Deicide (Live In Nottingham)

Deicide were already in the midst of breaking up in 2003, but they managed to summon some vintage cohesion on the night of December 22, when they played The Rescue Rooms in Nottingham, England. It was the last night of a European tour, and the veteran Florida band left everything on the stage—as evidenced by this live album, which documents the entire evening front to back. Some longtime fans had argued that Deicide’s recent albums were weak and their style had long since become rote, but these versions of “Bastard of Chris,” “Bible Basher,” and “Once Upon the Cross” make it feel like they had just finished the songs the night before the concert. Even the most obvious Deicide staples—like “Dead by Dawn,” which they'd played thousands of times over the years—are bursting at the seams with adrenaline. Deicide exude the reckless excitement of a garage band but deliver with the force of combat specialists. The original lineup wasn’t long for the world, but this live album shows how much they could accomplish when they turned up and turned on.