You’ll likely note the use of diagnostic language here in the info from the PR wire. Not calling it out to stigmatize — if you read this site on a regular basis, you’ll already know I’ve discussed the neurological experiences of myself and my kid many Fridays over — but even beyond autism and PTSD, the mention of hypersensitivity feels relevant, and looking back to 2017 when the announcement came through for that year’s Post Self (review here), there was none of it as part of the narrative, so put seems safe to guess that Justin K. Broadrick has made ‘doing the work’ a part of his life. Good for him, and I mean that sincerely. From the breakup of Godflesh the first time through the various stages of Jesu and his sundry other incarnations/projects, he’s been up front about his struggles and as someone who respects his output, this would seem only to be a new manifestation for its cathartic aspects. He did call it Purge, after all.

This is why I post press releases: because I believe it’s important contextually to know what an artist is positing as the story of their work. One way or the other a new Godflesh record is something to look forward to, and one remembers a time when such a thing seemed unlikely, so a third post-reunion full-length will do nicely. There’s no audio yet, but the info is more than preliminary, even as regards the album itself never mind the apparent backdrop against which it arrives for Broadrick personally, and while you’re carefully paying attention, don’t miss the part where it says select US dates are incoming. This is a band that, if you can see them, you should, at least once in your life, honestly whether you think of yourself as a fan or not. The historical context alone, never mind the still-forceful presence on stage or the songs, either of which would also be reason enough to show up.

The PR wire takes it from here:

GODFLESH ANNOUNCES PURGE DUE ON 9TH JUNE VIA AVALANCHE RECORDINGS

FIRST NEW GODFLESH RECORDINGS SINCE 2017’s CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FULL LENGTH POST SELF

Preorder: https://avalancherecordings.bandcamp.com/

With the highly anticipated new album PURGE, Godflesh revisits and updates the concepts of PURE (1992), as well as bringing a whole host of new dirges and laments. Amongst the many layers of dirt, PURGE mangles 90s hip hop grooves and puts them through the Godflesh filter to create something futuristic in style – and utterly unique.

Both minimal and maximal, Godflesh deliver alien grooves that swing whilst also retaining the psychedelic, bad trip edge with layer upon layer of filth and heaviness – that Godflesh have always been known for. This is, and always has been, feel-bad music.

The title alone – PURGE – references directly how songwriter and creator Justin K. Broadrick utilises Godflesh’s music as a temporary relief from his diagnosed autism and PTSD. It’s the next stage in a journey he has been on since he began creating music, feeling alone and like an outsider in any scene or group, from childhood through to adulthood.

The music of Godflesh gives Broadrick the means to express a lifetime of feeling misunderstood and overwhelmed by hyper-sensitivity. The band is the vehicle to provide some sense of catharsis and transcendence; a way of communicating overload, as well as the constant disenchantment at the human condition, and man’s abuse of power and the systems that chain us.

PURGE references the cycle of horror that man always has and always will put us through; those in positions of power revel in the infliction of pain and horror upon individuals – in the name of their religion, their power, their money, their flags…

PURGE TRACK LISTING:
01 – NERO
02 – LAND LORD
03 – ARMY OF NON
04 – LAZARUS LEPER
05 – PERMISSION
06 – THE FATHER
07 – MYTHOLOGY OF SELF
08 – YOU ARE THE JUDGE, THE JURY, AND THE EXECUTIONER

PURGE is 8 songs, delivered in a concise fashion for fellow outsiders.

A digital only single of the opening song ‘NERO’, coupled with 3 self-remixes will be released 3rd April.

The duo of Godflesh – Justin K Broadrick and Ben Green – augmented by Machines, are seen as a pivotal entity in the world of ‘heavy’ music, impacting entire subcultures within the scene since the band’s inception in 1988.

Godflesh have been credited as being one of the first bands to cross old British industrial music with down-tuned, primitive and minimal metal, accidentally pioneering the ‘industrial metal’ sound – yet reaches far beyond the confines of the genre. The band is widely regarded as a cultural icon, and its impact can be felt across generations of heavy music, both mainstream and underground.

