Godflesh — Decay

The mighty Godflesh needs no introduction on these pages, having left a wake of devastation and blasted eardrums since their inception nearly forty years ago. While the project's future seemed uncertain for most of that duration, the release of their tenth album, Decay, sees the act in their second-to-last chapter, the long-anticipated finale close at hand. With Justin Broadrick's health becoming a major factor in the band's efficacy, its conclusion is well timed, although quite bittersweet. Thankfully, the six tracks on Decay were recorded before Broadrick's hernia surgery, coming from the same sessions as their last album, Purge, and fans are treated to dark and punishing new industrial metal from these legends.

Despite a prolonged hiatus and the band's uncertain future, Ben Green and Justin Broadrick continue on with Godflesh's original intent, the duo bringing their bleak vision to the masses. Decay is a strong Godflesh album, pure and simple (pun intended). Slow, dirgy, and dark, Decay features the programmed drums, industrial noise, factory rhythms, and rough vocals that helped them make their mark ages ago. Naturally, the band has grown and progressed since their self-titled EP and debut LP Streetcleaner, but they have stuck to their roots and kept that cold, dystopian vibe at the forefront, a mix of machine and man, dark, ominous, and very human. One knows what they're getting into with Godflesh, and Decay is no exception. Opening with "Master and Slave," one is quickly tossed into the mire, with its sludgy bass and languid beat. This sets the stage for the noisy drones in the background and creepy vocals, leaving the listener right in the den of some sort of bog witch. Haunting and hypnotic, it starts Decay off on very strong footing. The "single" for this album, "Living/Ending," has been out for a bit, keeping the fans on their toes with its industrial rhythm and classic Godflesh sound. While I wouldn't really call it dance-worthy (although...), there is a definite groove to it, and it certainly changes the pace from the opener. "Feral Colony" takes the industrial bent into a darker territory, its drums structured more toward metal, the echoed vocals adding a creepy, claustrophobic quality, and gnarly, distorted riffs filling out the rest. Despite all the chaotic elements at play here, it is still very clean and the pieces are all able to speak freely. Decay is really engaging and the tracks all work together while doing their own thing. "Fear of Man" adds a bit of separation into the instrumentation, allowing the vocals to echo and fill in the area, expanding the parameters of the song as it progresses. The guitars help the drums punctuate the drones and pull the song forward, bringing the noisy, sonic miasma with it. Somewhere between "Master and Slave" and "Feral Colony," lies "Fodder." This uses somewhat sparse industrial metal mixed into the sludgy mire, its swampy, undulating layers giving birth to some slime-covered machine. Closing out the album is the beast, "Consume me," plodding forth for over eleven minutes. Dark, vicious, and viscous, this is a perfect companion piece to "Master and Slave," the twin being on the other side of the mirror. It is bleak, hypnotic, and hopeless, leaving the listener in a far worse place than when it started (in wonderful, Godflesh fashion), and reminding us of the decay we all face, the decay we all become.

Godflesh has promised their final conclusion to come very soon, and while that brings a bit of sadness, Decay has given us another chapter in their legendary story. Fans looking for more Godflesh look no further, as this slab will not disappoint. What is to become of the duo after the book is closed remains to be seen, but we can surely enjoy what we are given in the time that remains.