.

"Till Death Do Us Part" is definitely the most diverse Deicide album yet. As I understand it was written in a rather short time frame as well. Tell us a bit about how you experienced the writing process for this album.

It was a stressful time and I was relieving the stress by writing a lot of riffs to keep my mind busy. I started demoing ideas and turning them into songs. I started writing one song a day and demoing it in the next 2 days or so, then starting on the next song. It took about 4 weeks and the record was written and demoed, music anyway.

Was it difficult to arrange proper rehearsals for this record? Glen Benton was having personal and legal troubles, Jack Owen was concentrating on his hard rock band Adrift and Ralph Santolla had defected to Obituary for quite some time. You must have been feeling as being stuck between a rock and a hard place, I can imagine?

Well, for those very reasons there were no rehearsals, not one. When it was time to go to the studio it was just me and Jim [Morris, producer]. Ralph or Jack popped in to do some leads and Glen Benton popped in to do vocals. That was it.

The recording process at Morrissound in Tampa, Florida musn't been easy as well. With various recording sessions happening many weeks or months apart, not knowing how the final result will turn out. Tell us something about that.

It was frustrating because the process seemed to drag on forever. When it was done I was relieved but also unfulfilled. It was a very unrewarding experience. It was like nobody gave a shit, but me.

Prior to this record Glen Benton experienced a lengthy amount of personal and legal problems, resulting in perhaps the most personal lyrics he has penned in a while.

Yeah well, I figure at least he was inspired by something, instead of just the same ol' shit or just up and quitting.



"The Stench Of Redemption" was a landmark album for the band by all means. Do you feel that its success and the band's momentum was curtailed when Benton's problems began?

No, there's always going to be something to pop up and squeeze the life out of this band, it seems. And there's never been anything I can do about it except try to pull all pieces back together and carry on for the next outing.

Continuing with that question, would you have continued to tour as much as you did hadn't Glen problems sidelined the band as drastically as it did?

That was definitely my plan. But, as you say, you can't control everything.

How did your European booking agency Massive Music react when the news hit that Glen Benton couldn't attend what was probably the band's most important tour in some years?

Mariusz [Kmiołek, Massive Music owner] practically had a heart attack right then and there!

Kudos to Massive Music, however, for solving the problems as they did with arranging last minute stand-in vocalists and bassists. It's not every day that an agency goes and above and beyond the call of duty to make a tour happen. Any reactions?

Yeah, I got a reaction. How about kudos to me, Jack and Ralph for not backing out and costing Massive Music a massive amount of cash, for bending backwards and working with every possible applicant and logistical problem there was? Mariusz said to me "I can call a guy, past that, it's up to you." That was the most difficult problem ever faced by Deicide and beside from almost going to prison in Austria for bank robbery, we pulled it off and nobody got fucked over.

Ralph Santolla only is a session/guest musician for this record. Will he tour with the band when fitting tour opportunities present themselves or will Dave Suzuki (Vital Remains) substitute again, as he did on the "Scars Of the Crucifix" world tour?

No, nobody I know of has heard from Dave Suzuki. But I wish he would call and I wish him all the best. Ralph will step in when he has the time.

Seeing as how this is your third record for Earache Records, are you happy the way they have been accommodating the bands needs?

Certain things, yes and certain thing no. Leave it at that.

Recently you signed a worldwide deal with Earache Records with your new extreme metal band Order Of Ennead. I have only heard bits and pieces of the albums by Council Of the Fallen, the preceding band. How much is different is Order Of Ennead compared to that act?

I think it's way different. It's far tighter and more comprehensive than ever. Far more listenable now than before.



It was recently announced that there would be limited touring for "Till Death Do Us Part" and in Chronicles Of Chaos magazine you also announced that this could possibly be Deicide's last album. So, I take it Order Of Ennead is a priority for you now. Will this band tour globally: Europe, the US and beyond?

Order Of Ennead does plan on touring as extensively as possible. I will also make myself available for as many Deicide gigs as arise.

On a sidenote, supposedly the Hoffman brothers have reactivated the legendary pre-Deicide act Amon sometime ago. Also, they'd be working or running a fastfood joint in Ohio, have you heard anything about that?

Yeah, I did hear something about that. But you hear a lot of things, doesn't mean they're true.

Finally, you'll be penning a regular column for Sickdrummer.com soon. How did that happen and what sort of thing will be featured in it?

Well, I think it actually will be semi-regular, but it'll be great. I'll just comment on whatever needs commenting, I guess. Studio stuff, tour stuff, whatever stuff!

Thanks a lot for talking to us and success with both Deicide and Order Of Ennead. Cheers!

Thank you for your interest and support! Cheers!


Booking: www.massive-music.pl
Site: www.deicide.com


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