INTERVIEW: Steve Asheim – Deicide

There are few bands in death metal with the pedigree of DEICIDE. One of the founding bands in the genre, DEICIDE has a long, storied history packed with with brutal, blasphemous music that has made them one of death metal’s most successful acts. This year, we see Glen Benton, Steve Asheim and co return with Overtures Of Blasphemy (read our review here), the highly anticipated follow up to 2013’s In The Minds Of Evil after the longest album break in their career. We managed to catch up with legendary drummer Steve Asheim to discuss the new record, the break between albums, DEICIDE‘s live plans and more!

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, we really appreciate it. How are you and the rest of the DEICIDE guys doing in the build up to release day?

Steve: Thanks for you taking the time. We’re doing good, a lot of good things happening leading up to the release.

We’ve been getting sporadic bits of information from interviews over the last four years or so regarding the new album, and this has been the longest gap between albums in DEICIDE’s career. What was the reason behind taking your time with Overtures Of Blasphemy?

Steve: We began the writing process a bit later than usual. Usually about a year after a release we start kicking around ideas, this time it was about two years before we started. Then once we got going it took a bit more time. I went back and did some re-writes of the material and got it where it needed to be, but then we got hung up with Sony over a tax issue so it was like “fuck off” for awhile. You know stuff just takes time, you have to let events run their course.

You have said that with this record you wanted to go for a catchier, more old-school sound. What prompted that decision in the writing process?

Steve: That’s just what appeals to Glen [Benton,vocals] and his writing. If the riffs are too off the wall he’s kind of like “what do you expect me to do with this, I can’t even understand what’s going on let alone write to it”. So I keep that in mind when writing riffs and songs. Let’s create a nice open field of music where he can try multiple things, not just paint him into a corner musically. So it’s a good approach, he hears songs he likes, he’s psyched to write to it .

DEICIDE has long been associated with anti-religious lyrics, and your opinion on organised religion is well documented. At this point in your career do you feel that fans expect you to continue this theme, or do you still feel inspired to divulge into the evils of religion?

Steve: Yeah it cuts both ways. It’s what we do, it’s what our band was named after, but also I think lyrically that’s just his ideological comfort zone. He can be pissed and rebellious and all of that. Musically I enjoy creating brutal yet musical songs, so the pairing is a match made in hell, if you don’t mind that cheesy tag line, seems fitting enough though.

Aside from the anti-religious lyrics, what other themes did you want to explore with Overtures Of Blasphemy?

Steve: The darker side of the human spirit and existence, something most can relate to, regardless of religious affiliation.

The second song from Overtures Of Blasphemy, Crawled From The Shadows, has quite a European feel to it. What were the influences behind that track? 

Steve: Yeah I wrote the music for that one in fact.There was no intent behind it, certainly not to sound “European”, no offence to Europeans. I just came up with a set of riffs that worked well together and made a song out of it. It’s as simple as that.

Which of the new tracks are you particularly looking forward to playing live?

Steve: We’re definitely doing the singles that have been released thus far, Excommunicated, Seal The Tomb, and Defying The Sacred. We have a great video coming out for Defying The Sacred very soon, really incredible job the guys did. People should really enjoy it.

It’s been four years since DEICIDE last played in the UK. Are you planning on coming back over during the Overtures Of Blasphemy tour, and if so, will it be a couple of stops on a wider European tour, or a full UK run?

Steve: We’re in the process of working all of that out but I’d certainly enjoy a bunch of shows across all of the UK and Europe as well. We’ll see how it all sorts itself out.

It’s been 11 years since the last DEICIDE live DVD, Doomsday LA, was released. Do you have any plans to record a new DVD anytime soon?

Steve: Actually our performance at Hellfest 2016 was recorded. They did a great job too. So while it’s not an official DVD or whatever, it’s still pretty great. And fans can get it online for free somewhere I’m sure. So consider it a gift from DEICIDE to the fans, enjoy.

Having been one of the most prominent presences in death metal since its origin, how do you feel the genre has progressed?

Steve: Just the fact that’s it’s still around and respected and the bands are still doing well is progression enough, right? The “test of time” and all of that. So yes, let’s keep pushing it, moving it forward, adding years to it’s existence.

Are there any up and coming death metal bands you feel deserve more attention from the metal press?

Steve: I wouldn’t know honestly. You’re the press, you’re the ones supposed to be on top of all that stuff, you tell me.

And are there any bands you came up with in the early days that you feel have been unfairly overlooked or forgotten?

Steve: Well you know “unfairly” is a biasing term. Bands create their own path, create their own circumstances, deal with their challenges however and live with the results. They’re all adults. They create their own destiny. Whether it’s “fair” or not, I personally think it’s more about “you get out of something what you put into it”. I think that’s “fair” enough.

Are DEICIDE fans going to be faced with another five year wait for the next record, or are you planning on keeping to the previous two-or-three-year cycle you had before?

Steve: No I don’t think the wait will be that long for the next one. I’ve already got some new stuff demoed so we’ve got a leg up for the next one. We’ll see how it progresses, time wise.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. Before I let you go, do you have any parting messages for our readers?

Steve: Yes, thanks for all the support over the years, I look forward to coming back over there for some shows, and check out the new video for Defying The Sacred coming out very soon.

Overtures Of Blasphemy is set for release 14th September via Century Media Records. 

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