Following the termination of his previous band, Profanatica, Ledney (joined by guitarist John Gelso) formed Havohej (That's Jehovah backwards) and released 'Dethrone the Son of God' in '93. Broke into two chapters titled, 'Christ Dethroned' & 'Burning Paradise,' the initial chapter being a re-recording of Profanatica's split with Masacre, while some of the latter half is newer material, though possibly still just unused Profanatica songs. All in all I wouldn't hesitate to call it the first real Profanatica album and I'm sure I'm not alone with that thought.
With that in mind the music both old and new absolutely reflects Profanatica's approach of mixing raw black metal with death metal technique, as well as the occasional dirge into doomier territories. Clocking in at twenty eight minutes and thirteen songs long, the album has the initial effect of just wizzing by without much of an impression, but when you start to listen closer after future listens it really sets in. Ledney is first and foremost a drummer and although they are fairly minimal beats they are at least accented through some interesting fills, cymbal work and relentless blasting, while his vocals are powerful and violent raspy outbursts against Christianity that make the album all the more enjoyable. The bass guitar is also interestingly present throughout the recording and while it doesn't have much of its own brilliance its still interesting to hear it in this sort of music.
I'm sure neither guitarist is especially talented or technical at their instrument, but many of the songs really do have some catchy riffs, many of which have such a sinister vibe to them that they become all the more memorable in their twisted repetitive trance like style that it allows me to always come back for future helpings. Even the remorseless grindier tracks are interesting, at least when listened together with the rest of the album, though they lose something if you happen to hear them on a more random basis.
'Dethrone the Son of God' is a hard album to recommend due to its simplistic nature and overly anti-Christian sentiments, which may bother even the most rampant of black metal fans. Nevertheless, I'm sure it has its historic value to the genre and similarly its influence has been heard elsewhere for sure. I'll admit it didn't even stick out much for me initially, but various listens down the road revealed more to me and I can say without little regret that I enjoy this beast quite a bit. Its just not an everyday sort of album and surely one that was intended to be enjoyed under spells of immense anger.
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