Effectively a comeback album, following its creators’ demise in 2012 and re-emergence in 2014, The World Ablaze offers a bleak worldview that could hardly be timelier. Extreme metal has always had a ferocious obsession with war and while God Dethroned may not seem like the band most likely to give those well-worn themes an upgrade, this cohesive body of work may cause a few bands to pause for thought before embarking on another trip back to the trenches. Respected more than revered, GD have made some decent records in the past, but… Ablaze obliterates the lot. From the lavish harmonies of A Call To Arms and the pulverising, strafe-attack of Annihilation Crusade to On The Wrong Side Of The Wire’s morbid mid-tempo mulch and epic closer The 11th Hour’s shades of ornate funeral doom, it’s hard to find a moment that doesn’t sound like some grand, definitive statement on the power of bludgeoning but melodic extremity, replete with harrowing tales from the battlefield.
God Dethroned - The World Ablaze album review
Career peak from the Dutch melodeath warlords
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
More about metal hammer
“If it wasn’t for those four guys, we might still be wandering around in the dark”: While Kirk Hammett hails Black Sabbath as metal’s founders, Ghost’s Tobias Forge names the “neglected” aspect of their sound
"There's not a doubt in my mind that when I'm gone that song will live on forever": Dee Snider on the Twisted Sister song that transcended its era
