Reviews list for Godflesh - Selfless (1994)

I started with my Godflesh journey with their first two releases, their self-titled EP and Streetcleaner. I have clearly understood the appeal of industrial metal ever since, and recently I've reviewed Pure and the Merciless EP. I continue my brave Godflesh quest with Selfless!

This is where the band expands their repertoire while becoming more accessible in the riffing. Selfless is not as strong as the aforementioned first two releases, but it's worth frequent listens. Despite their usual minimalistic sound, there's the fear of being condemned as selling out when the earlier harsh density is being moved away from. With that said, this ain't pretty mainstream music, Godflesh's heaviness is still unbreakable.

"Xnoybis" is an interesting start, with a heavy riff as the drum machine marches on alongside shouted vocals, the latter relied on while adding clean-singing melancholy. However, during the times clean singing prevails, it sounds a bit off-key, yet fits the atmosphere. Going big on the industrial metal is "Bigot". Same with "Black Boned Angel".

"Anything is Mine" is the only song here that takes on more of an industrial death 'n' roll tone. It's fury lets you stomp your cleated boots to the ground and grind anything underneath to dust. Hinting at Justin Broadrick's later project Jesu, "Empyreal" is a beautiful fragile song, distancing itself from the sound of their previous entries. Some might be bored, while others, like myself, might find it entrancing. The heaviness has never before sounded so light. Stretching out the skeletal structure is "Crush My Soul", delivering more traditional industrial sounds, with electronic samples reminding some of Aphex Twin at that time. Though being released as the first single might've tricked fans into thinking the entire album would be like that. "Body Dome Light" adds a bit of an EBM vibe to the industrial metal sound.

"Toll" is pretty cool, though not significantly decent. The slower "Heartless" might've inspired the sludgy vibe of Converge's You Fail Me. "Mantra" seems to drone on like a mantra, another early hint of Jesu. The CD version includes a special track, the nearly 24-minute "Go Spread Your Wings", the longest Godflesh song and my favorite of the album, possibly of the band. It is a modern epic journey through Broadrick's tunnel of imagination, as drums and guitars pound along. This might surely beat the previous album's "Pure II" as Godflesh's ultimate epic!

Not one Godflesh album is identical to one another, and while that's good, it's hard to tell exactly what represents them the most. As the usual elements are kept, the progression helps keep the albums separate. Selfless isn't the best part of the band's peak period, but it is a momentous album that I love. Accessibility aside, it's an emotional helper. Of course, what you prefer is up to you, whether or not you really want this album to crush your soul!

Favorites: "Xnoybis", "Anything is Mine", "Empyreal", "Crush My Soul", "Heartless", "Go Spread Your Wings"