Godflesh will perform at select shows worldwide and key festivals, including headlining Birmingham’s Supersonic Festival, and Oblivion Fest (Austin, TX, USA) around the release date of the album. To be followed by a small string of US dates too.

https://godflesh1.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/justinkbroadrick/
https://www.justinkbroadrick.com/
https://linktr.ee/jkbroadrick

Godflesh, Live at Hellfest 2022

In cinematic critique, the auteur theory considers a given film’s director as almost the sole visionary behind a project. Think of directors strongly identified with their work — a “Kubrick film,” a “Spielberg film,” etc. The idea is that while filmmaking is a collaborative process, that collaboration is geared toward bringing the director’s vision to life in the finished product, and all perspective is filtered through that vision one way or another. The artist — which in this case the director — isn’t separate from the work.

It’s hard in some ways not to think of Jesu along the same lines. Of course, the music of Justin K. Broadrick‘s more melodic post-Godflesh outfit has always been visually evocative, so I by no means expect I’m the first to relate it in terms of cinema, but in terms of the line where Broadrick ends and Jesu, the band, begins, it’s hard to know, especially when it comes to the self-titled debut album released in late 2004 through Hydra Head Records, Conspiracy Records (2LP) and Daymare Recordings (Japanese 2CD).

Broadrick, now 52, turned 35 the year Jesu released Jesu. At 74 minutes and eight songs, the album is comprised of songs written and recorded by Broadrick himself between 2001 and 2004. Jesu had already tested the waters with earlier ’04’s Heart Ache 40-minute two-songer — considered an EP despite the runtime — and clearly the intention was to break away at least in part from the prior established modus that had been defined through Godflesh, who across several landmark releases had no small part in defining the course of industrial metal in the 1990s.

Godflesh‘s last album, Hymns, was released in 2001, and the band broke up on the cusp of embarking on a European tour — with Fear Factory, as I recall — to support it. I interviewed Broadrick when this record came out and he spoke openly about what was going on at the time for him; he talked about it very much as a nervous breakdown, something personal in the realization that where he was heading was not where he wanted to be. Of course, Godflesh would get back together circa 2011, and go on to release new material — recently compiled as the All Hail the New Flesh box set; clever — but as the last song on Hymns was “Jesu,” one might think Broadrick was picking up where he left off.

In some ways, yes. Programmed beats and other electronic aspects pervade songs like “Sun Day” and “Friends Are Evil,” but the naked emotionality and self-examination of the lyrics in “Tired of Me,” “We All Faulter,” the opener “Your Path to Divinity,” on and on, is something apart even from the deepest Godflesh ever went. And the music, what Broadrick — joined intermittently throughout by drummer Ted Parsons (who still contributes to the band), bassist Diarmuid Dalton and guitarist Paul Neville — does with the forms he helped define, is markedly different, less aggressive, more melancholy, more searching. There’s plenty of weight throughout, and the growls at root in the penultimate “Man/Woman” are fairly telling of how Broadrick had spent his career up to that point, but in addition to Godflesh‘s breakup being a significant event for that era in metal, the advent of Jesu was indeed enough of an aesthetic turn to mark it out as the beginning of a new band.

Jesu, largely, is a slog. There’s some tempo behind “Friends Are Evil,” and at just under seven minutes, “We All Faulter” feels like a ‘hit single’ in comparison to some of what surrounds, but there’s no question that the defining aspect of the record is the way it brings together a post-rock melody with sounds that are as heavy emotionally as they are in tone and impact. It it is a subtle release, with shifts in expressive intent — consider the structural differences between the meandering “Your Path to Divinity” and the more willfully repetitive “Walk on Water,” with its gorgeous, sad procession, or the lumbering and experimental feeling closer “Guardian Angel,” its lyrics down to four simple lines delivered in drawn out, barely-comprehensible fashion, “You found the key to escape/ But I need the same key to run away from me/And you know the need and we see the same things/We know the outside is your true inside.”

