God Dethroned's third studio album boasts better production and a little less brutality than their previous two offerings, while retaining the band's signature sound, still catchy Death Metal with little compromise. The album opens with a blasphemous spoken passage from the movie Stigmata, then all hell breaks loose for 39 minutes. The sixth song, "The Iconoclast Deathride" is arguably the simplest (well, at least for the first half), yet catchiest song on the album, I just can't get it out of my head. This is definite headbanging material that they will HAVE to play live. In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is my favorite song on the album. No weak tracks here, those are 11 top-notch Death Metal songs, 100% God Dethroned. I could write more but what's the point - this kicks some serious ass, period.
What I like most about God Dethroned, along with a couple of other Death Metal bands, is that they don't sound like a mess - the playing is clear, the songs are catchy, and there's even a hint of melody here and there. Ravenous keeps that "tradition" strong. The production is better than on the previous albums, but that doesn't really take anything away. God Dethroned can probably even appeal to some people who aren't into Death Metal.
I think any God Dethroned fan will love this, and those who don't know the band yet should pick this up. One of the best of 2001 so far.
