Godflesh – Godflesh (1988)

May 13, 2012
Godflesh – Godflesh (1988)

It is often easy whilst analyzing Godflesh’s contribution and effect upon heavy music to focus wholly on the groundbreaking Streetcleaner record and to overlook this crooked, snarling little gem of industrial terror. More claustrophobic than Streetcleaner’s sprawling inhuman soundscape, Godflesh pummels the listener with a mechanized drum machine attack and plodding, menacing bass.

What I have here is the original, untouched Swordfish Records pressing of this EP. Some think that the clear Swordfish pressing is rarer, but it is actually a repress. All original copies of Godflesh were made on black vinyl. Subsequent Earache re-issues of this can suck my fucking cock. And whilst the original Swordfish pressing isn’t the most pricey and sought after record in existence, it remains one of my personal favourites. It is the mechanical hell of Godflesh’s early existence and sound summed up in 6 tracks. It’s concise and to the point, and then destroys the listener – mind, body and soul – with it’s never-ending outro; “Ice Nerveshatter”.

I could sit here all day thinking up new ways to tell you how good Godflesh are, and how fucking crushing this record is, but I think I’ve written enough so I’ll just let the music do the talking. Track 3, “Godhead”, is one of my all time Godflesh favs, so please do it justice and play it loud as fuck, and prepare to be pressed into oblivion! 

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