Blasting through eight blindingly fast tracks in 29 minutes, Tampa’s Deicide were out for blood on their second album. Bassist/vocalist/mastermind Glen Benton roared with a drill sergeant’s authority as guitarist brothers Eric and Brian Hoffman cranked out thrashy riffs and squealing solos and drummer Steve Asheim cracked the whip, pushing the tempos to the point of near-exhaustion. In keeping with the band’s name, Benton wrote about exactly one thing: how much he hated Jesus. But it was easy to ignore his monomania and bang your head to the band’s furious death metal eruptions.

– Phil Freeman