Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Godflesh - Pure (1992)
Justin Broadrick and co. really know to light up the industrial part of my metal heart. Normally, whenever I test out a bit of industrial metal from other bands, the end result is just disappointing machinery or sounding too goth or electro. By that rate, you might as well be banging on concrete doors and sheet metal and call all that sh*t "industrial". Yes, you can use unorthodox objects as instrumentation, but it's not just banging them around like preschool music class, you gotta really...think! While Godflesh has never been an Infinite band for the most part, they certainly think outside the conventional box the way progressive/avant-garde metal bands would think. That's a good reason why this album is called Pure, this is pure unconventional music that marks h*ll of an expansion for metal boundaries.
Of course, it's definitely worth it for metal fans. Sure they can grab a hold of accessible rock/metal, but to really spice up this taste, more abstract sounds deserve some appreciation. This band can sound abstract while setting reasonable limits, like a few riffs per song. That's one thing to make industrial metal a proud subgenre, and the short amount of riffs are never too technical or melodic. And it makes industrial metal sound good with all that droning groove and memorable melody. The catchy aspects are still there to break the monotony. Godflesh have done their job well...
This is prominently shown in "Spite" that can be the sign of a shining gift. "Mothra" has groove-powered industrial metal riffing that's never out of place. It's so special and different, and that's the key for the style of Godflesh. Justin's vocals are up to the highest standard, but the riffing is the right priority. Things seem to brighten up with "I Wasn't Born to Follow", though it gets a bit weird.
"Predominance" adds some menacing vocal layers that allow the song to dominate. The title track drums pretty well, but the beat is a little annoyingly predictable, and there are barely any of those wonderous riffs. "Monotremata" is a throwback to the earlier heaviness while adding more melodic vocals. However, it sounds a bit unsettling overall.
"Baby Blue Eyes" is where there's more bliss to go with the sinister sound, becoming more stable. Throbbing Gristle seems like a great influence on the nice atmospheric surface before being attack by what lies beneath. "Don't Bring Me Flowers" helps the band stand by their principles for this highlight. The CD version has two bonus tracks, the first of which, "Love, Hate (Slugbaiting)" is just obsolete ambient-industrial. You can say the same about the 21-minute "Pure II", but it's actually greatly immense.
With that, Pure is a notable part of Godflesh's tenure and continues to show what masterful pioneers of industrial metal they are. There's barely anything boring. It can be strange and moody, but the droning riffs are what make this band memorable and other bands jealous. This is pure industrial metal the way it should've been!
Favorites: "Spite, "Mothra", "Predominance", "Don't Bring Me Flowers", "Pure II"