God Dethroned - Passiondale

July 1, 2009

Reviewer: Jesse

Ahh, the first half of 2009 has come along nicely and God Dethroned’s addition to this year’s stock makes it even more respectable.  Over the years, I’ve generally looked at up-coming God Dethroned albums with reserved optimism hoping that one day they’ll return to that intense brand of blackened death metal they were so hailed for back in the late nineties.  Not that their last three albums or so are embarrassing or a blight on their resume, but something has clearly been missing.  They’ve been just a tad too reserved for those of us who remember the maniacal relentlessness of Bloody Blasphemy and The Grand Grimoire.  So, what sort of thing might evoke a burning passion in them to create something a little more inspired that would thump people in the head and remind everyone that they’re still in this game… war.

Now of course, they’ve had war themes in their songs for years now, but a full-fledged concept album centered on one of the most brutal and bloody battles of World War I was not expected, yet was just what the doctor ordered.  The village of Passchendaele in West Belgium was a very strategic place on the map and both sides fought savagely to claim control of.  Many of the scenes from old WWI movies of entrenched soldiers fighting over a mostly mud and marsh terrain were inspired by this part of Belgium as it was a natural marshland even without heavy rain which in turn made the battlefield torturous for vehicles and infantry.  In fact, there were many accounts of soldiers drowning in the mud (which is the focus of the song “Drowning in Mud”) after being wounded who couldn’t drag themselves to safety.  Also, it’s an important fact that Hitler himself served as a Gefreiter (the equivalent of a private in most militaries) in this battle.

So anyway, while Passiondale is leaps and bounds more aggressive than anything they’ve recorded in about eight years, it’s also very memorable and almost venturing on epic territory with several moments of lush soloing, atmospheric keyboards adding depth in the background and a few instances of clean singing (“Serpent King” anyone?) that adds a lot of character without being overbearing at all.  “Poison Fog” epitomizes that description and is easily the highlight of the album in my opinion.  The title track as well, but to a slightly lesser degree.  It hearkens back to when they could record a song like “Boiling Blood” and then “Soul Capture 1562” on the same album.

They still have quite the talent for the riff as is evident in songs like “Drowning in Mud,” “Under a Darkening Sky” and “No Man’s Land.”  As much as I might harp on their mid-career, this is one aspect they have never lost.  Ultra quick and precise and this time around, beautifully incorporated with the stellar drumming.  “No Survivors” might be the complete package of what this album has to offer in a compact, four minute display.  Very aggressive, seriously memorable riffs, a clean vocal section and pulsing double bass drums.  It’s over before you know it.

Overall, I’m equally excited for this somewhat awakening as I am about the album itself.  Not only does this album quench an old thirst, but it also gives hope that they will continue in this direction.  The next album needs a heavy dose of anti-Christianity to go along with exploding bodies and mustard gas victims.  We just might have an album of the year right there. 

Release Date: April 24th, 2009
Label: Metal Blade Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Cross of Sacrifice
2.  Under a Darkening Sky
3.  No Man's Land
4.  Poison Fog
5.  Drowning in Mud
6.  Passiondale
7.  No Survivors
8.  Behind Enemy Lines
9.  Fallen Empires
10.  Artifacts of the Great War

Total playing time: 38:01

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