I got saddled with God Dethroned even though I’m not entirely sure what my qualifications are. I really liked Under the Sign of the Iron Cross, which I didn’t even realize was part of a war-themed trilogy, so I had to race through a crash course in the Dutch death metallers. While they peaked in the late ’90s with The Grand Grimoire and Bloody Blasphemy and encountered a resurgence with the World War I trilogy, the act has truly never made a bad album. As such, the lesser in quality maintain a better simmer than the high heat of much of death metal’s legions. However, the inimitable and illustrious Ferrous Beuller expressed pleasant despondence about 2020’s Illuminati, reasserting its quality while pointing out its relatively monotone dynamics. Is The Judas Paradox a new peak or a pleasant simmer?
God Dethroned continues its melodeath and blackened influence in its pummeling breed of riffy death metal. Expect the usual: blazing riffs and wild solos courtesy of Henri Sattler and Dave Meester, weighty bass of Jeroen Pomper and rock-solid percussion of Frank Schilperoort, guided by Sattler’s nasty snarls. Continuing the theme of Illuminati with anti-Christian sentiment through the lens of Vatican obfuscation, The Judas Paradox balances its attack with ecclesiastical moods and melodic motifs with an album as intense as it is haunting. Contrary to its predecessor, however, in which the whole was prioritized over the parts, God Dethroned deals in several different sounds that strike differently. As a result, while still bulletproof and undeniably trademark, The Judas Paradox is an improvement over Illuminati but little else.
While God Dethroned maintains a solid foundation of riffy, black-influenced, and melodic death metal, there are several dimensions to The Judas Paradox: the darker, the heavy metal-influenced, and the riffy. The opening title track introduces the darker, haunting plucking motif offering a ghostly and mysterious aura atop its more chugging riff, a palette honed and weaponized in “Hubris Anorexia” and “Asmodeus,” adding to the darker liturgical theme that the album proffers. Meanwhile, the full-out riff assaults of “The Hanged Man,” “The Eye of Providence,” and “War Machine” are sure to get your head bobbing with bruising rhythms and searing leads. Finally, tracks that feature an older heavy metal melodic template like “Rat Kingdom,” “Kashmir Princess,” and “Hailing Death,” feel like a throwback to Slayer’s best eras, complete with wailing solos and tastefully dramatic progressions. Although its elements are far more distinct than its predecessor, The Judas Paradox is held together by God Dethroned’s trademark foundation, and Meester’s solos are always a welcome element.
The problem with The Judas Paradox is that there are weaker tracks aboard, particularly in the back half, and the album’s holistic inability to hold a candle to God Dethroned’s classic albums is also prominent. The vapid repetition of “Kashmir Princess” and its passage of random electronic warbles, the indecisive chord progressions of “Hubris Anorexia,” the awkward rhythms of “Broken Bloodlines,” and the strange melodic chanting of closer “War Machine” make them questionable songwriting choices for a band so devoted to consistency. Ultimately, “The Judas Paradox” is the best track here, the ultimate audio representation of its blasphemous themes and Vatican interpretation – leaving every subsequent track in its shadow. As such, although Illuminati and The Judas Paradox are returns to God Dethroned’s more heretical foundations, they are different beasts entirely than the likes of Bloody Blasphemy. While the strong arm of death metal still flexes and flashes of melodic death adds a humanity, they focus more on black metal elements than in previous incarnations – making this duo more scathing than devastating.
I stand by what has been said again and again: God Dethroned does not make bad albums, and The Judas Paradox is no exception. It’s a step up from Illuminati in that it focuses on distinctness between tracks rather than a death metal blanket statement of solidarity, but that lends itself to inconsistencies and jarring placements. The second half of The Judas Paradox is a tad weaker in some questionable experimental tendencies, but beneath the pomp and circumstance, it’s still a God Dethroned album, and the Dutch quartet maintains its legendary status through its twelfth full-length – nothing more, nothing less.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Websites: goddethroned.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/goddethronedofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 6th, 2024
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