Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for God Forbid - Earthsblood (2009)
While this is the second-to-last God Forbid album, this is their last one with one of the Coyle brothers, rhythm guitarist/clean vocalist Dallas Coyle, but he and his bandmates still outdid themselves in one more album before he left. Throughout the band's activity, they've been a metalcore band that started too musically tight but later evolved into excellent heavy metal on their previous album IV: Constitution Of Treason. That's a terrific concept album, but this album Earthsblood is more unique though not too perfect. The familiar elements of metalcore, melodeath, thrash, and progressive metal are combined into another modern masterpiece!
So how exactly would this hybrid be described? It's definitely modern metal with hardcore influences, downtuned guitars (to drop A, rather than D and drop C tunings from other albums), and vocal interplay between harsh shouts and melodic cleans. Earthsblood shows that while God Forbid are not as famous and peers like Shadows Fall, they're more ambitious. The band's mission to blend all of their influences in their cauldron might've proven to be a recipe for disaster, it's still an accomplished miracle.
The first couple minutes of this album makes you think this is a Dimmu Borgir, starting with the orchestral intro "The Discovery". Then "The Rain" sounds briefly like strong dark early Dimmu Borgir-like black metal, but it's when the downtuned riffs and Byron Davis' introspective vocals come in when you realize this is God Forbid, not Dimmu Borgir. The mid-song break is a little startling but has brilliant buildup in tension. "Empire Of The Gun" has dramatic guitar dueling melodies and a nice incredible clean chorus, in perfect contrast with the heavy riffs and hardcore verses. That should be a successful radio single! The more familiar heaviness sounds great in "War of Attrition", sounding like the more typical God Forbid from 5 years prior.
The progressive ambition in "The New Clear" is just nuclear, sounding nothing like the typical God Forbid, with the subdued vibes of Opeth and Amorphis in the late 90s. "Shallow" is a vicious thrasher. The melodic "Walk Alone" sounds closer to traditional heavy metal that is rare to find in the 21st century.
"Bat the Angels" sounds like a more progressive outtake from their previous album IV: Constitution of Treason, especially the return to Drop C tuning, dramatic ambient breaks, and political samples in the outro. But that song ain't as progressive as the final two! The title track and "Gaia (The Vultures)" are the two longest songs of the album and by the band at 9 and 7 minutes, respectively. They have more traditional progressive dynamics than ever before, alternating between the band's usual thick heavy riffs and different atmospheric passages. And they both have superb standout moments! What makes the title track stand out is the epic-sounding acoustic intro. "Gaia (The Vultures)" is known for the moody vocal harmonies done by one man with one note. A great final punch!
After releasing Earthsblood, God Forbid started falling apart with the subsequent departure of Dallas Coyle and their split-up shortly after one more great but underwhelming album a few years later. Maybe it was because they've maxed out their limits with this album, and their next one Equilibrium has confirmed the end of the road. All I know is how excellent Earthsblood is. Older metal fans don't really care for this band as much as Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage, and think they're they selling out from those two bands, but how their music is supposed to sound like doesn't matter. What matters is the spontaneous surprises God Forbid has stored, and Earthsblood has it all!
Favorites: "Empire of the Gun", "The New Clear", "Bat the Angels", "Earthsblood", "Gaia (The Vultures)"