Even before their 2001 breakup, Godflesh seemed hellbent on creating the heaviest sounds known to man. Godflesh took inspiration as much from industrial legends Throbbing Gristle and the post punk assault of The Killing Joke as they did the bombastic beats of hip hop producers The Bomb Squad and the lower end of dub. Collaborators Justin Broadrick and BC Green seemingly found the low end of any genre of music and fed them into their grinding industrial nightmare. That dedication to the lowest sounds possible made some of the heaviest albums, both sonically and lyrically, of the 1990s. With Purge, the third album of new material since their 2013 reunion, Godflesh again dedicate themselves to finding the lowest, heaviest sounds to generate their pummeling brand of heavy metal. Purge once again proves that, while they may not be as prolific as they were in the 90s, each new Godflesh release once again expands what heavy music can be.

What’s striking about Purge is that it’s the first of the post reunion albums in dialogue with Godflesh’s older work. While Godflesh was an outlet for Broadrick’s heavier impulses, the previous reunion albums, A World Lit Only by Fire and Post Self, saw some of the band’s earlier experiments abandoned for pure heaviness. The post reunion showed a Godflesh successfully dedicated to showing 21^st century metalheads why they weren’t content just to be one of the most influential bands of their era. That meant though that Justin Broadrick’s more rhythmic and harder electronic impulses might get funneled into his projects JK Flesh and Final. Earlier Godflesh albums though might go full bore incorporating hip hop rhythms into Broadrick’s guitar playing with Green injected a heavy throbbing dub inspired bass line. Earlier albums like Us and Them saw the band attempt to translate drum and bass electronics into heavy metal. Purge, intentionally titled to be a letter away from Godflesh’s second album Pure, though brings that melting pot impulse to back to the forefront of their sound. Finding inspiration from both heavier musical sounds and the darker impulses of humanity is what makes them so exciting. 

Purge is once again a Godflesh album that’s almost a dance album. It’s heavy as anything that the band released since reuniting but it’s got grooves and beats. The album opens with “Nero,” maybe the most hip hop influenced track Godflesh have played in ages. Sampled voices, electronics, and a looping guitar line sound like they originate from a radio before Broadrick’s guitar assaults and Green’s bass come in full force. The track is a perfect opener telling you exactly what kind of album to expect. The following “Land Lord” practically begs you to form a mosh pit with Broadrick’s signature bark roaring over a violent rhythm by Green. “Permission” has buzzsaw guitars over 90s big beat electronica. While none of the musical styles or textures the band explores are modern, that’s not a bug but a feature. Broadrick and Green don’t revisit this territory as a way to strip mine their legacy. Godflesh, as always, play their brutal music as a form of catharsis. Few things are as cathartic as confronting your past.

Purge seemingly brings Godflesh full circle in their reunion. The album purposely evokes their past to remind listeners of Godflesh’s ability to experiment. While much of Purge intentionally evokes older musical styles, this isn’t nostalgic music by any means. Broadrick and Green know the past contains violence. They’re here to remind us of it.

— D. Morris

---

Purge is available now on Avalanche Recordings. For more information on Godflesh, visit Justin K. Broadrick’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or website.