Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Green (bass) renamed the band and decided to use a drum machine for percussion. Melding heavy metal with industrial music and later with electronic music and dub, Godflesh's innovative sound is widely regarded as a foundational influence on other industrial metal and post-metal acts and as significant to both experimental and extreme metal.
The band signed to Earache Records in the late 1980s and released their influential debut album Streetcleaner (1989) to critical acclaim. After the release of their sophomore album Pure (1992) and their major label debut Selfless (1994), they started experimenting with live drums as well as with hip hop and breakbeat sounds. The resulting albums, Songs of Love and Hate (1996) and Us and Them (1999), were followed by Hymns (2001), which saw a simplification of the band's sound. Shortly after Green's departure in 2002, Broadrick ended Godflesh and pursued various other projects, including Jesu. Broadrick and Green reformed Godflesh in 2010, releasing A World Lit Only by Fire (2014) and Post Self (2017) to critical acclaim.
As pioneers of industrial metal, Godflesh's early sound was defined by harsh machine beats, production-emphasised bass, distorted guitar and sparse vocals delivered in a low, guttural fashion. The band performed for most of their career as a duo with Broadrick and Green playing over preprogrammed percussion, normally to a backdrop of apocalyptic scenes and Christian iconography. Godflesh's music has been regarded as especially heavy and grim, with Streetcleaner being named by several publications as one of the heaviest and greatest metal albums.
Links to Peel[]
Peel had a copy of the band's debut album in 1988 and played tracks from them on his shows. A year later they were invited to do a Peel session, in which they performed four songs. In the 80's, the group had some airplay on Peel's shows, but by the time of the late 90's, JP lost interest in them and the group ultimately split in 2002 before reforming in the 2010's.
Sessions[]
Godflesh - Grind Madness at the BBC (Earache-Peel Sessions) Complete
1. Recorded: 1989-08-27. First Broadcast: 27 September 1989. Repeated: 01 November 1989
- Tiny Tears / Wound (Not Wound) / Pulp / Like Rats
Other Shows Played[]
- 1988
- 20 September 1988: Weak Flesh (LP - Godflesh) Swordfish
- 12 October 1988: Veins (LP – Godflesh) Swordfish
- 19 October 1988: Avalanche Master Song (LP – Godflesh) Swordfish
- 1989
- 08 February 1989: Godflesh (LP - Godflesh) Swordfish
- 16 August 1989: Streetcleaner (v/a album - Grindcrusher - The Earache Sampler) Earache
- 1990
- 22 March 1990: My Own Light (v/a LP - Pathological Compilation) Pathological
- 20 April 1991: 'Slateman (7 inch)' (Earache)
- 03 May 1991 (BFBS): Slateman (7" - Slateman / Wound '91) Sub Pop
- 26 May 1991: 'Slateman' (Single) Earache
- 08 June 1991: Slave Stake (album - Slave Stake) Earache
- 19 July 1991 (BFBS): Slave State (Radio Slave) (LP - Slavestate) Earache
- 11 August 1991: Straight To Your Heart (shared 7" with Loopflesh - Like Rats / Straight To Your Heart) Clawfist (under the name of Fleshloop)
- 1992
- 16 February 1992: 'Spite (LP - Pure )' Earache
- 01 March 1992: Mothra (album - Pure) Earache
- 1995
- 14 April 1995: Crush My Soul (12" Crush My Soul) (Earache)
- 29 April 1995 (BFBS): 'Crush My Soul (12")' (Earache)
- 08 May 1995 (BBC World Service): Crush My Soul (12") Earache