Decline & Fall | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | 2 June 2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 20:34 | |||
Label | Avalanche | |||
Producer | Justin Broadrick | |||
Godflesh chronology | ||||
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Singles from Decline & Fall | ||||
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Decline & Fall is an EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 2 June 2014 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own record label, Avalanche Recordings. [3] The EP is the second release by Godflesh since Hymns (2001), following the 2013 single "F.O.D. (Fuck of Death)". It precedes the group's seventh studio album, A World Lit Only by Fire (2014), [4] and the two were recorded in the same sessions.
The track "Ringer" was released for streaming in May 2014 on the band's SoundCloud account. [3]
When mixing began for Godflesh's return studio album, A World Lit Only by Fire , Broadrick found that there was more material than he wanted to include on a single release. [5] [6] To keep the album under an hour, he cut the more "colorful" and "dynamic" outlying tracks and combined them to create Decline & Fall. [2] In a 2014 interview with the French publication La Grosse Radio, Broadrick spoke about the value of the EP format, explaining that it allows for more experimentation because the general public doesn't consider it as important as a studio album release. [6]
Decline & Fall and the following album feature extensive use of an eight-string guitar. The guitar, a signature model, was provided to Broadrick by Blakhart. [7] On the use of this instrument, Broadrick stated:
I have been playing an eight-string guitar for a few years now, first release that was eight-string was the Jesu Christmas EP in 2010. All new Godflesh, both the EP and the new LP, were written and recorded with an eight-string, mainly due to the ability to tune even lower coupled with the capability to achieve more complex dissonant chords and riffs. On the latest Jesu LP Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came , "The Great Leveller" is with eight-string guitar. [7]
Musically, Decline & Fall is a heavy industrial metal release with extremely distorted, low and repetitive guitar work layered over similarly distorted bass from B. C. Green and Godflesh's signature drum machine beats. The EP marked a return to the group's mechanical percussion after 2001's Hymns , which featured live drumming by Ted Parsons. [8] Decline & Fall is intentionally dissonant and rough; Zoe Camp of Pitchfork wrote that the production of the EP could be heard as a response to the sanitation of industrial music, saying that "Godflesh remain fiercely loyal to lo-fi, treating songs as caustic exercises in overstimulation." [9]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork | 7.9/10 [9] |
Resident Advisor | [10] |
The Wire | Positive [11] |
Decline and Fall was met with positive reviews. Zoe Camp of Pitchfork gave the EP a positive review, writing, "Avant and yet strangely accessible, industrially-minded but all-embracing, Decline & Fall confirms that a decade-plus-long absence has dulled neither Godflesh’s industrial spirit, nor their devotion to experimentation." [9] Gregory Heany of AllMusic described the EP as "sludgy, grime-covered industrial metal that feels like a promising preview for their first post-breakup full-length, A World Lit Only by Fire." [1] Maya Kalev of Resident Advisor wrote, "Even when it seems like Godflesh are re-treading old ground, the effect is never less than thrilling." [10]
Decline & Fall drew favorable comparisons to early Godflesh releases, like their 1988 self-titled EP and their debut album, Streetcleaner (1989). [10] [11]
All songs written by Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ringer" | 6:23 |
2. | "Dogbite" | 3:52 |
3. | "Playing with Fire" | 6:01 |
4. | "Decline & Fall" | 4:17 |
Total length: | 20:34 |
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick and B. C. Green (bass) renamed the band and decided to use a drum machine for percussion. Melding heavy metal with industrial music and later with electronic music and dub, Godflesh's sound is widely regarded as a foundational influence on other industrial metal and post-metal acts and as significant to both experimental and extreme metal.
Jesu are a British experimental metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of his band Godflesh. It shares its name with the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent 'pop' songs".
Jesu is the first full-length album by British experimental music band Jesu, released through Hydra Head Records on 8 December 2004. Unlike the Heart Ache EP, where Justin Broadrick executed all instrumentation himself, this release features Ted Parsons on drums, Diarmuid Dalton on bass, and a guest appearance by Paul Neville on guitar on the track "Man/Woman". The album was released in Japan by Daymare Recordings and contains two additional instrumental remixes on a bonus disc. In February 2005, a double vinyl picture disc set was released by Hydra Head, limited to 1000 copies.
Justin Karl Michael Broadrick is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music. Following Godflesh's initial breakup in 2002, Broadrick formed the band Jesu.
