Once upon the Cross
Once upon the Cross is the third studio album by American death metal band Deicide. It was released on April 18, 1995, by Roadrunner Records.
| Once upon the Cross | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 18, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Death metal | |||
| Length | 28:10 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Deicide, Scott Burns | |||
| Deicide chronology | ||||
| ||||
The samples at the beginning of the opening track "Once upon the Cross" and "Trick or Betrayed" are taken from the film The Last Temptation of Christ.
Background
Steve Asheim said of Once upon the Cross, "Listening back, '...Cross' seems very slow. Live we play those songs much faster. Actually we've always played them faster than they are on the record. When we went in the studio in '94 and I recorded the drum tracks at the speed I had been playing them at practice, we only had 22 minutes with the same amount of songs, they were just faster. 22 minutes does not make an album so I re-recorded the songs at a more controlled pace and still only ended up with 30 minutes. So there it was."[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Kerrang! | [3] |
| NME | 3/10[4] |
David Jehnzen of Allmusic said, "A typically brutal set from Deicide that is particularly notable for the guitar pyrotechnics of Eric and Brian Hoffman." He also noted, "the band continues to grow."[2]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Glen Benton; all music is composed by Deicide (Steve Asheim)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Once upon the Cross" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Christ Denied" | 3:38 |
| 3. | "When Satan Rules His World" | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Kill the Christian" | 2:57 |
| 5. | "Trick or Betrayed" | 2:25 |
| 6. | "They Are the Children of the Underworld" | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Behind the Light Thou Shall Rise" | 2:59 |
| 8. | "To Be Dead" | 2:39 |
| 9. | "Confessional Rape" | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 28:10 | |
Personnel
- Glen Benton – bass, vocals
- Eric Hoffman – guitars
- Brian Hoffman – guitars
- Steve Asheim – drums
- Deicide – production
- Scott Burns – production
References
- Deicide interview (06/2006) - Metal Storm
- Jehnzen, David. "Once Upon the Cross - Deicide". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- Arnopp, Jason (July 15, 2000). "Reissues". Kerrang!. EMAP (810): 45.
- Lewis, Angela. "Review: Deicide - Once Upon The Cross (Roadrunner/All formats)". NME. IPC Media (May 20, 1995): 45.
- Arnopp, Jason (July 15, 2000). "Reissues". Kerrang!. EMAP (810): 45.