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Noises. Louder and louder. A voice cries out in despair: "Father, why have you forsaken me?" And immediately hell breaks loose; devilish guitars and blasting drums seem to say that the plea will receive no answer. This is how Once Upon The Cross opens, the third sacrifice by Deicide (fourth, if we also consider the two demos reissued by Roadrunner in '93). The congregation led by Glen Benton needs no introduction: thanks to their harsh yet "square" sound, almost never chaotic, and thanks also to outrageous (if ridiculous) lyrics and statements, Deicide have imposed themselves since their inception to the attention of the more esoteric metal audience and are now known even to those uninitiated in death metal. However, their popularity has definitely decreased in recent years, mainly due to an almost immobile musical proposal that has somewhat worn on everyone. Nonetheless, this seems to not disturb them at all, as they continue to wearily revisit the sounds of milestones like the eponymous debut or Legion. Or like Once Upon The Cross, undoubtedly one of the most valid episodes in the Floridian band's discography. Nine tracks for a scant twenty-nine minutes: a very short album and yet not as blasted as one might expect. In fact, it's fair to say that in Once Upon The Cross the mid-tempos are the true masters, which the band skillfully alternates with sudden accelerations. This is already confirmed in the title track: after an initial burst, the song unfolds in mid-tempos only to suddenly reaccelerate near the chorus. Other pieces follow more or less the same dynamics, for instance, the following Christ Denied, which overall is more cadenced and is memorable for its piercing riffing. Or the furious Kill The Christian: here too a very fast pre-chorus gives way to a "doomy" and deep chorus (not certainly in textual terms, of course!).
At this point, however, it must be said that a track-by-track review is fundamentally useless given the compactness of the record (which should not be confused with monotony); it’s better to focus on the performances of the individual members. Excellent, therefore, is the performance of Steve Asheim, one of the best death drummers, who creates a real labyrinth of intricate countertimes in songs of the caliber of Confessional Rape or Trick Or Betrayed. Not to mention the earth-shattering Behind The Light Thou Shall Rise, where incessant martial rolls overlap the usual double bass drum wall.
On their part, Eric and Brian Hoffman create an unceasing lava flow of murky and evil riffs; impossible to resist When Satan Rules His World, with its pompous stride, to They Are The Children Of The Underworld, characterized by perfect intersections between guitar and vocal lines, or again to To Be Dead. The solos, although essential, manage to be evocative and hallucinatory.
To conclude everything, there is Glen Benton's growl, bestial and catacomb-like, albeit more standardized compared to the past. In some moments, like at the beginning of the title track (when he roars: "Fear him, fear him, fear him . . . Satan"), the Deicide vocalist adopts a characteristic chant-like and obsessive tone, a kind of blasphemous version of the songs sung during religious ceremonies. And indeed, listening to Once Upon The Cross, it really feels like being in the middle of a macabre gathering of fanatics. As for the lyrics, I would say it's not worth wasting too many words: as we all know, they are simply a jumble of absurdities about the final victory of the Antichrist and the extermination of Christians, which says nothing even to those interested in dark or esoteric themes. Pure and simple ravings devoid of any intellectual value, in short, but I must emphasize this point - they are not enough to dismiss a musical proposal that is (or rather was) objectively very interesting. In conclusion, Once Upon The Cross is a compact work without any drops in tone where all the technical prowess of Deicide emerges. (And also all their genius, given that at the time they had not yet become pale imitations of themselves). A masterpiece, perhaps the last great album of a band whose excessively uncompromising attitude has prevented truly significant evolutions.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Once Upon the Cross (03:34)
Once upon the cross
Father!!! Why Have You Forsaken ME???!!!
