This is a monumental release from Electric Wizard, by far their finest work and one of the high points of the whole doom metal genre and metal in the 21st century.
Musically 'Dopethrone' occupies a sort of middle ground between doom bands who just try to sound like Black Sabbath e.g. Witchfinder General and the bands who tend to see just who slow they can play and how long their songs can be (e.g. Khanate). Because of this 'Dopethrone' is pushing the boundaries of the genre but not without influence of classic metal bands.
The first thing which struck me about this album was the crushingly dense guitar sound that sounds as if its coming from a tube amp pushed to melting point which is pretty much the polar opposite of the standard polished lifeless modern metal sound. Musically, it's hard to tell whether Electric Wizard can actually play or not, but all things considered I don't care whether they can because this album is about atmosphere, and it has it in spades, so whether or not Jus Oborn can sweep pick is irrelevant. For instance 'Funeralopolis' has a wonderful bluesy atmosphere (think Blue Cheer blues not B.B. King) that matches the apocalyptic images of the lyrics very well.
Lyrically, this album shifts from themes of drugs (really? I thought these boys had nothing stronger than a pint of bitter), general hatred to all humanity ('We Hate You') and more fantasy themed lyrics inspired by the likes of Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, which makes for a lyrically varied listen. Also of note is the very loose jamming feel dominant throughout the album that is evident in the albums shortest track 'Hills Have Eyes' which is just a short jam and in a lesser record could be considered filler but it somehow forms a integral part of the record.
This album also proves to be very consistent containing many of the bands finest songs (and yes, most of them have actual songs! Choruses and everything). Even the bonus track 'Mind Transferral' is a keeper, meaning Electric Wizard have not only delivered a heavy and atmospheric album but a consistent one with memorable songs.
So if you like the idea of Hawkwind played way too slow (see 'I, the Witchfinder' for the most dominant Hawkwind influence) and Black Sabbath pushed to melting point, I can strongly recommend this masterpiece. Easily one of the best albums of the last decade.