God Dethroned - Under the Sign of the Iron Cross

November 20, 2010

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

Impressed and inspired by the enthusiasm and praise for Passiondale, guitarist/vocalist Henrik Sattler quickly returned to the studio to continue God Dethroned’s take on WWI. Armed with two new members, Under the Sign of the Iron Cross finds the band seriously upping the ante.

The opener “The Declaration of War” acts as a bridge from Passiondale to Under the Sign of the Iron Cross.  Its melancholic melody will conjure up memories of the moody closing instrumental to the previous album. But then with “Storm of Steel,” all hell breaks loose. The intensely harsh Melodic Death Metal from Passiondale has been replaced by a full on blasting blitzkrieg assault.  New drummer Michael van der Plicht doesn’t let up while the rest of God Dethroned fires off a salvo of riveting riffs.  Not allowing for any air, “Fire Strom” continues the vicious onslaught. Beneath the wall of riffs and drumming, there are hints of the melody that has been gracing the last several God Dethroned discs, but the ferocity almost turns the entire track into a vicious blur. “The Killing is Faceless” may start off with a groovy riff but the song still blasts into the stratosphere. A great grinding riff is augmented by more absolutely dizzying drumming.

As for a much needed break, the title track brings the band back to melodic territory.  “Under the Sign of the Iron Cross” is still a buzzing blur of Death Metal madness, but the second half of the song finds the band cranking out masterful melodies atop of blistering blast beats.  As with Passiondale, the clean vocals on the track are provided by Marco v.d. Velde.  “Chaos Reigns at Dawn” gets right back to the battering. Thankfully like the previous track, there is a great Blackened melody unleashed over a flurry of tempo changes and even Grindcore-styled riffing. “Through Byzantine Hemispheres” actually slows things down a bit as the song focuses more on riffs and grooves but “The Red Baron” finds God Dethroned almost turning into a Black Metal band with its buzz saw riffs and a Dark Funeral-esque version of melody.  Fortunately the middle section of the song finds the band doing an abrupt about-face and churning out some dueling leads and splendid hooks.

The album closes with “In Fields of Death and Desolation” and it’s the album maker.  Take all of the brutality from the previous seven songs and then toss in all the classy melodic moments from Passiondale and The Toxic Touch and you get this truly amazing track. The majority of the track crawls along, allowing for sheets of atmosphere and classy melody but there is a great midsection that still rips everything to shreds and lays down a mean hurt.  

Under the Sign of the Cross is more aggressive than Passiondale and finds the band getting back to their pre-Into the Lungs of Hell roots in several spots.  The latter half of the album features a more sophisticated approach as the band once again displays a wicked ability to gel brutality and harmony.  Undoubtedly the new blood, guitarist Danny Tunker and drummer Michael van der Plicht, who both are from Brutal Death Metal band Prostitute Disfigurement, have influenced God Dethroned’s slightly more vicious slant. Those that wished Passiondale could have been a bit heavier and faster get their wish on Under the Sign of the Iron Cross.  But there still is enough to the goodness that made the previous disc so good, it’s just this one packs more of a punch.  Maybe that makes Under the Sign of the Iron Cross something like The Empire Strikes Back or The Wrath of Kahn?  Either way, the album is a hell of a substantial follow up.  Highly recommended.

Release Date: November 23, 2010
Label: Metal Blade Records 

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Declaration of War
2.  Storm of Steel
3.  Fire Storm
4.  The Killing is Faceless
5.  Under the Sign of the Iron Cross
6.  Chaos Reigns at Dawn
7.  Through Byzantine Hemispheres
8.  The Red Baron
9.  On Fields of Death and Desolation

Total playing time:  36:25

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