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God Dethroned – Ravenous
God Dethroned – Ravenous
Metalblade 2001
By Russell Garwood
God Dethroned came into being in 1991 – mainman Henri Sattler was the driving force behind their formation. After a demo and their debut album, “The Christhunt” (released through a small German label) the original band split, leading to the birth of Ministry Of Terror. After his departure from the thrash metal outfit, Henri re-formed God Dethroned with a new lineup, resulting in the band’s signing to Metalblade and the release of a further three albums. “Ravenous”, God Dethroned’s fifth release, features Tony Laureano of Angel Corpse and Nile fame as a session drummer, and the band comprises The Serpent King (Henri Sattler) on vocals and guitars, guitarist Jens Van Der Valk, and bassist Beef who is also responsible for vocals.
Tony Laureano’s influence is obvious; the driving, tight drums make for faster songs than the band’s previous output. The guitars are melodic and, at times, almost catchy while the vocals are a variation on the usual death metal rasp. Infrequent keyboards help add atmosphere and melody, and the bass underpins the music well. Occasional samples are well placed for good effect. Of the eleven tracks on Ravenous, two are covers; “Consumed By Darkness”, originally by Macabre End, and a version of Death’s “Evil Dead”. These eleven songs are generally melodic but heavy black/death metal, with enough melody to make the songs easily memorable.
My favourite tracks are undoubtedly “The Iconclast Deathride” for it’s hugely catchy keyboards and vox, the more relaxed yet grating discords of “Autumn Equinox”, and “Swallow The Spikes”, with memorable guitars and impressive drumming. The production is clear and well balanced, helping the keyboards feel more a part of the music. The nine original songs on “Ravenous” however, are all quite similar – it feels as if the band has found a successful formula and are sticking to it (an effect lessened by the melody, which gives each song character). God Dethroned will appeal to fans of both melodic and traditional death metal, as long as they do not mind strong religious themes.
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