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September 3, 2010 |
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GOD DETHRONED - The Lair Of The White Worm
Metal Blade (2005) |
9.5/10 |
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01. Nihilism
02. Arch Enemy Spain
03. Sigma Enigma
04. The Lair Of The White Worm
05. Rusty Nails
06. Loyal To The Crown Of God Dethroned
07. Last Zip Of Spit
08. The Grey Race
09. Salt In Your Wounds
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Let's face it - death metal is the most brutal form of metal there is - period! Its present status can be attributed to the contributions of those that forged it back in the '80s; namely bands like SLAYER and the immortal DEATH (R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner). While these two great acts got the death-metal-movement-ball rolling in North America, the disease quickly spread overseas and a horde of new European death metal bands emerged onto the scene as well. One such band is GOD DETHRONED. Hailing from the Netherlands, the band was formed in 1990 by guitarist/vocalist Henri "T.S.K." Sattler. After releasing their full-length debut, 1992's "The Christhunt", problems with the record label and band members prompted Sattler to shelf the project until 1997, where GOD DETHRONED was resurrected with the introduction of new members, a new label (Metal Blade), and a brand new album, entitled "The Grand Grimoire".
Since then, they've been leading an non-stop, all-out heavily-armed attack on the metal world with an impressive catalogue of diverse, brutal, cranium-crushing releases, including 2001's "Ravenous", and more recently, the highly-acclaimed "Into The Lungs Of Hell" in 2003. Given the impact GOD DETHRONED have made throughout their existence, you might ask yourself, "Can these guys really get much better than they already are?" Well boys and girls, the answer is a resounding "yes"! Quite honestly, I didn't expect the band to be able to take the best of what "Into The Lungs Of Hell" has and make it even better. But lo and behold, they did - and I'm impressed to say the least.
Essentially what we have here is a totally revitalized GOD DETHRONED. There is a very noticeable difference between the old and new lineups. With this brand new lineup, there is a renewed sense of energy and it definitely shows in the way they play together. Founding member Henri "T.S.K." Sattler (vocals/guitars) and Ariën Van Weesenbeek (drums) are joined by incoming new bloods Isaac Delahaye (lead guitars) and Henk "Henke" Zinger (bass), who both came in just prior to the recording of the new album. Now 4-strong once again, GOD DETHRONED entered into the studio to produce "The Lair Of The White Worm", quite possibly the band's most extreme offering on record. In simple terms, the material on this disc will flatten you before you even get the chance to blink. The songs are heavier, faster, and more brutal, with emphasis placed upon incorporating more melodic passages. Another major difference here in comparison to the last album is the usage of more guitar solos.
While "Into The Lungs Of Hell" has a mere 5 solos in total, "The Lair Of The White Worm" contains 17, which definitely adds a lot more depth and character to each individual track. The overall "sound" of the music has not changed really, but you will notice right away just how much the overall musicianship has improved, not to mention the intensity level.
"The Lair Of The White Worm" is relentless from the beginning right through to the end. Upon the first few seconds of opening track "Nihilism", you will quickly realize that GOD DETHRONED have not lost one ounce of their signature brutality. It starts off with some dueling guitar/drum blows then explodes right into a fast, jaw-dropping assault, complimented with some killer solos/melodic riffs by new axeman Isaac Dalahaye. If these solos don't raise the hairs on the back of your neck, Sattler's hellish growls/screams surely will. You want fast? Tracks like personal favorite "Arch Enemy Spain", album title "The Lair Of The White Worm" and "Loyal To The Throne Of God Dethroned" kick the speed up two or three notches into a blistering fast battleground of pummeling drums and crushing guitars. While there really isn't a "slow" track to be found anywhere on the entire CD, "Sigma Enigma" and "Rusty Nails" do lighten things up a tad (I use the term loosely), but sustain a consistent, heavy edge throughout.
Another thing that I previously failed to mention is the lyrical content and choice of song titles. Aside from "The Grey Race" (where most of the songwriting credits go to Van Weesenbeek), Sattler pretty much wrote all of the lyrics and I must say - the creativity in his choice of words really stand out. Take, for example, closing track "Salt In Your Wounds". Here you have a title that literally describes what the song is going to be about even before you hear any of the words, whereas a song like "The Grey Race" could have a number of meanings (prior to actually hearing/reading the lyrics). You can't help but widen your eyes in astonishment (if you're not used to this kind of literature, that is) a bit or crack a fiendish smile (not necessarily intentionally) when you hear lyrics like, "You're in my blood, I'm in your blood - I hate you for it you fucking slug - You've created me, I'll be haunting you eternally - You fucking slug."
As shocking as lyrics like these may be to some (not yours truly that's for sure), you have to appreciate the fact that the man can write, regardless of the subject matter at hand.
So, is "The Lair Of The White Worm" worthy of being placed among your SLAYER, DEATH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, or even your other GOD DETHRONED CDs? Hell yeah! Let's put it this way - it would be a complete crime against metal to NOT own this album. This is just an all-around phenomenal piece of work, but it's not just your average death metal album. Yes, it incorporates all the mandatory elements of a death metal release (speed, intensity, aggression, brutality, demonic growls, etc.), but it also incorporates some different styles within the songs themselves and a lot of guitar melodies (somewhat similar to ARCH ENEMY's style), which really makes this that much more enjoyable to listen to. That renewed sense of energy within the band that I spoke of earlier really shines through in the music on this disc and is sure to do the same in the band's live show.
Kings of ancient medieval times may have been crowned and then dethroned at some point in history, but I don't think we'll see the dethroning of GOD DETHRONED anytime soon. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go listen to "The Lair Of The White Worm" again. I suggest you go out and pick yourself up a copy of it and do the same!
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