Review by Adam M on January 27, 2026.

This is another heavy entry into the band’s catalogue that has the right amount of power to make an impact. There is certainly a claustrophobic atmosphere to the music here and it makes for a wild journey into the band’s minds. There is very little let up as the album storms across and makes a huge amount of impact. The music is firm and carries a good amount of weight to it.

The musicianship is strong with a great production job. There is a crisp sound to the instruments and it makes them huge sounding. There is a fiery nature to both the guitars and drums and this makes the band sound enormous. There is very little to dislike with the musical performances, but they are not a huge improvement over previous albums.

 The flaw to the album is that it is not a huge improvement to previous works and this makes it come across a bit stale sounding. There is not a great deal of innovation, but rather more of the same and this makes the album somewhat uninteresting. There is simply not much of a jump in sound over previous album and this is unfortunate. The music is still of the band’s usual high quality standards.

The overall impressions of the album is that is makes an impact and fills in the empty space of albums released by the band at the time. There is now a great deal of music to choose from and this makes this outfit consistently entertaining. The claustrophobic atmosphere the band creates is still one of a kind.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Jeger on June 18, 2024.

Most everything has been done within the death metal genre and it doesn’t matter how technical it gets, for me, even Archspire is boring. Contemporary DM artists seem to be of the mind that the more sanitized and the more guitar doodles the better. It’s my opinion that it’s the very same people who pay money to go see a Michael Bay movie who likely enjoy modern death metal as well. Guitar riffs like helicopter explosions in rhythm with high-speed-chase cadences and abstract solos. Where’s the dignity? Even the most avant-garde death metal band should have a little something called class. This character trait cannot be taught and it was projects like Death and currently Revocation along with New Zealand’s Ulcerate that have so demonstrated it over the course of the 80’s - 90’s and 00’s - beyond. On June 14, the above-mentioned Sages of the avant-garde and purveyors of technical mayhem, Ulcerate, released their new Cutting The Throat Of God LP via Debemur Morti.

If it’s the ridiculousness of bands like Cattle Decapitation and Aborted you’re in search of then move along because you have no taste and probably wouldn’t appreciate a record like Cutting The Throat Of God. Technical yet mid-tempo’d and avant-garde yet warm; soothing the savage beast with dreamlike arrangements just before rousing it into a feeding frenzy with onslaughts of Gojira-level heaviness in riffing during ominous album cuts like 'The Dawn Is Hollow' and 'Further Opening The Wounds' - lyrically reflective but also dreadful of suffering to come. Why cut the throat of God? Why the fuck not… Especially when said deicide is committed to the sound of such intense, suspenseful death metal. Like the sky about to fall or being diagnosed with terminal cancer; fear and despair dealt out in spades.

I had mentioned Revocation. Great band, right? Ulcerate’s Cutting The Throat Of God hits the same sweet spot only with more darkness and melancholy. Misery-drenched, somber to the core and truly fucking hopeless is 'Transfiguration In And Out Of Worlds' - a slow-burner - vocals at their most savage and set to this off-putting feeling as if you’re being watched from a shadowy corner as you take your final steps toward the electric chair. A mood piece and not a fun one. Riffs are there but they’re fucking dismal and there are melodic passages but they’re melancholic and fit for a funeral. Eyes closed now, fists clenched for 'To See Death Just Once'. A deep-seated sense of yearning and the reveling in all things discordant unfolding to an arsenal of deadly progressions that drag depths and scale heights. An epic! A miserable one, but an epic nonetheless. Got time to feel the pain? Are you hiding from it? With Cutting The Throat Of God, Ulcerate provide a purge if one would be so bold as to stop distracting themselves for two seconds and feel something for once…

Building into a crescendo of madness during certain parts and trudging through the bowels of perdition in others. Like a critical condition injury that threatens a rapidly-approaching death is Cutting The Throat Of God and with all the technical trim, just not grinding or at light speed. Class, remember? Of course you do. And for those of us who possess class, we can certainly recognize it here. For those of you who don’t, might I recommend the forthcoming GWAR, Dark Funeral, Squid Pisser tour and maybe some Alestorm to get your juices flowing. The level of compositional and cathartic prowess that Ulcerate possess is unparalleled and so is the superlative nature of Cutting The Throat Of God. Great title, even better album. Take some notes kids, because this is how it’s done…

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Jophelerx on July 25, 2024.

Although the general opinion on the previous two albums, Nightfall in Middle-Earth and A Night at the Opera was very mixed, the consensus on this one seems to be that it's mediocre at best, and possibly Blind Guardian's furthest departure from their speed metal roots. While the latter may be true, I find this album far more than mediocre, though clearly not Blind Guardian's best.

This is the first full-length to feature new drummer Frederik Ehmke, and it shows. Gone are the refreshingly unusual drum beats Thomen Stauch frequently used; while proficient, Ehmke's style is much more traditional, the drums never standing out in the album. Still, this is not the main complaint about the album, as it's hardly an issue for most listeners; instead, the slick production and unusually simplistic songwriting are to blame. Unable to take the sound on A Night at the Opera any further, they opted to take a completely different approach, toning down the endless intricacies of the previous album until they reached a simple, unadorned, almost rock-ish set of songs. Those who were intimidated by A Night at the Opera's enormous, constant, busy sound won't find any of that here; this is catchy, stripped down power metal.

However, one problem people had with the previous album remains: many of the song's tend to focus on Hansi's vocals, rather than on the guitar riffs. This is the case here even more than on Nightfall or A Night at the Opera, but here it fits; the songs are infectiously catchy, for the most part. From the dark, theatrical "Otherland" to the fun, groovy "Fly" to the slightly more progressive, moody "The New Order", you'll find it difficult to keep from singing along to the choruses and even the verses. The malevolent rocker "Another Stranger Me", bombastic "Straight Through the Mirror", the obligatory medieval-style ballad "Skalds and Shadows", and the harsh, speedy "The Edge" are all worth listening to as well, making this far from a disappointment of an album. And despite the focus on vocals, it's impossible to miss the catchy solos and classic Blind Guardian guitar harmonizing on "Fly", or the repeating riff pattern in "The New Order"; while lacking a bit, the guitar work is certainly present.

Of course, this album is far from perfect, and some songs simply don't make the cut. "This Will Never End" tries to be speed metal, but with the slick production and focus on vocal melodies, it feels out of place and underwritten, despite a dark, epic chorus. "Turn the Page" tries to be an upbeat, bombastic number, but the songwriting here is clearly not up to par, and it builds up momentum only to let it fall into mediocrity, leaving the listener wanting more. "Carry the Blessed Home" is another ballad that never really goes anywhere, feeling like a complete waste of time. Finally, "Lionheart" is extremely simple and predictable and never really goes anywhere either, a surprisingly unambitious number for the power metallers.

Despite the clunkers, though, when this album works, it really works well, and I don't mind the slick production; though some would say it might castrate the music (and this may be the case with "This Will Never End" to an extent) I think for the most part it works well with the catchy, compact music. This will never be on my top 10 favorite albums list, but it's certainly enjoyable for what it is, and if you're a fan of catchy power metal, I definitely suggest checking it out.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10