My Top 11 Godflesh Songs
In hope of the new Godflesh album being released this year, this is my top 11 tracks from them. |
| 11 |  | Godflesh
Messiah
'Scapegoat' (3:54) - My #11 spot goes to this track from the Messiah EP. Green's bass is the driving force behind this drum 'n' bass influenced track and although it's not one of the bands heaviest, it generates an oppressively dark atmosphere as the song clocks on with abrasive guitars and bitterly delivered vocals. |
| 10 |  | Godflesh
Streetcleaner
'Streetcleaner' (6:43) - This title track from what is largely considered the bands magnum opus is the direct definition of pummelling. Here, Paul Neville's extra guitar gives the song a bleak, almost nihilistic atmosphere adding to the suffocating nature of the whole album. If you have never heard Godflesh's music, do not underestimate just how heavy they can be. This is utterly relentless. |
| 9 |  | Godflesh
Hymns
'Regal' (4:37) - Taking the heaviness down a notch now for a track from the 2001 album, HYMNS. Regal is a track that brilliantly displays how Godflesh were much more than merely trying to create unrelenting noise. The tone here is very melancholic and Justin's clean and echoed vocals compliment this perfectly, despite the crunchy guitars. |
| 8 |  | Godflesh
Songs of Love and Hate
'Frail' (5:25) 'Frail' is in some ways a bigger sister track to 'Regal'; the usual heaviness takes a back seat here as well and Justin's vocals are again delivered cleanly to suit the less oppressive atmosphere opposed to the band's usual menace. This track too benefits from a real drummer to drive the song's much required organic feel. 'Frail' beats 'Regal' for the #8 spot simply because of the epic intro riff. |
| 7 |  | Godflesh
Selfless
'Black Boned Angel' (6:47) - SELFLESS was arguably Godflesh's most accessible record, but there is nothing accessible about 'Black Boned Angel'. This is the band playing at crawling pace and the pounding guitar riffs are being allowed to resonate resulting in a close relation to drone metal. Prime Godflesh. |
| 6 | | Godflesh
Streetcleaner
'Christbait Rising' (7:00) - An early Godflesh song that displays how hip-hop had a massive influence on their sound. The drumbeat allegedly was taken from Eric B. & Rakim's 'Microphone Fiend' and it is abruptly apparent when you're listening for it. However, 'Christbait' piles on the staccato riffing and scathing atmosphere to make it nothing but grinding industrial metal. "Don't hold me back. This is my own hell!" |
| 5 |  | Godflesh
In All Languages
'Love Is A Dog From Hell' - (8:18) - The protracted intro to this song contains some of the most heaviest, torturous and biggest sounds ever put down. After that, it continues to pummel the listener into submission for its 8 minute duration. God knows how this wasn't features on a studio album. |
| 4 |  | Godflesh
Us And Them
'The Internal' (6:33) - Often cited as a foreshadowing of what music Justin would make with Jesu, 'The Internal' is Godflesh's most moving song, despite its bleakness. It's another attempt at showing that the band wasn't just about the heaviness but atmosphere and tone, sometimes emotion too. It pulls it off with phenomenal results. |
| 3 |  | Godflesh
Pure
'Spite' (4:31) - Another example of the band displaying the massive influences of hip-hop they often carried. The drum beat feature here is definitely a product of this and it is unbelievably catchy, having the capability to be stuck in your head for weeks. Industrial death disco. |
| 2 |  | Godflesh
Godflesh
'Avalanche Master Song' (5:14) - Probably Godflesh's most crushing song. All the ingredients are here that are typical of the band, grinding guitars, thumping bass, bleak atmosphere and pummelling repetition. 'Avalanche' creates images of a massive machine slowly rolling over the land flattening anything in its path. This song must have had an impact on those who heard it back in 1988. |
| 1 | | Godflesh
Hymns
'Defeated' (6:05) - HYMNS was an album that was a culmination of everything Godflesh had achieved thus far. 'Defeated' the albums opener, features huge guitars, some string bending to really give it an evil sound and ferociousness that few bands could ever hope to achieve. The song ends on a somewhat lighter feel after a heavy outro - this is a brutal and epic song. My favourite from Godflesh. |
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