What does that mean? I don’t know. What does anything mean? That kind of verbal and aural impressionism — things vague, things opaque, things unknown — is rampant throughout Jesu, and as direct as some of Broadrick‘s past work had been, the obscurity here was no less a part of the purpose than the blend of guitar clarity and distorted rumbling beneath or the droning finish that caps the album, fading away like the course of a passing thought. There’s beauty in Jesu‘s Jesu — a lot of it — but as with much of the work the band would undertake, its exploration comes across as much about the person or at least persona behind it as it does the songwriting itself. It’s rare that crossing such a line results in a finished product so engaging or immersive.

Jesu and Godflesh — as well as Broadrick‘s myriad other works as JK Flesh, etc. — coexist now, of course, and in addition to various other mixes of this record, Broadrick‘s Bandcamp is host to the full slew of outings, including 2020’s Terminus (discussed here), which one only hopes was not prophetically titled. That album, Jesu‘s sixth overall, was the first one in seven years as much of Broadrick‘s attention had been put on the resurgent Godflesh, but as to what his future plans might be for one, the other, or both, I can’t say. The exploration that Jesu began nearly 17 years ago, however, is still going on, and one can hear that across their catalog. Whether Broadrick continues it or leaves it aside for some measure of time or whatever the future brings, this work remains singularly resonant.

I mentioned his age before, and not arbitrarily. To me, Jesu‘s Jesu sounds like someone entering adulthood and looking back maybe on some regrets, some sadness, some choices that could or should have been different, but ultimately reconciling what was with what is. There’s a lot of realization in it, sonically and emotionally, and the sincerity with which it’s presented is unmistakable. Individual. His own. A Broadrick album.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

—

This week was awful until yesterday. I turned 40 this past Tuesday — no doubt another reason I’m thinking of age above — and I’ve never been into birthdays. Ever. It’s not about a new decade. I don’t care. Let it go.

Then The Patient Mrs. bought me a home arcade and that showed up yesterday afternoon and, well, I pretty much melted. I don’t like defining feeling loved through the acquisition of material goods. I don’t need them. I haven’t had a job since 2017. My entire life is a gift, by any metric you want to use. When I talk about writing for this site, I call it “work.” Can you imagine anything so laughable? I have “work” to do posting about Kadavar and Elder. And that’s my life!

Ridiculous.

But I was genuinely touched by the gift and though I feel like there’s going to be an awful lot more screen time in The Pecan’s life as a result, at least maybe it’s something we can do together. He’ll be four on Monday. We’re having a party this weekend, family coming down. I expect and hope the cousins will also enjoy a bit of classic arcade fare.

It was difficult to be grumpy after that. She even put images from Star Trek on the sides. Lower Decks on one side and Deep Space 9 on the other. As if to say, “I know you, fucker!” to my entire being.

No Gimme show this week, gotta put together a playlist for next week. Might do all Type O Negative for Halloween? I don’t know. Anyone think that’s a terrible idea? Yes, I’m asking for permission to do it. Please leave a comment with your thoughts. Please. Anybody.

Next week is full. The Jointhugger album is out next weekend and in fact I had been hoping to put in the request to stream it but the week got full in spite of me and I think I missed my shot. I suck at this, we know that. Alas, I did the EP earlier this year so I’ll hang my hat there, though the record is really good. In any case, next week is front-to-back. Couple full streams, some videos, the whole nine. You know how we do these days.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. If you want to come to The Pecan’s birthday party on Saturday, it’s from 12-4 and we’ll have a bounce house and snackies. And an arcade, apparently. Bring the kids. PM for address. I’m dead serious. The inside of the house is under construction and most of the party will be outside, so wear a hoodie or some such.

Otherwise, whatever you’re up to, hydrate, be well. Watch your head.

