After an almost 11 year gap between new materiel, Godflesh have made their much anticipated and long awaited full length return with A World Lit Only by Fire, the a follow up to this summers Decline & Fall EP. This is band’s first full length since 2001’s Hymns and it is as punishing as any album in their back catalog of releases.
A World Lit Only by Fire wastes little time in reminding you that Godflesh have returned with at the very least, the same ferocity they had previously, if not more. “New Dark Ages” opens and the album, immediately the thunderous and slow churning intensity begins oozing out from the darkness and out through the speakers.
A World Lit Only by Fire‘s second track “Deadend” slows things down to a sinister crawl and the following song “Shut Me Down” furthers that aesthetic and mood. “Life Giver Life Taker” picks up the pace and incorporates softly spoken and sung vocals before launching into spacious guitar parts that loop and pulverize your ear drums.
“Obeyed” and “Curse Us All’ remind me of older Godflesh material for all the best possible reasons and those tracks seem to incorporate the band’s trademark ‘crushing’ sound perfectly. “Carrion” is my favorite track on the A World Lit Only by Fire. It sounds evil all the way through and carries with it the most intense vocal performance on the album.
The album closes with very strong tracks like “Imperator” and “Forgive Our Fathers.” Godflesh was/is not in need of re-invention. Justin K. Broadrick and B.C. Green do what they do better than anyone. With the 10 punishing songs contained on A World Lit Only by Fire, the band have moved themselves forward while retaining the sound that has influenced so many . Not an easy feat, but Godflesh is just as ferocious today as it ever was.
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Paul runs Bleeding Light Records.