Deicide is an American
death metal band formed in 1987 by bassist and vocalist
Glen Benton and drummer
Steve Asheim. The band rose to mainstream success in 1992 with their second album
Legion, and is credited as the second best-selling death metal band of the
Soundscan Era, after
Cannibal Corpse. Since their debut album in 1990, Deicide has released eleven studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums and two live DVDs. In November 2003, their first two albums,
Deicide and
Legion, were ranked second and third place respectively in best-selling death metal albums of the
SoundScan era. Deicide is known for their lyrics, which cover topics such as
Satanism,
anti-religion and
blasphemy. Their lyrics have resulted in bans, lawsuits and criticism from religious groups and the public.