God Dethroned Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
It seems like a prerequisite of sorts nowadays: bands that fit within the extreme metal subgenre are expected to tackle some pretty heavy-duty (and often gnarly) subject matter in their lyrics -- that is, if you can decipher the lyrics through all the growls. On this 2009 release by God Dethroned, Passiondale, the lads from the Netherlands have penned a concept album of sorts, focusing entirely on World War I. The impetus for the album arose when the bandmembers often found themselves hanging out in the Belgian town of Ypres, which during World War I saw many a bloody battle between the Germans and the Allied Forces. While the lyrics may tell a story, the music is exactly what you'd expect from God Dethroned -- or just about any extreme metal band for that matter -- as evidenced by such tracks as "Under a Darkening Sky" and "Poison Fog." Images of war and the sounds of metal do battle throughout Passiondale. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'The Toxic Touch'
Release Date 10/23/2006
Tracks 10
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Lair of the White Worm'
Release Date 11/15/2004
Tracks 9
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Arguably, the Scandinavian countries have become to the death metal/black metal field what Chicago is to the blues -- not the place that gave birth to the genre, but definitely the place that came to dominate it. While death metal/black metal didn't get started in Scandinavia any more than the blues were invented in Chicago, the list of important death metal and black metal bands that have come from Sweden, Norway, or Denmark is endless. That said, one can give props to the Nordic countries without neglecting what the rest of Western Europe has to offer -- and in the Netherlands, one of the more noteworthy death metal/black metal bands of the '90s and 2000s has been God Dethroned. Lair of the White Worm doesn't break any new ground for the Dutch moshers, but it's a respectable, above-average effort that illustrates their ability to incorporate elements of power metal and thrash without sacrificing their death metal/black metal brutality. It would be a mistake to categorize this 40-minute CD as either "melodic death metal" or "symphonic black metal"; Lair of the White Worm isn't as melodic or as musical as In Flames, At the Gates, Khold, or Callenish Circle (another Dutch band). But this 2004 recording isn't amelodic grindcore, either, and for God Dethroned, moments of ultra-fast ferocity can be followed by some guitar work or harmonies that recall Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. If Lair of the White Worm is meant to balance musicality and sledgehammer ferocity, the latter ends up having the upper hand -- even so, this album does, in its own vicious, skull-crushing way, have a sense of craftsmanship. And once again, God Dethroned reminds listeners that you don't have to be Scandinavian to make worthwhile contributions to death metal/black metal. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Into the Lungs of Hell'
Release Date 2/11/2003
Tracks 18
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Perhaps Holland's premier death metal act, God Dethroned re-emerges here with another album boasting absolutely stellar musicianship, airtight engineering, and song craftsmanship. What is most interesting about Ravenous is not the way in which it showcases God Dethroned's skill in speeding through mind-bendingly fast grind and death metal beats, but the way it demonstrates the band's ability -- like a car traveling at 100 mph, then stopping on a dime -- to cut the tempo and veer into soaring, harmonized leads, the kind of leads championed by power metal acts like Iron Maiden and Saxon. However, like Slayer, Morbid Angel, and the Haunted, God Dethroned excels primarily in the realm of fast, fast, fast death metal, and Ravenous, like Bloody Blasphemy before it, is a prime example of excellent metal work that is not overdone, either lyrically or musically. ~ Patrick Kennedy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Like its predecessor, The Grand Grimoire, Bloody Blasphemy is nothing groundbreaking, but it's so solidly written and performed that it doesn't really matter. God Dethroned write honest-to-God (or Satan, as the case may be) guitar riffs, some nearly as good as chief influence Slayer, which is all too rare in the fast-noisy-blur world of death and black metal musicianship. It's another well-crafted effort from a skilled crew. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'The Grand Grimoire'
Release Date 11/13/1997
Tracks 9
Label Metal Blade
See Album Tracklist and Review