FRM.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

The Obelisk merch

As Godflesh make ready to perform Streetcleaner in full this coming Sunday night, Nov. 5, at Warsaw in Brooklyn to mark the 20th anniversary of Hospital Productions, the legendary Justin K. Broadrick-led outfit are preparing to unveil two new releases. First is a new studio outing titled Post Self, which is a follow-up for 2014’s return long-player A World Lit Only by Fire (review here), and second is a CD reissue Dec. 1 on Burning World/Roadburn Records of the 2013 live outing, Streetcleaner Live at Roadburn 2011, capturing the performance six years ago that basically kicked off the duo’s resurgence, Broadrick and Benny Green taking the stage together and laying waste to the entire fest. I was there. It was a work of technology advanced enough to be considered magic by my feeble brain.

The title-track of Post Self is streaming now and the PR wire brings the latest on both releases:

Godflesh share the title track of their new album, Post Self; the legendary duo’s first album in three years, due out on November 17th

Godflesh Streetcleaner Live At Roadburn (CD) out Dec. 1

Industrial metal pioneers Godflesh will release their new album Post Self on November 17th via Justin K. Broadrick’s Avalanche Recordings on CD, digital and LP formats, with a cassette version incoming on Hospital Productions. Over two years in the making, Post Self explores a different side of Godflesh, taking in their formative influences to conjure something informed by late 70’s/early 80’s post-punk and industrial music. The album deals with themes of anxiety, depression, fear, mortality, and paternal/maternal relationships.

The previous Godflesh album, A World Lit Only By Fire, was released in October 2014.

Post Self track listing
1. Post Self
2. Parasite
3. No Body
4. Mirror Of Finite Light
5. Be God
6. The Cyclic End
7. Pre Self
8. Mortality Sorrow
9. In Your Shadow
10. The Infinite End

GODFLESH performed their seminal debut full-length album, 1989’s “Streetcleaner”, in its entirety at the 2011 edition of the Roadburn festival on Thursday, April 14 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. In addition, founding members Justin Broadrick and Benny Green played the “Tiny Tears” EP, which was conceived as part of the overall “Streetcleaner” vision, in full as well.

– Mastered specially for cd by James Plotkin.
– Originally released as a double album on Roadburn Festival Records in 2013. Now for the first time out on cd.

Tracklist
1. LIKE RATS (LIVE) 05:34
2. CHRISTBAIT RISING (LIVE) 07:46
3. PULP (LIVE) 04:21
4. DREAM LONG DEAD (LIVE) 05:36
5. HEADDIRT (LIVE) 04:20
6. DEVASTATOR / MIGHTY TRUST KRUSHER (LIVE) 09:40
7. LIFE IS EASY (LIVE) 04:25
8. STREETCLEANER (LIVE) 06:47
9. LOCUST FURNACE (LIVE) 04:36
10. TINY TEARS (LIVE) 03:21
11. WOUND (LIVE) 03:12
12. DEADHEAD (LIVE) 04:06
13. SUCTION (LIVE) 08:48

http://avalancherecordings.tumblr.com/
https://godflesh1.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jkflesh/
https://twitter.com/jkbroadrick
https://www.instagram.com/justinkbroadrick/

Godflesh, “Post Self”

I wanted to make sure I did a round of radio adds for this week. Not just because they’re fun to do and it’s a bit like submerging my head in heaviness for an afternoon, but because I’ve already got one or two records in mind to join the playlist next week (or the week after, depending on time) and I don’t want to get too far behind. As always, these five are just picks out of the bunch. Over 20 records went up to the server today, so there’s much more than this to dig into. As well as all the rest of everything up there. I don’t even know how much stuff that is at this point. Last I heard from Slevin, it was “a lot.” Nothing like more, then.

