God Dethroned  ‘The Grand Grimoire’
Metal Blade , 1997
Lord Pale :
God Dethroned hail from Holland and play a interest mix of deathmetal with blackened rasping vocals . The Grand Grimoire is the bands second album and displays 9 tracks of thrashy death sitting on the faster side of mid tempo , but occasionally slowing down to doomier moments . Keyboards play a small role in a few tracks along side acoustic guitars but very rarely and only to add a little atmosphere . Some melodic riffs play over the heavier rhythms on occasion giving God Dethroned a unique sound mixed with some obvious influences like Slayer that can be heard in the riffing and solo’s .God Dethroned definitely have their own sound but if a comparison should be necessary then The Grand Grimoire sounds a little like Gehenna’s Admiron Black . The bands vocalists deep blackened rasps are a refreshing change from the guttural delivery of most similar bands and helps God Dethroned stand out a little from the competition . Overall this is a fairly decent release that should please most fans of deathmetal .
Favourite Tracks – Under A Silver Moon , The Art Of Immolation , Into A Dark Millennium
Mark – 7/10


God Dethroned  ‘Bloody Blasphemy’
Metal Blade , 1999
Lord Pale :
Refining , aggravating , and vitalising the sound of The Grand Grimoire, God Dethroned return with a killer new album Bloody Blasphemy . Bloody Blasphemy is essentially the same as its predecessor only much better , the production is clearer and more powerful , the vocals are more venomous , there are more keyboards and acoustic parts , and the Slayer influences have faded somewhat in the forging of the bands own sound although ‘Boiling Blood’ contains a definite nod to Morbid Angel . Most of the songs are short , sharp and full of aggression with a couple of exceptions like the long and epic ‘Soul Capture 1562’ ( with backing female vocals ) and the mellow clean vocalled backing of the vicious ‘Serpent King’ . The lyrical themes vary from Dutch pride ‘Fire Breath’ through to the bands usual violent and blasphemous ideals . Instead of an abundance of solo’s which The Grand Grimoire displayed , Bloody Blasphemy focus’ more on the melodic passages of the previous album which appear much more frequently . Overall a great album with great cover art that both fans of black and deathmetal should find some value in .
Favourite Tracks – Soul Capture 1562 , The Execution Protocol , Boiling Blood
Mark – 9/10


God Dethroned - Ravenous
Metal Blade, 2001
Gloon:
When I first heard God Dethroned's 1999 effort 'Bloody Blasphemy' I was very impressed, here was a Death Metal band not afraid to experiment and constantly looking 'outside the box' while staying true to their DM roots. So when I heard about 'Ravenous' I was very eager to see what these boys had been up to and whether they had pushed the envelope further. 'Ravenous' if anything is a step backward for the band, though still a high quality DM release, it lacks the bluster, imagination and feel of their previous effort. The time honoured Morbid Angel riffing can be found throughout especially in 'The Poison Apple' and 'Ravenous' and their seems to be more regression in the bands sound with tradational metal framework and stylings being found (especially the solos). I also found the production weaker and sound not as full and loud which really takes away from the aggressive, heavier passages. The album however is far from bad, as a whole it is still a quality slab of DM and still throws the rare curve ball as seen in 'The Iconoclast Deathride' cruising at a slower pace and incorporating keyboards and some choirs. The album also features two inventive covers 'Consumed by Darkness' by Macabre End and Death's 'Evil Dead'. Ultimately though I feel a little disappointed as I was hoping for possibly a more modern, less generic sound then was delivered. Still worth checking out, especially if you are into the Polish scene.
Favourite Tracks - The Poison Apple (Eve and Serpentio in the Graden of Eden), The Iconoclast Deathride, Evil Dead
Rating - 7.5/10


God Dethroned ‘The Lair of the White Worm’
Metal Blade, 2004
Gloon:
Holland’s favourite death metal fiends continue to pump out the goods and return to a more full-on ferocious approach. The last album I heard from these boys was 2001’s ‘The Ravenous’ and while enjoyable it lacked the violent intent of their older works, well the murder is back in their eyes and the anger burning in their hearts. While never being the fastest or most brutal of Death Metal outfits God Dethroned have always managed to create memorable heavy songs laced with the melodic and sometimes the unpredictable and ‘White Worm..’ is no exception. Catchy sing-a-long death metal is the order of the day as you’ll be screaming along with ‘Salt in Your Wounds’ or the cheesy yet oddly compelling ‘Sigma Enigma’ while bounding around the room playin air guitar to one of the many killer solos. Not much else to say really if your familiar with the band you’ll happily know what to expect, if not then this is as good a place as any to start your new relationship with one of deaths best.
Favourite Tracks – Nihilism, Salt in Your Wounds, Rusty Nails
Rating – 8/10
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