ALBUM REVIEW: Purge – Godflesh

In 1992, industrial metal duo GODFLESH released Pure, their sophomore album. Much more regimented and stiff than the loose chaos of debut Streetcleaner, its repetitive and layered sounds have seen it recognised in time as one of the key inspirations for the post-metal genre. Now, over three decades later, GODFLESH main man Justin K Broadrick has revisited the process that gave rise to Pure for the outfit’s ninth album, entitled Purge and released Friday June 9th via Avalanche Recordings; moreover, this marks the band’s first new material in six years.

When Pure was conceived, Broadrick was heavily into hardcore hip-hop, the beats of which helped form the building blocks of what GODFLESH would bring out around that time. Purge is no different; opening track Nero is underpinned by a beat that, if taken out of the machine that makes it so gnarly here, could have been produced by anyone from N.W.A. through to PUBLIC ENEMY; over the top, a simple yet dynamic riff from Broadrick that meshes well with the foundations. It’s followed by Land Lord, which delves into THE PRODIGY territory with its opening sampling and higher tempo.

However, the darker underbelly of the album is being exposed all the while. Alongside the creative process that has made Pure so revered, Purge‘s direction is also shaped by the notion that the human race will always put people through cycles of horror – those targeted and the reasons may differ (religion, power, flags etc.), but the outcome is always the same. It’s incredibly thought-provoking and is delivered on superbly, but in order to achieve it, GODFLESH have had to make things difficult. As such, Purge is far from an easy listen – one such example is the jarring Lazarus Leper, which exudes an overriding sense of feeling trapped in an endless loop, causing stomachs to tighten and bodies to be shuffled in discomfort.

Yet, this unease is exactly what GODFLESH have set out to achieve; a sensation of hopelessness, where nothing comes to a satisfying conclusion; even when songs are more ‘jovial’ so to speak; like Permission, there’s no hint of a release, especially because the slower, more deliberate pacing of Mythology of Self is there to bring things back down to a bleaker mood. By the time the record reaches the eight-minute closing track You Are The Judge, Jury And Executioner – a rather spiky title given the inspiration – there will be those who will be mentally begging for this to end and those who are so caught up in the world that Purge has created, they’ll be reaching to play it all over again.

Whether you get on with Purge or not, the fact remains that GODFLESH have brought out one of their most intelligent records to date. It might only be three-quarters of an hour long, but there’s a lot to digest and contemplate that demands multiple listens. For some, this will be all too much, but those that give it time will find plenty to enjoy and much to reflect on.

Rating: 8/10

Purge is set for release on June 9th via Avalanche Recordings.

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