The Obelisk Radio adds for Oct. 16, 2014:

Godflesh, A World Lit only by Fire

It seems that after a decade-plus of moving further away from Godflesh‘s sound in Jesu, guitarist/vocalist Justin K. Broadrick has had no problem whatsoever slipping back into songwriting for the ultra-influential early-industrial outfit. Preceded by an EP called Decline and Fall (review here) that was also released through Broadrick‘s Avalanche Recordings imprint, the 10-track A World Lit Only by Fire harnesses a lot of the churn that was so prevalent in prime-era Godflesh and, more impressively, successfully channels the same aggression and frustration without sounding like a put-on. The chug in “Carrion” is visceral, and while “Life Giver Life Taker” recalls some of the melody that began to show itself on Godflesh‘s last album, 2001’s Hymns, and subsequently became the core of Jesu, songs like “Shut Me Down” and the gruelingly slow “Towers of Emptiness” find Broadrick and bassist G.C. Green enacting a familiar pummel that — and this is a compliment — sounds just like Godflesh. No doubt some of that is because so much of the duo’s elements are electronic, and while they might sound dated after a while, electronics don’t actually age in the same way people do, but even in the human core of the band, Godflesh are back in full, earth-shattering force. A World Lit Only by Fire is a triumphant return. I don’t know if it necessarily adds much to the Godflesh legacy that wasn’t already there, but as a new beginning point, a sort of second debut, its arrival is more than welcome. Godflesh on Bandcamp, Justin Broadrick on Thee Facebooks.

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Early Man, Thank God You’ve Got the Answers for us All

After starting out in Ohio and making their way to New York around the middle of the last decade, the duo of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Mike Conte and guitarist Pete Macy — better known as Early Man — recorded their new album, Thank God You’ve Got the Answers for us All, as they put, “inside various closets, attics and basements within the greater Los Angeles area over the past year.” I recall seeing them in Manhattan and getting their demo in 2004/2005 and Early Man was the shit. They were gonna be huge. A contract with Matador Records brought their debut and then they went five years before their next album came out, and by then, retro metal and heavy rock has passed them by. Thank God You’ve Got the Answers for us All taps some of the same younger-Metallica vibing of their earliest work on “Black Rains are Falling” and closer “The Longer the Life,” but the current of Sabbathian heavy that was always there remains strong and “Always Had a Place in Hell to Call My Own” ups the ante with a more punkish take. The recording is raw in the new digital sense, but the tracks get their point across well enough, and Conte‘s songwriting has always produced some memorable results — the keyboard-soaked “Hold on to Nothing” stands out here — but it seems like the story of Early Man is still waiting to be told. Early Man on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

—

Temple of Void, Of Terror and the Supernatural

Any given song, it can be hard to tell where Detroit’s Temple of Void come down on the spectrum of doom/death and death/doom, but whatever genre tag you want to stick on it, their debut long-player, Of Terror and the Supernatural, is fucking grim. A roaring morass of thuds, low growls, bouts of extreme violence and bludgeonry, and horror — oh, the horror. Last year’s Demo MMXIII (review here) was fair enough warning, but what the double-guitar five-piece do across these eight tracks is a cruelty of atmosphere and lurch. Squibbles perpetrate “Invocation of Demise,” which also has some surprise key work that sounds like a flute, and a moment of respite arrives with the subsequent “To Carry this Corpse Evermore” in Opethian acoustics, but as the title would indicate, “Rot in Solitude” throws the listener right back into the filth and it’s there Temple of Void seem most in their element. Buried deep in “Exanimate Gaze” is a melodic undertone and 10-minute finale “Bargain in Death” shows a fairly dynamic approach, but the core of what they do is rooted in toying with a balance between death and doom metals, and already on their first outing they show significant stylistic command. If they tour, it’s hard to imagine one of the bigger metal labels —Relapse, Metal Blade — wouldn’t want them somewhere down the line. Temple of Void on Thee Facebooks, Saw Her Ghost Records, Rain without End Records.

