Review Summary: “I become her Jesus in the flesh”
Usually, when concept albums are discussed in heavy metal, classics like W.A.S.P.’s
The Crimson Idol or Queensryche’s
Operation: Mindcrime are the first that come to mind. These albums are known for elaborate storytelling and theatrical atmosphere that have cemented their legacies as classic “rock operas” for good reason. While also being a metal concept album, Vehemence’s 2002 sophomore release,
God Was Created is a completely different beast than the aforementioned grandiose classics.
What we have here instead is a dark and quite disturbing melodic death metal album featuring a narrative about an obsessed, psychotic protagonist who stalks a girl from his school whom he rapes and murders. This is followed by a series of other heinous acts as the protagonist attempts to blame his actions on God, before eventually killing himself. Definitely not a normal storyline for a concept album, but also the kind of stuff one would expect from death metal, and it is excellent reading material for anyone who wants their day ruined.
With that being said, the main point of interest for
God Was Created is the music itself, which is fantastic and, make no mistake, this is not a Gothenburg-style melodeath album. The riffs here have a much darker and, at times, progressive edge much more in line with acts such as Intestine Baalism and Edge of Sanity than In Flames. Tracks such as “Christ, I ***ing Hate You”, “I Didn’t Kill Her”, and the title track all contain highly catchy riffs and melodies that are bound to get stuck in the listener’s head. Multiple songs on the album contain melancholic acoustic sections and, in general, the growled, yet easy to understand vocal delivery is perfect for the sordid concept. For me, the best track on the album is the epic sounding “She Never Noticed Me” which contains killer riffs, symphonic melodies, and melancholic piano work that make it one of the most memorable on the entire album. Overall,
God Was Created is a highly consistent listen and one would be hard-pressed to find a bad track on here.
As for the performances themselves, the previously mentioned vocal work handled by frontman Nathan Gearhart and bassist Mark Kozuback, fits the album’s deranged protagonist concept perfectly. Nathan Gearhart’s vocals are in a growled style not unlike Dan Swanö of Edge of Sanity fame, and they are deep, but fairly easy to make out, while Mark Kozuback’s shrieks further add to the unhinged feel of the music. The guitar work by Bjorn Dannov and John Chavez absolutely rips and there are a variety of standout melodic riffs and solos here. There are also several points throughout the album in which the guitar work drops the melody and takes on a traditional death metal approach, which makes for nice variety. Additionally, the drumming handled by Andy Schroeder is highly precise and incorporates a lot of the usual blast beats and double bass work one would expect from a death metal record and the bass work handled by Mark Kozuback is also quite tight and does a nice job of filling out the band’s bottom end. Lastly, where utilized, the keyboard work by Jason Keesecker adds some nice atmosphere to the album.
Overall, I would say
God Was Created is an excellent album for anyone who is into the more progressive and melodic side of death metal music. I can see the lyrical content potentially being a turn off for some listeners, but death metal fans know the drill when it comes to these kinds of shock lyrics.
God Was Created is widely considered to be Vehemence's magnum opus, and I think that any death metal fan worth their salt owes this one a listen.
