Nine albums into their rather underrated career and it’s safe to say that The Netherlands’ God Dethroned have entered into the metal elite inhabited by the likes of Bolt Thrower, Dismember, Obituary and such. No, not quite the genre defining metal royalty, but that small club of bands who have ascended into such a level of quality and consistency that you know exactly what to expect from each release and it never disappoints.

Continuing the war theme of 2009’s excellent Passiondale, Under the Sign of the Iron Cross is unquestionably a God Dethroned album, even with yet another line-up shuffle. Also, even with the band’s recognizable sense of melody and archival death metal, its God Dethroned’s most aggressive album of their career. Whether it’s the addition of drummer Mike van der Plicht (Prostitute Disfigurement, Detonation, Katafalk) and his more extreme background or something else, the band’s invigorated sense of savagery is immediately apparent through the albums first three cuts alone: “Storm of Steel”, blistering “Fire Storm” and “The Killing is Faceless” belt out a consistent machine gun like barrage of blast beats that I haven’t heard from the band ― at least on this level of tenacity. And it really doesn’t let up.

Fans of their more melodic work need not fret though as Henry Sattler and his band of hired guns still manage to make the songs epic and melodic. For example, the almost black metal tremolo picked harmonies and synths in the standout  title track delves into the likes of “Poison Fog” from Passiondale with some somber harmonies and clean vocals, once again provided by Marco Van der Velde of The Wounded). It’s this album’s only instance of clean vocals, though. “Chaos Reigns at Dawn”, amid its relentless throes also manages to inject some simply brilliant melodies at 1:40 and “Through Byzantine” injects some sublet Middle Eastern shreddage to the album’s only real mid paced fray. The furiously excellent “The Red Baron” also delivers some killer leads and melodies.

And while Under the Sign of the Iron Cross is pure unbridled salvo of artillery and shellshock as opposed to Passiondale’s more somber, human element, the album ends with the 7 minute, more melancholy epic “On Fields of Death & Destruction” appropriately closes out the album with some moody synths and fitting sense of loss.

Hail of Bullets and Bolt Thrower may be considered the very pinnacle of war themed death metal, but at this rate God Dethroned are going to be considered in the same context as wel as already being one of metal’s most consistent, respected and reliable acts.

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