God Dethroned-Passiondale  I have always thought that God Dethroned has never had a fair shake and that they are very underrated for their brilliant composition and concepts while many bands far less deserving have gained support in the states. I first herd of God Dethroned in 1999 when I picked up a copy of the epic "Bloody Blasphemy" (a CD I still listed too) and was impressed with their unique blend of melodic black/death metal that was new to me at the time and it has been interesting to watch God Dethrone progress though the past decade.  On April 27th (Europe) and April 28th (U.S. & Canada), God Dethroned is set to release their 8th studio album entitled "Passiondale" (via Metal Blade records). "Passiondale" is yet another concept album from a well thought out band.The topic is war, not one of our worlds current conflicts, but one from a very dark past. Passiondale is a Belgium village that suffered total annihilation during World War I  and was at the front of one of the bloodiest campaign of the entire war. With song titles like "No "Survivors" and "Fallen Empire" , I don't think that you need anymore of a history lesson. "Passiondale" opens with an ominous intro "The Cross Of Sacrifice" with battle sounds and war cries then launches right into the second track "Under A Darkeing Sky" , that sounds like metal worries ready for battle. Track three "Poison Frog" is far more melodic and sounds comparable to God Dethroned 2006 release "The Toxic Touch" with frontman/lead guitar Henri (The serpent king) Sattler singing clean in the chorus. I have always liked Henri's raspy, and highly audible voice, but I wish he would go back to the Viking choruses."Passiondale" has brought  new line-up changes, Isaac Delahaye (Guitar) and Ari�n Van Weesenbeek (drums) stepped down and went on to join symphonic Dutch metal act Epica in early 2008. Filling in is former drummer Roel Sanders and Susan Gerl (guitar), that has not changed God Dethroned's sound much. With the new comes the old, "Passiondale" Is a more traditional God Dethroned album, not the early 1990's version but the more progressive sound of "Bloody Blasphemy" and "The Ancient Ones". They have dropped a bit of the symphonic sound and added in some blast beats and traditional Henri solos. "Passiondale" closes out with an instrumental outro called "Artifacts Of The Great War" that is very somber yet a great remembrance. Old and new God Dethroned fans alike will enjoy "Passiondale" with an old sound alongside a few new elements mixed in. "Passiondale" is near epic from a band that deserve far more credit and support then they receive. "Passiondale" is a release that I hope will put a deserving band where they belong, in any fan of heavy music's CD player.           Review By: Brandon Marshall