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Mage, Last Orders

UK fivesome Mage debuted in 2012 with Black Sands (review here) and showcased a burly blend of heavy rock and metal, and tonally and in the drums, their sophomore outing, Last Orders, follows suit in copping elements of thrash, Voivod-style otherwordliness and a penchant for shifting tempos effectively while keeping a seemingly downward path. Vocalist Tom has pulled back on the ultra-dudely vocals and it makes a big difference in the band’s sound for the better. He’s much better mixed and exploring some new ground on “The Fallen,” but he boldly takes on the task with the slower “Beyond” — the longest song here at six minutes flat — and comes out stronger for it. Guitarists Ben and Woody, bassist Mark and drummer Andy showcase some Electric Wizard influence in that song, but I wouldn’t tie Mage‘s sound to any one band, as “Lux Mentis” before offers huge-sounding stomp and “Violent Skies” after feeds an adrenaline surge of chugging and turns before opening to Last Orders‘ satisfying payoff, Tom tapping into mid-range Halford along the way and closer “One for the Road” reminding that there’s still a riffy side to the band as well. Mage on Thee Facebooks, Witch Hunter Records.

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Lamperjaw, Demo EP 2014

Formed in 2011, Virginian trio Lamperjaw make their three-track debut with the descriptive Demo EP 2014, drunken-stomping the line between sludge and Southern heavy. One can’t help but be reminded of Alabama Thunderpussy‘s glory days listening to “Throw Me a Stone,” but with guitarist Dedrian, bassist Lane and drummer Codi all contributing vocals, Lamperjaw bring something immediately distinguishing to their approach. “Blood Dreams” aligns them with the burl-bringing Southern set, some screams and a metallic chug surprising after the opener’s booze-rocking vibe, but their real potential comes out on the seven-minute “Menace of a Cruel Earth,” which moves from low-in-the-mouth whoa-yeah-style grit across a successful linear build to a harmonized, well-arranged apex. It’s always hard to judge a band’s intent by their first release, and there’s a lot about their sound Lamperjaw are still figuring out, but they’ve given themselves some directional liquidity on their first demo, and it will be interesting to hear how they proceed from this point. Lamperjaw on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

—

Like I said, this is just a fraction of the stuff that went up to the server this afternoon, so if you get a second, I hope you’ll peruse the The Obelisk Radio Updates and Playlist page, or whatever it is I’m calling it in my head this week. It’s the same page as always either way.

Thanks for reading and listening.

The new Godflesh album exists. It’s really coming out and you’re really going to be able to hear it. It’s called A World Lit Only by Fire, and it will be released through Justin Broadrick‘s Avalanche Recordings as the first Godflesh LP since 2001’s Hymns. Due Oct. 6, it will be the follow-up to earlier 2014’s Decline and Fall EP (review here), which stood as testament to the undiminished intensity of Godflesh‘s sound and their unwillingness to ignore a decade-plus of musical evolution since their last time out. It is an album very, very much worth looking forward to.

Here’s the PR wire with artwork, a new song, and more about it:

GODFLESH ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF FIRST ALBUM IN 13 YEARS, SHARE NEW SONG AND ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES. A WORLD LIT ONLY BY FIRE SET FOR OCTOBER 6 RELEASE

Industrial metal innovators Godflesh have announced the details of their highly anticipated full length A World Lit Only By Fire, set for an October 6 release on their own Avalanche Recordings label. The album arrives on the heels of June’s Decline And Fall EP, which was met with widespread acclaim for its effortless synthesis of the duo’s fan-favoured early albums, themselves groundbreaking genre experiments that pioneered an integration of electronic music’s bombastic rhythms, metal’s bludgeoning force, and post punk’s aural atmospherics. Whereas the new EP succeeded by fulfilling listener expectations, the full length exceeds them; delivering a full force exploration of the furthest boundaries of Godflesh’s extreme sonics, and then pushing beyond them, detailing the rich musical experience accrued in the dozen year span and countless musical projects (Jesu, Final, Vitriol, Greymachine, Techno Animal, etc.) between recordings.

The duo, comprised of legendary talents of Justin Broadrick (also of Jesu, JK Flesh, Techno Animal, Pale Sketcher, and more) and GC Green, formed in 1988 in the same fertile Birmingham, UK scene that forged the talents of Napalm Death, Carcass, and Head of David among many others. Initially disbanding in 2002, the band resumed live performances in 2010 and began the arduous work of crafting a follow up to 2001’s Hymns. The resultant self-recorded ten song set mounts the thin line between high definition clarity and raw, visceral heaviness, inducing a meditative state via seething minimalism that hinges on ritualistic riff repetition and the tenuous membrane between anxiety-inducing dissonance and cathartic minor key melody.

