Church of Industrial Music: Godflesh - Streetcleaner

in #music5 years ago

If you've been reading these articles, you've probably heard me say that I don't really have just one favorite band, because there's so many I love that it's hard to narrow it down that much. However, Godflesh is definitely at the very top of the list. I was actually into industrial music for a pretty long time, years even, before I finally heard them (remember, this was before the days of easy access on the internet). They were one of those bands that were sort of on the periphery of my awareness for a while... someone from a band I liked would be wearing a t-shirt in a video, or mention them in an interview, but I didn't actually hear them until I picked up an industrial tribute compilation in honor of AC/DC, which had their cover of "For Those About To Rock". Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed (I still don't think that's a great example of Godflesh at work tbh). However, a short time later, I would hear someone (I forget who now) call them the heaviest band they knew of, or something like that. I decided I had to give them a better shot, and boy am I glad I did.

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Like anything else when it comes to musical tastes, "heavy" is subjective, but I would say Godflesh is indeed one of the heaviest bands out there by any measure. No flashy, widdly solos here, just brutal, crushing riffage, feedback, and noise. Grrrr. The album opens with a perfect example of the early Godflesh sound, "Like Rats", still a favorite of mine after all these years. The intensity carries through into "Christbait Rising", then drops off ever so slightly from "Pulp" until "Devastator", which is still intense, but more in a dissonant, noisy way. This is followed by "Mighty Trust Krusher", which is a great example of Godflesh crushing in a more ominous, haunting style (though still plenty intense). This feeling carries over a bit into "Life Is Easy", then the title track picks up a bit more energy again, which mostly carries through the rest of the album as well.

Listen to Streetcleaner on Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/6967644?autoplay=true

There is also a live version from 2011 on their bandcamp: https://godflesh1.bandcamp.com/album/streetcleaner-live-roadburn-2011

Godflesh are often credited (quite rightly, I believe) as being pioneers in the genres of industrial metal and post-metal, and extreme metal in general. Despite not being as commercially popular as, say, Nine Inch Nails, their influence has reached far and deep into industrial and the darker, heavier side of metal. I think there are very few bands with this level of crossover appeal between industrial and "true" metal. This might be the album to put on when your metalhead friends complain about all the synth music you play... unless you'd rather go in the opposite direction, in which case I recommend either of the last two albums I wrote about here. :)

While I'm just as likely to listen to some of their more recent material (lately A World Lit Only By Fire is on heavy rotation), I still often return to Streetcleaner. The production may have improved a fair bit since this album, but this one is still a great example of the oppressively-heavy sound that makes this band so great.

Side note: there are also several side-projects (particularly by or involving J.K. Broadrick) which are definitely worth checking out, such as JK Flesh, Techno Animal, and Final (to name a few).

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