National Music Reviews
Godflesh
Self-Titled (reissue)
Earache
Street: 01.21
Godflesh = early Swans x Einstürzende Neubauten / Chuck Schuldiner ^ Ministry’s The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
Beautiful, white-marble vinyl encapsulates the dense walls of industrial riffs in this reissue of Godflesh’s self-titled debut. As it spins, whether it’s gruff vocals in opener “Avalanche Master Song” or sonorous bellows ridden with reverb in “Ice Nerveshatter,” Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green fill empty space with the mechanical cruelty of their 1988 temperament. The strident beat programming of “Weak Flesh” feels like I’m a red-headed stepchild getting a beatin’ as it pounds through my speakers and the riffs gyrate and slam like pistons. Side C of this double-vinyl release unleashes “Wounds,” and Side D includes a braille-like dot pattern indicative of the aural character of this classic, a must-have for longtime fans, collectors and newbies alike. –Honk Carnie