There is something deeply reassuring about any release from Dismember. You just know you can expect consistency in the extreme and a record as brutal as a sledge hammer to the head. 15 years on from their debut release "Like An Ever Flowing Stream", and as one of the founders of the now classic 'Gothenberg' sound, Dismember continue to raise the bar to levels few can or could even hope to emulate. The triumphant return to the scene with 2004's "Where Ironcrosses Grow" only seemed to reinforce the bands already rock sold status as Death Metal Godfathers. Expectations were therefore undoubtedly high when it came to "The God That Never Was".

The bands place in Death Metal folk law was always assured after being labeled indecent and obscene by the British customs, who objected to such titles as "Skin Her Alive" and "Bleed For Me"; and it's fair to say that time has not mellowed Estby, Karki and Co. "The God That Never Was" has all the hallmarks we have come to expect from a Dismember record, Estby's break neck beats provide the platform for Blomqvist and Persson savage, yet still NWOBHM influenced guitaring, and no Dismember record would be the same without the guttural growls of Matti Karki. Production is a return to the more traditional dirty, low end vibe of old and with such new pus filled gems as "Shadows Of The Mutilated" and "Autopsy", any other sound would be nothing less than a travesty.

With such a long hiatus between the release of "Hate Campaign" and "Where Ironcrosses Grow", there was the obvious and undoubted question on everyone's lips, was that the end of Dismember? Only those in the band would be able to confirm how close the total demise of the band actually came. However like any national treasure, it is worth fighting for, and Dismember are certainly a treasure. "The God That Never Was" picks up and runs from where the previous album left off and then some. Less slick and more in the vein of "Reborn In Blasphemy" or "Last Blasphemies", the album is a throw back to what was and still is jaw dropping, bone crunching unashamedly total Death Metal. It is this that makes the essence of a band like Dismember, no frills, no apologies, just a take them as they are metal band. And I for one love them for it!