Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Godflesh - Purge (2023)
Recently, Godflesh founder Justin Broadrick has been diagnosed with autism and PTSD. There are some people (such as myself, diagnosed with autism at age 2 instead of 52) who are a little surprised, while others, mostly long-time fans, had that suspicion for some time. His anxiety and shyness when it comes to live performances is one hint, having once gotten to the point where a panic attack caused the band to come to a halt for around a decade. But during that split and beyond, he created more projects. Then he reformed Godflesh with two more albums in the 2010s. And now it all leads up to the new album Purge! The title is already a giveaway about the modern updates provided to the concepts of their 1992 album Pure. Broadrick has worked together with Ben Green once again to let out some temporary relief...
Long-time fans and pretty much anyone familiar with the band's earlier material can definitely recognize the Pure sound, almost like these two albums can be connected! I'm sure some listeners can recognize some of the more classic tracks from the Pure album. Broadrick and Green's task at hand since the beginning is to unleash the robotic rhythms that have shaped up the genre they played their part in pioneering, industrial metal. Also looking back at the 80s/90s is the occasional hip-hop-ish groove that can ensure the album's variety without sounding too odd.
That rhythmic effect opens the album's first track and single "Nero", which is quite strong when mixed when the crushing vocals/guitar. The more abrasive "Land Lord" is a true standout for me, having some killer harmonic bends in the strings. "Army of Non" has the band's unabridged purity. It throws back to the glory days of Streetcleaner with the hammering and screeching guitars alongside the harsh vocals of Broadrick. The diversity in the heaviness adds to their bleak aura.
What's a bit droopy for me is "Lazarus Leper". However, the driving "Permission" is the opposite, in which noise-ridden electronic beats and dark chords, alongside the choir-like vocals sung by Broadrick.
The crawling "The Father" has an epic God/Slayer-sounding mix (I meant a mix of the bands GOD and Slayer) while in a Hymns-esque mainstream throwback. The crushing "Mythology of Self" marches with its slow drum pattern that blasts into your face with every hit. "You are the Judge, the Jury, and the Executioner" is the 8-minute epic, yet sounding simple in the beat and chord in a mesmerizing way.
The legacy of this band that has quite a 3 or 4-decade journey shows that as the two main members grow older, they can experiment with other music styles without giving a sh*t what the more critical critics think of their studio material, though live performances are a different story. Many of the band's albums are amazing with barely anything weak, but they don't reach the perfect glory of their late 80s releases. Purge is not an album that I would expect to have that past glory, while it comes close to being the best album of the new era!
Favorites: "Land Lord", "Army of Non", "The Father", "You are the Judge, the Jury, and the Executioner"