Glen Benton

Glen Benton

Glen Benton is a North American heavy metal musician best known as the frontman of Florida-based death metal band Deicide, although Benton himself does not accept the "death metal" terminology. He is also the studio vocalist for Vital Remains, and has performed live with them on a few occasions. He has also performed guest vocals for other death metal groups, most notably Napalm Death on the song "Unfit Earth" from the album Harmony Corruption and Cannibal Corpse on "A Skull Full of Maggots" from Eaten Back to Life and "Vomit the Soul" from Butchered at Birth. He also appeared on the Roadrunner United 25th anniversary album, he performed vocals in the popular song "Annihilation by the Hands of God".

Interests

Benton is known for his interest in motorcycles, which can be seen in the video for the title track from Scars of the Crucifix.

In '93, Benton expressed an interest in burning live animals, usually small rodents. This caused controversy, and Benton was even beaten up inside Bradford, England.

Beliefs

Benton is known for his Satanic (Adversarion) and anti-Christian beliefs and views of todays corrupt religious systems', and credits an aunt for sparking his interest in the occult at a young age. To this end, he had, in the early-to-mid-1990s, a small side-career as an oppositionist call-in guest to Christian radio shows, such as Bob Larson's "Talk Back" show. Larson continually invited Benton to his talk show but Benton always declined, once returning the release form to be on Larson's show with his signature and the scab he picked off of his forehead where he burned an inverted cross.

The nature of his 'Satanism' is obscure and has become a subject of much controversy in recent years,. In early years, Benton was ostensibly a theistic satanist; he implied he had accepted the belief of the Christian God but worshipped the devil instead. Thus his beliefs have been put to question by followers of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, which Benton has blasted on the grounds that it is an organised religion promoting what he perceives to be "Hollywood Satanism". In recent years however, his 'Satanism' would appear to have subsided into vehement anti-Christian atheism, as some opinions he expressed recently would appear to contradict his motives in earlier years. Furthermore, the self-titled 1990 debut album of his group Deicide featured a song entitled "Sacrificial Suicide", in which Benton was alleged to have claimed that in order to achieve a life opposite that of Jesus he planned to commit suicide at age 33. He did not carry out this suicide however, explaining he had conceived these premonitions — and claimed that they were the subject of the song — while he was in a state of drunkenness during an interview.

He is also known for having burned an inverted cross into his forehead. He has stated in interviews that it was made from a cross pendant he wore on a necklace as Satan's protection. He claimed that bad things would happen to him if he forgot to wear his cross. "I burnt the fucker in my forehead so I'll always have it on me, and I can never be touched by the Righteous One. By penetrating my soul, I'm protected forever." Also renouncing "I foresee at my end to be banished, By your god for my life and branding", on the track 'Fuck Your God' from the album 'Scars Of The Crucifix'.

When asked in an interview about how long he's been into Satanism he replied: “I've been in the occult since I was nine or ten years old. My Aunt was a Black Witch who got me involved in this stuff initially turning me on to books and later allowing me to partake in practicing the Black Arts. She's a very evil individual.”

I've found myself in rituals where I've caught myself on fire, where it's unexplainable. I've had the skin from the tips of fingers to my elbow where you could completely wipe the skin right off my body. I've experienced things that just don't happen. You can't explain it, there's nothing you can do to explain it, except suffer. For everything you ask there's a price, and if you ask for too much, there's a price and man you gotta pay it. I've paid it a few times. I've lost a lot of things that were dear to me, and when you ask for something and you don't ask for it in the right way, there's always a price. I've learned now how to ask for things without losing anything.

Satan only lies to the undeserving. Satan knows, he knows if your soul's got purity in it, he can tell. That's why these Christians are out there saying, 'Oh Satan only lies, Satan lies.' He lies to them because they are undeserving and they are Christians and they have Godness in them and Christianity in their souls. That's why it can't work for them because they are not completely committed to it. They're not ready to commit their whole lives to Satan. That's why bad things happen to them. You get these Christian kids out there and they want to be into Satanism, they start fucking around with the occult, and the next thing you know is that they are all fucked up. Their lives get so fucking destroyed and then they blame it on Satanism. 'Oh Satan lied to me, blah, blah, blah.' Hey man, they have nobody else to blame but themselves. If this is what they wanted then they would have completely committed themselves to it.

Some have criticized Benton for stereotyping Christianity when he knows little about it and also for enforcing the stereotype that all extreme metal musicians are Monotheistic Satanists.

Trivia

- Has an atheist wife and a son.

- Has been rather critical of fellow heavy metal musician King Diamond, once saying in an interview: "I think King Diamond talks too much shit. King Diamond does interviews and talks shit about us, saying that I tell kids to kill themselves and shit. Eric threatened to kick his ass at a Cleveland airport once. The guy's nothing but a pussy and a poser. Anyone who can denounce Satanism, I don't want nothing to do with."

External links

• Deicide (official site)
• Deicide: sons of Satan, The Metal Forge, 2006-10-16
• Cruciblekk's Chronicles -- The Official Source