I knew it! I had a feeling that the infusion of Jack Owen and Ralph Santolla into the band (in place of the Hoffman brothers) would do Deicide a world of good. Even though their previous album, Scars of the Crucifix, was faster and more aggressive than the albums preceding it, it lacked any real punch in the riffing department. But with The Stench of Redemption, Deicide have finally managed to put together a lethal package replete with catchy hooks, blistering drumming and melodic solos that make sure the listener is not offered a palate of bland, repetitive death metal.

The songwriting is pretty much the one big aspect that has been improved considerably, though full credit must also be given to Steve Asheim, who shows he can blast away with the best of them on songs like "Homage To Satan" and "Not of This Earth." Getting back to the songwriting, every song has stellar guitarwork in the form of well played solos that keep the tempo and interest levels up during the slower parts.

I am reminded of Serpents of the Light while listening to this and though that is in no way a bad thing, I do think Deicide could have done a bit more to make this even more brutal considering that Jack Owen is now in the band. The man is capable of so much more than just fast tremolo riffing to go along with the blastbeats. That is the only reason why this album doesn’t reach the 9 mark level, but it still remains one of the nicest surprises of this year. (8.8/10)