Eric Hoffman (guitarist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eric Hoffman is an American death metal guitarist best known for being the one of the two lead guitarists in the legendary Florida based Satanic death metal band Deicide, along with his brother Brian Hoffman (age difference unknown) from 1986 until 2004.
Although the Hoffman brothers shared lead duties, Eric seemed to take the majority of the solos, making him be seen more as the bands actual "lead" guitarist. He became quickly respected as a talented player due to his highly fast and technical (although somewhat unmelodic and untuneful) shredding style of playing best demonstrated on early Deicide albums such as their self titled debut and Legion. However starting at around Once Upon the Cross his style became much more melodic and generally slower, often using such techniques as sweep picking and two handed tapping.
Hoffman left Deicide in 2004 shortly after his brother did and was replaced at first by Dave Suzuki and later Ralph Santolla. Immediately after his firing something of a verbal feud began between Hoffman and Deicide frontman Glen Benton. Shortly after being fired Hoffman sent a message to the infamous heavy metal news network blabbermouth.net explaining why he left Deicide and making derogatory comments against Benton. Among other things the statement claimed that Hoffman left the band on his own as opposed to Benton's claims that he was fired, that Benton was an inept bassist and that most of the bands basslines were actually by drummer Steve Asheim, and that Benton's open Satanism and anti-Christian beliefs were "a show" (Hoffman went as far as to mention that Benton was married in a Christian church) [1]. Benton later responded, acknowledging that the Hoffmans did quit on their own, but otherwise defending himself and his beliefs and also claiming that Hoffman's replacement Ralph Santolla had been writing leads for Hoffman since 1995 (explaining Hoffmans lead style change around this period, sounding similar to Santollas own style) and also claiming that Hoffman had a "steroid problem" and is "bipolar" [2].
Benton and Hoffman have continued to attack each other in the press, with Benton claiming that Hoffman had been "mooching off" of him for years by trying to get paid for songs that were written by Benton and Asheim (Hoffman has dismissed this, claiming that he wrote the bulk of Deicides material). The two parties went to court against each other at one point, with the Hoffmans even trying to gain rights to the Deicide name (which Benton and party eventually won).
Hoffman is currently working with his brother Brian to put together a "new" Deicide. It was rumored that he joined the band Unholy Ghost after leaving Deicide, but he personally denied this.