A WORLD LIT ONLY BY FIRE TRACK LIST

1. New Dark Ages
2. Deadend
3. Shut Me Down
4. Life Giver Life Taker
5. Obeyed
6. Curse Us All
7. Carrion
8. Imperator
9. Towers of Emptiness
10. Forgive Our Fathers

A WORLD LIT ONLY BY FIRE DECEMBER UK TOUR DATES

Tue 09.12.14 The Haunt Brighton
Wed 10.12.14 Garage London
Thu 11.12.14 Rescue Rooms Nottingham
Fri 12.12.14 Sound Control Manchester
Sat 13.12.14 Art School Glasgow

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.avalancheinc.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-K-Broadrick/118373041529126
https://twitter.com/JKBroadrick

Godflesh, “New Dark Ages” from A World Lit Only by Fire

One of the most challenging factors in listening to Decline and Fall objectively, or even attempting to do so, is in separating the reality of the four songs included from the fact that it’s Godflesh. Not just Godlesh, but new Godflesh, and the first new Godflesh since 2001’s swansong full-length, Hymns. Among bands both in the heavy underground and the wider sphere of metal, there have been few acts who’ve had the kind of influence Godflesh have within that 13-year span. To name three others in varied styles: Opeth, Neurosis, Meshuggah. That’s the caliber of contribution, and some 25 years on from their landmark 1989 debut, Streetcleaner, Godflesh hold firm to the core of what made their approach so singular and so heavy to begin with — the industrial churn and aggressive sensibility. Founding guitarist/vocalist/programmer Justin K. Broadrick has cemented a legacy via his work in the more melodic, ambient Jesu, who arrived in 2004 named for the final Godflesh song on Hymns with a style that seemed bent on exploring the open spaces that Godflesh turned claustrophobic, but there’s no question Godflesh has endured a relevance beyond their original tenure and one that continues to flourish in an industrial revival today. So how on earth does one listen to the Decline and Fall EP (out through Broadrick‘s own Avalanche Recordings) and separate these tracks from the massive influence that Broadrick and founding bassist G.C. Green have had on the heaviness that has followed in their lumbering wake?

Beats the hell out of me.

Since Broadrick and Green began playing shows again, the discussion inevitably turned to new material resulting from the reunion. The reality of Godflesh circa 2014 probably isn’t so far disengaged from what the reality of Godflesh circa 2003 or 2004 might’ve been. In a way, the four included pieces, “Ringer,” “Dogbite,” “Playing with Fire” and “Decline and Fall” are almost too easy to read as Godflesh picking up where they left off. Breaking cleanly into two vinyl sides with a more melodic track — “Ringer” and “Playing with Fire” — and a harsher one — “Dogbite” and “Decline and Fall” — on each as typified by Broadrick‘s vocal approach, Decline and Fall neatly answers some of the progressiveness Hymns presented and Broadrick went on to refine with Jesu, most notably the more open feel and steady use of melody, but it also seems to have come from an alternate reality in which that refining process hasn’t already played out in the way it has. That is to say, Decline and Fall is Godflesh. It sounds like Godflesh from the static noise that opens “Ringer” to the double-timed beats that cap “Decline and Fall” and with every chugging riff in between. Circumstantially — not sonically — it’s not unlike Floor‘s recent release of their first post-reunion album, Oblation, which arrived after several years of playing shows and found a guitarist returning to the band in which he cut his teeth after continuing the creative evolution with another act. Broadrick‘s success with Jesu little informs the songs on Decline and Fall, and while that project has its distinct appeal, keeping them separate unquestionably works to the favor of both. What the EP winds up feeling like is the result of someone trying on an old outfit and finding out it still fits, but with songwriting. Over a decade later, it wasn’t clear what Godflesh would be or how much the intervening years and experiences would play into the songs. It turns out that what makes Godflesh Godflesh has remained intact.

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