First, the vocals are what you would expect from Glenn Benton, so if you're expecting some sort of transition of sound or vocal style, you won't find it here. Secondly, the music on this release is straight evil. The speed at which the songs are played is insane. Machine gun drumming with riffs upon riffs and solos that would make Satan stop and head bang. The guitars on this release are killer. Speed aside, their sound is varied throughout the album. Yes, they can play the classic death chug riff well enough, but they are not limited to just plodding along with a single sound. At times their style is very melodic and even technical to a degree, making them, in my opinion the true highlight of this album. I suppose you can't have one without the other in that Benton's vocals, combined with insane drumming and fantastic guitars make for a very enjoyable release.
I can't in good conscious end without mentioning the most notable aspect of this album: the length. "Dechristianize" is 9 songs (one being an intro), 60 minutes. The biggest complaint this album has is that, the songs are simply too long. That the songs start strong, but they lose their luster because of the length. On one hand I agree. Many of these songs may have benefited from being two minutes shorter than they are, as a few tend to drag on a bit, but I don't think that makes them unlistenable. That being said, I am quick to point out Vital Remains' "Let Us Pray" and "Forever Underground". These two albums are held in high regards throughout death metal circles and yet, the songs on those albums (particularly "Forever Underground") are pretty lengthy as well. I enjoyed those albums, so I'm not going to complain about song length on any one of Vital Remains' albums. Is this a perfect album? Nope. Do the lengths of the songs take away from the overall sound? Yes and no, but it's not as though the songs are a constant rehash of the same riff for 7 minutes or are bloated with three minutes of samples or long drawn funeral doomesque guitar sections. I was a fan when I picked this up in college and I'm still a fan of this album today.
Highlights: "Dechristianize" "Rush of Deliverance" "Devoured Elysium"
Rating: 4
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