Search - Godflesh :: Hymns

Godflesh is dead, long live Godflesh

Wheelchair Assassin | The Great Concavity | 08/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Whatever else you may think of them, it's hard not to give Godflesh credit for one thing: even more than a decade into their career, they managed to steer clear of any of the trendy directions they could've pursed in 2002. Hymns, their final release, is a resolutely metal album from start to finish, even largely doing away with the hip-hop and industrial elements that characterized some of their previous work. What you get instead here is stripped-down aggression that may not have marked a huge progression for the band, but did manage to pack a few surprises at points (more on that later). No, Hymns isn't as downright evil and scary as Streecleaner, and it's not a genre-bending masterpiece like Pure, but it is a highly listenable slab of heaviness that managed to close out Godflesh's career on a high note.



If you're in the mood for some headbanging, you came to the right place, as Hymns packs some of the most thunderous grooves in Godflesh's career. Ironically enough, Hymns often ends up bringing to mind the early work of Fear Factory, whose roots in Mr. Broadrick's work have always been obvious (the Fear Factory classic Demanufacture even includes a cover of an old song by Head of David, fronted by Justin himself). Several tracks on here, most notably the first three, are vintage 'Flesh, propelled by Justin's unmistakable in-your-face growl and angry lyrics. It's clear that riffage is the name of the game here, as the album's heavier material packs plenty of the proverbial punches to the gut. And there's even a human drummer this time around in the form of Ted Parsons, whose aggressive pounding (which makes up in enthusiasm for what it lacks in polish) brings a refreshingly organic element to the proceedings.



The album starts off in classic Godflesh fashion with the methodical, monolithic chug of Defeated before kicking into high gear with the explosive, infernal pummelling of the uptempo Deaf, Dumb & Blind and Paralyzed. The main riff of Deaf, Dumb & Blind is especially devastating (not to mention addictive), echoing the best recent work of Napalm Death as it bursts out of speakers in eardrum-abusing fashion. Animals is a piece of uncompromising sonic stomp led by Ted's crashing drumbeats, while Antihuman delivers a blast from the Pure-era past, mixing a bouncy hip-hop beat with grinding guitars and Justin's scorched-earth vocals. One of the things I've liked most about Godflesh since I started listening to them was the way they managed to distill heavy music to its most primal elements-guitar, bass, and drums (or drum machines as the case may be)-giving their music the kind of visceral attraction that can too often get lost in excessive technicality or complexity. Fortunately, that agenda is still very much in evidence here.



At the same time, it's obvious that Justin was looking to expand beyond the confines of his main band, and much of the material on Hymns foreshadows the direction that he would take with his current band Jesu. Starting with the fourth song, Anthem, and continuing through tracks like White Flag and Regal, Hymns delves into Isis-style post-metal territory, adulterating the band's traditional fearsome heaviness with ample doses of drone, melody, and clean vocals. And surprisingly, they get away with it quite well. Justin certainly won't make anyone forget about Frank Sinatra, but for all its rough edges his voice manages to attain a mournful quality that recalls the more profound moments on Pure, and occasionally even sound somewhat hypnotic (White Flag being the most prominent example). Godflesh's music (what I've heard, anyway), was always as much about disillusionment and disaffection as anything else , and this album is no exception; it just explores a somewhat novel way of expressing its emotions.



While Hymns did prove to be Godflesh's valedictory, have no fear: Justin is now heading up the aforementioned Jesu, whose sound is basically a logical extension of this album's (there are even some keyboards to be heard). Definitely worth a listen or two. And if you like Godflesh and Jesu, make sure to check out Isis and Pelican as well for some like-minded stuff."

GF's last studio recording proves worthy

Craig Allen Moore | 08/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After being a GF fan for a decade now their 7th installment
Hymns proves itself to me to be one of their best besides of
course STREETCLEANER. To me it's got the qualities I like from
previous lps. Although less experimental than the previous
journey US & Them- it makes up for with heaviness. Also this
is their 2nd release with a live drummer this time TED PARSONS
(of Prong/and SWans)- TEd does a fantastic job and at times sounds mechanical. "For Life" is a good example of that. Justin, GC, Ted still do some experimenting like the final track "Jesu"-
which has a hypnotic bass track over heavy guitar with pychedelic overtones. The track "Anthem" will get stuck in your head for days. Also another good track is "White Flag" which sounds like a Swans song to me. Very slow crawly tempo with some
delay ridden vocals. This is everything I like in GF record- it's angry,brutal,hypnotic,heavy,psychedelic,pounding but don't take my word for it- seems like people that reviewed this agree."

"Heavy" does no justice...

Death Dealer | Brooklyn, NY | 08/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This final release from the legendary Godflesh outfit delivered what most of us insane fans wanted:

Total guitar-driven songs & minimalistic production combined to unleash this crushing slab in its purest form.

Sampling & electronical manipulation found on other releases are vacant; vocal effects & drum machine also were not employed.

Ted Parsons' unique drumming drives the album with drum-machine precision & style, ranging from basic beats to defyingly intricate timing....and yes, they are real drums.

The monolithic detuned guitar of J.K. broadrick is as it should be: cranked to 10 through a Marshall 1962 Super-Lead with no added B.S. The chord phrasing he employs along with expert use of harmonics is an audio experience not soon forgotten.

Hymns ended an era; the departure of co-founding bassist G.C. Green upon recording completion & the disbanding of Godflesh soon after, was news we could have done without.

Absolutly essential listening."