Sweet holy hell is this some GODFLESH or what??? PURGE, GODFLESH’s ninth full-length, is like a veritable best of when it comes to the sonic impact of the 8 tracks within. Sure, it’s meant to update the aesthetic of 1992’s PURE but the end result here is and album that sounds timeless by inhabiting that era but regularly breaking out of it, too.
“NERO” is a crafty mechanized behemoth that lumbers along thanks to some big beats and even bigger grooves with JK BROADRICK’s uncanny howl at its’ dark core. “LAND LORD” spirals out of that, upping the pace and ante with squealing guitars and BROADRICK’s voice virtually hidden under layers of effects to make the perfect segue to “ARMY OF NON” and its’ BC GREEN-led bass opening which practically merges the two songs that came before it to form a sort of pinnacle of album opening perfection.
“LAZARUS LEPER” is more restrained but no less ominous and eerie, “PERMISSION” is big on Groove with a drum ‘n’ bass sort of beat and BROADRICK backing away from the more aggressive vocal style, and “THE FATHER” could easily have spawned out of the SELFLESS writing sessions as it’s both a throwback and a thoughtful sonic excursion into the future.
“MYTHOLOGY OF SELF” is a lumbering beastie hearkening back to STREETCLEANER in terms of visceral intensity as BROADRICK delivers a monstrous vocal performance over some primal beats and a pulsating rhythmic flow from GREEN amidst a cacophony of programmed noise and then “YOU ARE THE JUDGE, JURY, AND THE EXECUTIONER” is a track that would seamlessly fit in that transitionary period between the initial end of GODFLESH and the rise of JESU (Think Heart Ache & Dethroned especially). On PURGE, however, the spacious song serves as an epic closer to an album that brings the best parts of GODFLESH together in one place for what is perhaps the most complete release from GREEN and BROADRICK to date.
PURGE arrives on June 9th through Avalanche Recordings. You can pre-order yours now by heading here or here. For the latest from GODFLESH, including info on the upcoming North American tour which hits Middle East Downtairs on September 16th, follow the band on the information superhighway by clicking here, here, or here.