April 2021 Feature Release – The Sphere Edition
So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.
This month’s feature release for The Sphere has been nominated by myself. It's 1994's classic "The Anatomy Of Addiction" album from Godflesh mastermind Justin Broadrick's interesting industrial metal side-project God.
https://metal.academy/releases/1659
Wow! I had no idea what I was in for with this monster of a record. The scope & breadth of the "industrial metal" subgenre tag is simply not wide enough to encompass all of the elements at play here. I wasn't aware of it until now but God was essentially a supergroup project of sorts with approximately ten experienced musicians contributing to an epic 79 minutes of unapologetically experimental & highly challenging music made specifically for open-minded music fans with a taste for the cerebral & psychedelic. Most of the individual names were completely foreign to me but I can certainly hear the experience & talent in what they've delivered.
Many reviewers will probably suggest that "The Anatomy Of Addiction" is overly repetitive but I think that's just an indication that a lot of people don't have the patience required for this sort of art which aims directly for your cerebral cortex a lot of the time. Upon first listen you'll be left in no doubt whatsoever of the presence of Godflesh/Jesu mastermind Justin Broadrick as there are tracks here that sound exactly like classic Godflesh with some additional elements thrown into the mix. However possibly even more of the tracklisting is closer to the sound of Swans' more expansive experimental rock excursions with long, slowly-building & repetitive tracks that are full of tension & atmosphere. The jazz component is noteworthy with the more insane saxophone use reminding me of Naked City & the more laidback moments hinting at the influence of Miles Davis' late 60's/early 70's jazz fusion period. You'll also detect a significant dose of dub in the way that some of these pieces are structured, especially in the use of the bass guitar as a musical protagonist on some of the more extended & expansive tracks with the guitar & saxophone being used more for colour & texture than melody. There's a tribal percussion element at play too which really adds to the atmosphere without ever pushing things into ambient territory. Honestly, the vocals of Kevin Martin might as well by Justin Broadrick because they sound so similar that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was indeed him. Kevin's broken & repetitive phrasing & lyrical style is basically identical to Justin's trademark bark & it leaves me with a welcome feeling of familiarity a lot of the time.
This is truly intriguing & interesting stuff & I never find myself getting bored despite the excessive length of the album. There are no weak tracks with God exuding an air of class & consistency about everything they touch. The few highlight tracks are nothing short of magnificent & leave me disappointed that I can't rate the album a little higher than I have. I guess I just can't quite see "The Anatomy Of Addiction" becoming an all-time favourite despite the fact that I have difficulty in faulting it. I think that's because I find a good portion of the tracklisting to leave me thoroughly impressed with the ambition & execution but not quite drooling uncontrollably due to the lack of a knockout punch. Nonetheless, I can't recommend the album enough to people that are interested in a more cerebral & internally focused brand of experimental rock/metal music. That certainly won't be everyone & if you find that you don't get it then you'll likely be in good company. Those that do have the patience for a record like this one will being thoroughly rewarded for the effort though. And another thing... don't even think about giving it a one-off spin because it needs a little more time than that.
For fans of Godflesh, Swans & Naked City.
4/5
Godflesh with saxophone? Okay, obviously it's way more complicated then that, but that's kind of the first impression you get. I don't really know much about GOD, other than it's not just a side project of Justin Broadrick. I'm also not sure what I can add that Daniel hasn't mentioned already, I think his description is pretty spot on. This is not verse/chorus/verse music. This also a lot more organic sounding than Godflesh, not only with real drums... but if I'm not hearing things... bongos? While I agree there aren't really any weak moments, I don't really find it all that memorable either. I DID listen to it a few times (I agree that once isn't enough), but very little of it has really sunk in. Maybe I need to listen to it more? Or maybe this needs to be listened to at a loud volume in a room without any distractions. One thing I will add is this reminds me a lot of early SCORN (which yes, is also JK related) wherein the sound is great, but the songs don't really grab me. I like this better than SCORN though. There's a lot going on, but I'd have a hard time explaining what I just heard. That might be part of the point though. If this isn't easy music, can I really fault it for not being catchy? This is more about mood than riffs. I think I probably will return to this at some point. 3/5