On their previous album Ravenous, God Dethroned abandoned they keyboards they had used so effectively on their albums Bloody Blasphemies and The Grand Grimoire. Even though the band was still creating some great death metal, I believed God Dethroned lost some of what made them so special. The keyboards have not returned on their new album, Into the Lungs of Hell, but they have managed to created one of the strongest albums of their career.
Into the Lungs of Hell sees God Dethroned slowing down for a few songs, a marked contrast to the constant speed of their previous albums. The title track is a mid-paced affair, and I believe it's one of the best songs they've ever done. An even bigger change in the band's approach is the abandonment of a lot of the supernatural lyrics so prevalent on previous releases. For example, "Enemy of the State" is about the dangers of government surveillance, while "Slaughtering the Faithful" is an anti-meat-eating song. Aside from generic references to death, the lyrics are indistinguishable from a typical hardcore album. Despite the changes though, the band is still straight-up death metal, and it should satisfy any fan of the genre, as this is one of the better metal releases of recent months.
When death metal bands try to become more accessible, the band either gets less heavy (In Flames, Soilwork) or just goes straight into the toilet (Morgoth, Gorefest). God Dethroned has pulled off the near impossible and crafted an album that will satisfy their old fans as well as win them new ones. The album comes with a bonus CD of live tracks, making Into the Lungs of Hell a perfect introduction to one of the best death metal bands working today.
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