GOD DETHRONED
Illuminati
Metal Blade Records
Bands have re-formed and sold out to be part of that system they used to rage against, and it’s become a far too common thing with mainstream bands. Nevermind those old Classic Rock bands that still feel the need to put themselves in front of an audience and scrutiny with their Final Retirement tour before the Final Tour. Nearly equally so are bands that in the last 5 years have hung it up and called it a day. Some are better left laid to rest while there are a few that are so intensely missed. I was personally super stoked to hear that one of my favorite bands was making a return. Just over 5 years ago the fire that was lit from concerts led to the eventual comeback of The Netherlands’ Blackened Death Metal troupe known as GOD DETHRONED. Their comeback album THE WORLD ABLAZE (2017) had many fans reach ‘into the lungs of Hell’ and yell HELL F’n Yeah as it was deemed one of the albums of the year, especially by me! The Dutch destroyers keep the momentum going with latest titled ILLUMINATI for what’s their second release since reuniting in 2014 and their 11th full-length release to date through the same label that has supported them throughout their entire existence, Metal Blade.
GOD DETHRONED have gone to a darker place with this one with a greater emphasis or re-emphasis if you will, of their blackened sound and definitely more on the melodic side of their reputation. Lone-standing original member, vocalist Henri Sattler stated, ”The lyrics go back to the time when we wrote songs against religion…Or, occult themes. I felt it was the next logical thing to do.” This album reflects how much their sound and song writing has differed up ‘til now yet at the same time, still remained true to their style that is filled with that wonderful European sound. “We experimented a lot with vocals… We also played keyboards throughout the whole album, something we didn’t do at all on The World Ablaze. I think we have surpassed the boundaries of death metal with this album.”
When re-activated, Sattler would be the only remaining member from the original group. Those he has brought in have done an excellent job in continuing the legacy of GOD DETHRONED. With shared duties on guitars being written at first by Mike Ferguson who premiered on their comeback album, then having been replaced by ex-APOPHYS guitarist Dave Meester, the integrity of Sattler’s vision remained intact. Taking the throne once again on drums for the 3rd round would be Michiel van der Plicht, and going for his 2nd go around on bass, Jeroen Pomper. With Sattler in nearly complete control of the direction he wanted their latest to go, he monitored and engineered a majority of the aspects during the whole process while recording in his own home, under his own rules, with some very important help from soundman Ortrun Poolman, and sound engineer Hugo Alvarstein to master the album.
ILLUMINATI may come across as their most tamed album yet with more focus on melodic songwriting rather than up-tempo songs. That is in no way to say that this album is sub-par. Its beyond that and one of their best. The consistency of their discography is full of great material. Back then for the most part, they laid it on thicker with the Death Metal aspect and teetered back and forth from the fast thrashing beats to the blazing blast beats. The opening title track quickly demonstrates what Sattler was aiming for. "BOOK OF LIES" is another early example of this coming in early on in the album. You still get the fast-paced songs, also early in the album with "BROKEN HALO" and "SPIRIT OF BEELZEBUB" then into "SATAN SPAWN" and close it out with the neck-breaking track "BLOOD MOON ECLIPSE".
So safe to say this latest release is brilliant and I will say is one of their best releases demonstrating again the amazing talent that Sattler has always surrounded himself with. ILLUMINATI continues the legacy of GOD DETHRONED as one of the best Blackened Death Metal Bands in the world and another remarkable example of the great bands to come out of The Netherlands.
4.5 Out Of 5.0
