Deicide want fans to calm down

Deicide frontman Glen Benton reveals they’ve been left disappointed by the behaviour of some fans in the past – and says he wants people to enjoy their shows without fear of violence.

He tells OC Weekly: “We’ve seen some crazy shit over the years – death metal pits can get crazy. We’ve seen fights and people overdoing aggression. We’ve had to barricade the dressing rooms and wait until things mellowed out. I don’t know if I ever felt scared but I did feel a bit disappointed a few times. It’s about fun, not violence.

“We just saw a kid split his head open after getting knocked out and we don’t like it anytime anyone gets hurt at the shows – it’s not a good thing.”

“I’d rather see a kid go home smiling about the show rather than with stitches.”

The band have been criticised in the past because of their anti-Christian themes – but Benton says people are finally moving “out of the stone age” and the negative reaction has largely disappeared.

He continues: “We used to have a lot of that years ago but lately it seems we’ve moved out of the stone age with those people. What people don’t get is that as a band, we and many others were scapegoated and got the tail end of the whole 1950’s hating of rock and roll. They called Elvis satanic.

“It’s like the war on drugs to the establishment. You guys lost that war and you’re losing this war against rock music.”

The band are currently on tour across the US supporting In The Minds Of Evil. Their 11th album was released via Century Media Records in 2013.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.