DEICIDE, roughly translated "the killing of God", are the world's biggest-selling and bloodiest death metal band. Matthew Blythe spoke to lead singer Glen Benton in the run-up to their gig in Newport.

Other than his Satan- rousing music, Glen Benton will be remembered for three things: 1. Branding an upside-down crucifix on his forehead once a month. 2. Chucking buckets of blood and entrails over his fans at gigs. And, 3. Failing to kill himself at the age of 33 as promised.

"I made that statement but it was said in a hypothetical way," explains Glen 14 years on. "It wasn't like it was something I was looking forward to! But I had a real bad bike crash when I was 33, so it came pretty close." Sacrificing yourself to Satan has been a theme of Glen's work right from the outset, with the number Sacrificial Suicide on Deicide's eponymous debut LP.

Back in 1990 Deicide was conservative America's worst nightmare, raised on a surge of lawsuits against rock bands like Judas Priest, alleged to have planted subliminal messages on vinyl and inciting youths to commit suicide.

But far from pleading not guilty, Deicide boasted that that was exactly what they were doing, and kids flocked to their gigs and made their second LP, Legion, the biggest-selling death metal album of all time.

The bucket antics got them banned from most clubs in Britain before they'd even arrived, and animal rights groups made bomb threats a-plenty to their then record label, Roadrunner.

They even got flak from other Satan- worshipping rockers like black metal bands and fans from Norway, who deemed Glen a plonker and threatened to kill him and his band.

Not bad for four blokes from sunny Florida who have only ever written anti-God and satanic songs and who proclaim that the purpose of their music is to get them through one of the seven gates of hell. "There's something in the water here (Florida)," says Glen. "I think it started off with Nasty Savage and stuff like that, and there was a real metal scene back then.

"It just grew from that. People would come to all those metal shows that were going down.

"It was a struggling little scene and it grew into a big scene, and a lot of bands came out of that because there were a lot of people into it. "It had a lot to do with the generation we were. It just fell into our laps as far as the sounds that were coming out back in those days.

"It just happened. We were peddling around here for a couple of years and we knew that if we didn't record something, then we'd fizzle out like everyone else.

"We got the demo and that got us signed. At the time we didn't think anything of it. It was just good times in our lives. "That first album was a reflection of who we were at the time, like with every record. Everybody grows, certain things change, social situations and climates..."

A decade and a half have passed, and Glen is living in a three-bedroom house in suburbia with his wife and two sons, including one called Daemon.

Deicide have just released their first LP for UK label Earache, having split acrimoniously from Roadrunner after two poorly received albums. "The last two records for Roadrunner were just obligations for us," explains Glen. "It was a case of 'get in, get it done, get off that label'.

"I think there's some good songs on Insineratehymn but the last one was real rushed. We just wanted to get out. It only took four days to record it. 'There you go! '

Earache gave us a good deal and they've been good so far." The label may have changed, but the style and lyrical content is still very much brutal business as usual, says Glen. "Oh yeah, man. I'm getting old and grouchy. When I was doing the album, I wanted to outdo myself, both lyrically and with the vocals.

"I had a lot of stuff sitting in my brain that I wanted to get out. It just builds up and stores itself, so when I sit down to write it just falls out of me. I have a sheet of paper by my bed so if I wake up with an idea I just write it down."

And while Glen might live in a sleepy street in the commuter belt where the only things people care about is keeping your house and lawn in order, he still hasn't righted his crucifix.

"It's (Satanism) just a way of life, man. I'm not out torturing people's kids or doing stupid stuff like that, it's just about being the anti-Christian that I am.

"I'm anti-Christian and I'm anti-established religion, and that's the way I live my life. I'm just doing my own thing.

"The only time I set out to offend anybody is when I speak my mind and sing these songs. I don't preach to anybody. I just say what I've got to say in my lyrics, and that's it."

Deicide play TJ's, Newport on Wednesday, June 9. Dial 01633 216608 for info.