Nazarene in the valley of persuasion
To receive last temptations from Lord Satan
"Take a bite" said the serpent, "eat of it"
Without no choice to do so, you cannot resist
Impaled crucifixion
Compassion forgot
Eternal damnation
Once upon the cross
Blasphemy laughs at thee
Jesus you've been deceived
Struggling on the cross
Gagging to breathe
Despise your god, question why
You were retrieved by the angel of light
Once upon the cross
Kill him, kill him, kill him.... Satan
Nazarene screaming on his crucifixion
Prophecy in its final contradiction
When you die is when the lie will be believed
Upon the cross, before the world to see
Impaled crucifixion
Compassion forgot
Eternal damnation
Once upon the cross
Once upon the cross
03 When Satan Rules His World (02:54)
Open the door Jehovah you whore
I am the servant of who rules this world
Archnemesis of your light
One look at me and you know he is I
Run away when confronted with Satan
Always here and forever will be
Your concern for my Lord is becoming
Defecate on your book of belief
Door to door soliciting war
Feeble man with salvation as sword
Disturb and see you will die
For I am of Him in his world you're confined
Why try? World dies, Christ hides
When Satan rules his world
Disease, run free, killing
When Satan rules his world
Religion, infliction, obscene
When Satan rules his world
Witness, dismissed, executed
When Satan rules his world
04 Kill the Christian (02:57)
You are the one we despise
Day in day out your words compromise lives
I will love watching you die
Soon it will be and by your own demise
Buried in hypocrisy
Lacerate your faith in god
Morally diseased
On the cross of Calvary your body bashed, defeated, stabbed
Blessing as you hate
Loyal to your enemies
Monetary faith
As him you'll pay for the lies of your prophecy
Satan wants you dead
Kill the Christian, kill the Christian
Kill the Christian, kill the Christian
Kill the Christian, kill the Christian
Kill the Christian
Armies of darkness unite
Destroy their temples and churches with fire
Where in his world will you hide
Sentenced to death, the anointment of Christ
Buried in hypocrisy
Lacerate your faith in god
Morally diseased
On the cross of Calvary your body bashed, defeated, stabbed
Blessing as you hate
Loyal to your enemies
Monetary faith
As him you'll pay for the lies of your prophecy
Satan wants you dead
Kill the Christian, kill the Christian
Kill the Christian, kill the Christian
Kill the Christian, kill the Christian
Kill the Christian
In due time your path leads to me
Put you out of your misery
The death of prediction
Kill the Christian
Kill the Christian...dead!
05 Trick or Betrayed (02:24)
They will say that he loves you, he don't
From their bible they're controlled
His descent they expect in our life
They'll be waiting till they die
Disembark from their path of belief
It in turn will set you free
Cannot live with the fact that they're wrong
That there is no truth in god
Trick or betrayed
Their faith ends in pain
Rip up their bible before it's too late
Time we undo unity
For it is for fools
In this world we don't need
Trick or betrayed
I think you should know
They know it's true
That their book is a hoax
Join us to see through the light
Christ is a scheme and will ruin your life
Trick or betrayed
Why insist on the cross died for us
His infliction never was
They assume that his death brought them life
To be dead will change their minds
When you see what you feel is not real
Disapointment is revealed
Cannot live with the fact that they're wrong
There is no such thing as god
Trick or betrayed
Their faith ends in pain
Rip up their bible before it's too late
Time we undo unity
For it is for fools
In this world we don't need
Trick or betrayed
I think you should know
They know it's true
That their book is a hoax
Join us to see through the light
Christ is a scheme and will ruin your life
06 They Are the Children of the Underworld (03:11)
In the creation of Anu were spawned
Born of the Earth before they're known
Evade destruction in their world below
Their hands reach for our place outside
Bestow their suffering on human life
Nothing will stop them from re-entering
Return to hatred in the heart of man
They are the children of the underworld
Before the heavens they were on the Earth
To desolation and were never heard
"Cry rebirth"
Lords of the plague, seven are they
Born in the mountain of Mashu's magic
Spirits of hate, they have no name
Withered and wicked, the liars in wait
In the creation of Anu were spawned
With deadly vengeance from the ancient gods
Their place on Earth, their race unknown
Beyond the knowledge of the elder ones
Provoking with our blood to rise
The seven offspring for the sacrifice
Reclaim the power of the crown of death
Enter the body from the temple dead
09 Confessional Rape (03:52)
Father integrity, perverted secrecy
Molesting innocent children you're trusted with
What is vowed you cannot live, unbound by celibence
Indulge in sacrilege, to serve unto Satan
Manipulate through threats of god's hate
Abhorrently extorted
Molest the faith, confessional rape
Denial is aborted
Exploit the flesh of christian descent
Incesting consent
Alter your life from behind the light
Master Lord Satan decides
Father hypocrisy, exerting fantasy
Persuading innocent children to where you live
What is vowed does not exist, you are in debt to sin
Apologize and plead, begging god for mercy
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