DEICIDE Drummer STEVE ASHEIM Releases New Classical Album And Soundtrack To 1926 'Faust' Silent Movie Classic

Legendary DEICIDE drummer and songwriter Steve Asheim has announced the release of not one, but two classical piano albums, as well as a soundtrack composition celebrating 100 years of the classic black and white silent film "Faust".

Having spent decades providing the relentless battery for Florida-based death metal legends DEICIDE, Asheim has helped create some of the most evil-sounding and downright blasphemous music ever committed to tape. From the genuinely shocking barbarity of the band's self-titled debut in 1990, through iconic albums such as "Legion", "Once Upon The Cross" and "Serpents Of The Light", Asheim's supreme mastery of his instrument has led to an elevated status among his peers and fans alike. But there is another side to the softly spoken musician far removed from the popular perception of him as simply a blast-beat master.

Most fans have come to know that Asheim is a multi-instrumentalist who writes most of the music for DEICIDE. The more attentive among them will have noted the presence, on occasion, of the odd piano piece working its way into Steve's metal albums. Cases in point include the outro to "The Pentecostal" from DEICIDE's "Scars Of The Crucifix" and "Dismantling An Empire" from ORDER OF ENNEAD's self-titled record.

What many people won't know is just how proficient Asheim is on the piano, and how deep his love for classical music runs. He reveals though that this has always been a natural counterpoint to his career within DEICIDE: "I'm self-taught on piano. And the guitar and drums. Understanding music and instruments is just something that came pretty easily to me. So, learning piano was just employing the same musical knowledge but on a different instrument, and just learning that instrument's techniques."

He adds: "I wouldn't say I've played piano publicly, but I have played in front of people. My folks and friends, and a few strangers at places like airports as were passing through. But not a public performance, as you normally think of one. Not yet anyway, but maybe someday…"

Having earlier this year quietly released, via Bandcamp, his first classical collection simply titled "Volume One", Asheim has quickly followed up with "Volume Two", featuring containing classical piano pieces by Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninov, as a companion piece to its predecessor.

Not content with these recordings, Asheim has also created a DVD and Blu-ray release, "Faust - 100 Year Special Anniversary Edition", utilizing material from Volumes One and Two, paired with the groundbreaking visuals from the 1926 film version by F.W. Murnau, now considered a masterpiece of German silent film.

Steve explains that the way the idea unfolded was quite straightforward: "Here's a project that came about in a somewhat unexpected yet totally predictable way. Learning classical piano pieces in order of difficulty over many years, finding old demos and realizing you have enough material for an EP, then deciding to make new recordings to beef up the running time, then realizing that with enough running time I can score a silent movie that I saw two weeks previously? Things unfolded in just the right ways, at just the right times."

"Volume One" is available now via Asheim's Bandcamp page, both digitally and as a limited-edition blue vinyl pressing. "Volume Two" is up for pre-order now at the same location, with the vinyl version this time pressed on red vinyl. Both vinyl versions are also available as a bundle with the "Faust" soundtrack on either DVD or Blu-ray. European fans can order via Eyesore Merch.

In a 2024 interview with Francisco Zamudio of KNAC.COM, Asheim spoke about his early musical inspirations around DEICIDE's formation in the late 1980s. He said: "Well, there were some definitely heavy bands around when I started, and that's how I got into it myself. [Dave Lombardo of] SLAYER and [Gene Hoglan of] DARK ANGEL, from a drumming standpoint, right when I was getting into being an extreme drummer, those were the guys to look up to, and still are. Incredible players, great ideas and execution, and just everything about their playing was great and I liked and still like. And I still try to push myself along those lines like they did. I still enjoy listening to those guys today 'cause they do the same thing — pushing themselves still to this day. It's just nice to be a part of something as crazy as extreme metal is. It's an elite club.

"When we started, there weren't a whole lot of bands like this out," he continued. "Now there are hundreds. And that's cool, because everything grows with time. But it's nice to kind of get in early and see how much it grew and evolved and everything that happened with it. It's an interesting thing to have seen. It's a good thing to be a part of."

Asked how he has managed to perform at such high intensity for nearly four decades, Steve said: "Relatively clean living. Just trying to stay relatively healthy. Not that I'm straight edge or anything, but through the years I've certainly managed to maintain a good physical approach to it and not let anything tear me down physically that would inhibit me from playing at that level. So, definitely just stay strong mentally and physically and keep your head clear so you can perform well."

Asked if there was ever a time in his drumming career and his time with DEICIDE when he hit a roadblock or was struggling with something in his playing, Steve said: "Back [in] our first 10 years or so, we were kind of innovative in our approach, and then as — we were considered fast, but then other bands started coming out that were even faster. And so around that time, I was, like, 'Wow, it's time to try to, like they say, go woodshedding. Time to keep up.' So I was, like, increasing my speed up to what these other guys were doing. They were breaking out BPM-counting drum pads, gauging how fast their single strokes were. So, that was a challenge, and I think I was able to catch up pretty good. And then another 10 years goes by and everyone is gravity blasting, and that's a new thing. And that one, this is where I'm, like, 'You guys keep going with that. I'm gonna hang back here with the old-school blasting. And good luck, man. I'll see you guys down the road.'"

He continued: "When it gets so fast and you have to listen so hard to what's happening, it's a bit of a chore, [whereas with old-school blasting] it's kind of easy to distinguish what's happening without working too hard. It's an easy listen; it's not a chore to listen to."

As for his own personal approach to his drumming, Steve said: "I try to just have the drums not take over the song, but just complement it, but definitely guide it and enhance it, but not take it over."

DEICIDE's latest album, "Banished By Sin", was released in April 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.