Hymns
Hymnsproves that well over a decade on from their inception, Godflesh can still make the sort of thunderously heavy music that blasts their imitators into submission. With the likes ofFear FactoryandFoetuslining up to sing their praises, it's clear that the influence of these venerable Brum industrial innovators has far outstripped their sales. And now, it sounds like they're changing their tune.Hymnshas far more in common with the modern stoner-rock firmament than any flour-faced industrial newcomers. From the opening "Defeated" (a sludgyKyuss-style granite slab of solidified distortion and hammer-blow drumming) to the bleak nihilism of "Voidhead" ("Why am I such a void?" ponders frontman Justin Broadrick, over and over and over), this is clearly a heavy-metal relic in its most hoary, gnarled form. Fortunately, however, Godflesh possess an aptitude for crafting approachable tunes from such industrial-strength material. The glorious "Anthem" and "White Flag" possess a truly epic, stadium-sized sweep, but Godflesh never feel the need to sand down those rough edges.--Louis Pattison