Ah, God Dethroned, the Dutch black/death war machine that gave us classic works like 1992’s savage ‘The Christhunt’, 1999’s ‘Bloody Blasphemy’, and 2003’s absolutely smashing ‘Into The Lungs Of Hell’. It’s been four long years since they dropped ‘Iluminati’, and now they descend from the shoals of silence with their brand new offering titled ‘The Judas Paradox’ which is due out on September 6, 2024 through Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). The hellish Dutchmen don’t beat around the bush and set the bar right away by delivering a fierce statement about the Vatican’s darkest skeletons in the closet with their new single, ‘Rat Kingdom.’
Frontman Henri “The Serpent King” Sattler explains, “This song is about the Vatican and the many secrets that are being kept there, away from the eyes of the world. And he who speaks will disappear in the shadows down below. Musically, it’s a song which starts with a classic pile of melody lines that makes it both hymnic and bombastic, followed by a blast of fury with a black metal vibe and the Serpent King’s very own style of guitar solo – one which stands out from the masses and pays tribute to the late Jeff Hanneman.”
After stand alone single ‘Asmodevs’ (2022), which was re-worked for ‘The Judas Paradox’ under the adapted title ‘Asmodeus,’ ‘Rat Kingdom’ is the second single from Dutch death squad’s upcoming thirteenth studio album. It represents a sonic descent into the very heart of darkness and deceit, where the lines between good and evil are blurred, and the true nature of power is revealed. This brutal and unflinching exploration of the human condition strips away the masks, laying bare the mankind’s true nature, taking the band back to their bare-knuckled early days after years of fooling around with more melodic, almost melo-death-inspired ideas.
Eleven songs strong, ‘The Judas Paradox’ was produced by the band themselves, with mixing being handled by their very own singer/guitarist Henri. Tony Lindgren, who previously worked with scene greats such Opeth, Enslaved, Kreator, Katatonia, and Amorphis, took over mastering duties at Fascination Street Studios, rounding off the grandly sinister sound of ‘The Judas Paradox’. We got the first single ready for inspection, so we hope you have your neck brace handy.
Photo by: Chantik Photography.
Watch the video for ‘Rat Kingdom’ right here: