ALBUM REVIEW: Illuminati – God Dethroned

Since their formation nearly three decades ago, GOD DETHRONED have gone on to be one of the most successful blackened death metal acts the Netherlands has ever produced. With eleven studio albums to their name, the band have a long and prolific history when it comes to recordings, and in spite of two hiatuses, the band have managed to remain every bit as relevant within the world of extreme metal as they were when they initially released The Christhunt back in 1993. Their latest, eleventh full length record, Illuminati, is another great record that showcases a band that are still producing some of their best material, adding yet another great record to their lengthy and storied legacy.

Illuminati, a slow, dirge-like offering, starts this album off on a great note, with eerie, minimalist leads clashing with crushing rhythms and acerbic, feral vocals. It’s a fierce, yet epic piece of music that manages to capture the bands trademark, vicious sound whilst adding a subtle, grandiose edge to the proceedings, which gives this a huge sound. It’s a solid opening track that sets the tone for the next eight tracks incredibly well. Broken Halo follows in a similar vein, with vast rhythm sections creating a dense sound that quickly gives way to a cacophonous wall of noise that provides an excellent, chaotic element that gives this song a powerful, rabid approach that it’s very hard not to love straight away.

Book of Lies is a brilliantly atmospheric and monolithic way of changing the sound up just a little bit, with the monstrous, punishing rhythms taking a back seat to soaring lead guitar flourishes and tight, authoritative drumming, with Henri Sattler‘s acidic snarl adding a ferocious exclamation point onto the music. This song really ups the ante when it comes to the bombastic side of the songs sound, which until this point has only complemented the tracks, rather than coming to the forefront, and this significant change pays off, giving this album a little more depth.

Spirit of Beelzebub takes the listener back into much more aggressive and grating territories, with the opening motif proving to be one of the most impressive and violent moments on the whole record. it’s an extremely driven, blisteringly intense slab of blackened death metal that sounds fantastic even on the very first listen, with little in the way of reprieve when it comes to the speed and venom on display, making this easily one of the heaviest and most unflinching numbers on the whole album. Satan Spawn ends up being a short, sharp shock of robust rhythms and jarring leads, with some particularly demented vocals really beefing out the sound substantially. It’s a brief yet brilliant track that leaves its mark in spite of its relatively fleeting length.

Gabriel makes use of a cleaner tone and more jarring, ethereal guitars to great effect, with the song quickly proving to be one of the stand out tracks on the album. Blending soaring, epic elements with a fierce and grating edge, it perfectly captures both extremes of the albums sound, without either fully dominating the sound. It’s a great piece of music that draws the listener back in with ease. Eye of Horus, much like the previous song, is a much lengthier song that has a more expansive and varied sound, eschewing the punchy, short and sweet of the albums first half in favour of an eclectic and robust sound. Built on solid, dense rhythms, sparse yet effective lead riffs and monstrous vocals, it ends up being yet another strong outing and one of the main high points on the record, and makes use of its extended running time to establish itself as an absolute juggernaut of a tune, and easily one of the better songs the band have put out since their return from hiatus.

Dominus Muscarum acts as a fleeting interlude, characterised by haunting organ sections and a glorious, sonorous choir arrangement, which acts as a great way to not only break up the album, but prepare the listener for the ninth and final offering on the record, Blood Moon Eclipse. This last track not only manages to be the longest, but also one of the most abrasive and intense, with the guitars, bass and drums blending together in a whirlwind of dizzying, cacophonous noise which only adds to the appeal of this song. The vocals hang over the rest of the music, giving a controlled and focused aspect that contrasts sharply with the chaotic and powerful approach of most of the song. It’s a fantastically discordant and dissonant note on which to end an equally amazing record, not only punctuating this album with one of its best moments, but leaving the listener eager to hear more.

This record builds upon the foundation of The World Ablaze and sees the band produce one of their all time best records, and certainly their best since returning from hiatus a few years back. It manages to blend sharp and focused compositions and far more frenetic and savage ones, making for an incredibly varied and monstrously intense record. The epic flourishes that are peppered liberally throughout the record also do a lot to give this album a vast and monolithic sound, with this contrast between the sinister and the sublime working extremely well. Illuminati is a very strong record that proves to be one of the best albums GOD DETHRONED have produced, making a solid and early claim for album of the year, and reasserting the band as one of the most impressive and underrated acts with the blackened death metal genre.

Rating: 9/10

Illuminati is out now via Metal Blade Records.

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