Streetcleaner is the debut studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 November 1989 through Earache Records and was reissued with a second disc of previously unreleased material on 21 June 2010. The album is widely acclaimed by critics and is often cited as a landmark release in industrial metal; though not the genre's first release, Streetcleaner helped define what industrial metal would become.
Pure is the second studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 April 1992 through Earache Records. Though originally labeled only as industrial metal, the album has since been recognised as one of the earliest post-metal releases. Musically, Pure is rhythmically mechanical and features harsh guitars, with protracted songs and an abundance of deliberate repetition. Like much of Godflesh's music, it is regarded as particularly heavy and aggressive, and these elements helped it gain critical acclaim.
Ben George Christian Green, known professionally as G. C. Green and B. C. Green, is an English musician, best known as the co-founder and bass guitarist of the industrial metal band Godflesh.
Hymns is the sixth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 23 October 2001 through Music for Nations and was the band's final album before breaking up in 2002. In 2010, Godflesh reformed and in 2014 released their comeback album A World Lit Only by Fire. Hymns had a troubled production and was intended to be distinct departure from Godflesh's intensely regimented industrial sound to something more traditionally hard rock. It was the band's second and final album to feature a live drummer rather than a drum machine.
Paul Neville is an underground experimental guitarist and musician from Birmingham, England.
Godflesh is the debut extended play (EP) by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was originally released in 1988 through Swordfish Records and later saw several reissues on Earache Records with two additional songs. An unexpected underground success, the eponymous EP made it onto the UK Indie Chart and peaked at position 20. Though not supported by any singles or music videos at the time, a fan-made video for "Avalanche Master Song" has since been made official by the band.
This is a partial discography of Justin Broadrick, a prolific English songwriter, guitarist, singer, producer and general multi-instrumentalist musician most known for being the leading force of the industrial metal band Godflesh. Broadrick is also recognized for his experimental project Jesu, his key contributions to the seminal grindcore album Scum (1987) by Napalm Death, and his strong presence in the electronic and industrial remix community.
The English industrial metal band Godflesh have released eight studio albums and six extended plays along with a number of singles, compilations and remix and live albums. The group formed in 1982 under the name Fall of Because, but they did not release any music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick and B. C. Green changed the project's name to Godflesh and recorded a self-titled debut EP. That EP, released through the independent label Swordfish, was met with underground success and has since been recognised as one of the first industrial metal releases, if not the first.
Avalanche Recordings is an independent record label, founded by English musician Justin Broadrick in 1999. It is named after Broadrick's own recording studio, Avalanche Studios, and mainly releases Justin Broadrick's side projects.
Disconnected is the debut album by experimental music act Greymachine, featuring Justin Broadrick, Aaron Turner, Dave Cochrane and Diarmuid Dalton. Produced by Broadrick, it was released on 4 August 2009 via Turner's own record label, Hydra Head Records. In February 2018, Disconnected was reissued as a limited 2xLP with unique artwork and clear vinyl.
Diarmuid Dalton is an Irish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bass guitarist of post-metal bands, Jesu and Iroha. Dalton frequently collaborates with Justin Broadrick, who is the founder of Godflesh and Jesu.
A World Lit Only by Fire is the seventh studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 7 October 2014 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own label, Avalanche Recordings, and was the band's first full-length album since 2001's Hymns. It was preceded by the digital singles "New Dark Ages" in August 2014 and "Imperator" in September 2014, and it was followed by several international tours.
Post Self is the eighth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 17 November 2017 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own record label, Avalanche Recordings, and was the band's second album since reforming in 2010. The single "Post Self" was released for streaming on 31 October 2017, and a second track, "Be God", was released for streaming on 11 November 2017, six days in advance of the full release. Godflesh avoided interviews in the wake of Post Self, hoping to retain some of the album's purity and give listeners a chance to digest the music in a vacuum.
Life Is Easy is a compilation album by Birmingham-based industrial metal group Fall of Because, compiling songs recorded in 1986 and 1987 before the band became Godflesh. Released on 24 August 1999 through Alleysweeper and distributed by Martin Atkins' label Invisible Records, Life Is Easy contains many songs that went on to be rerecorded and turned into Godflesh tracks.
"Ringer" is a song by industrial metal band Godflesh. It was taken from their 2014 extended play Decline & Fall. The song was released ahead of the EP on 21 May 2014 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own label, Avalanche Recordings, as a digital download. "Ringer" was the first original material released by Godflesh since their dissolution in 2002, and it was praised by critics as an ideal return for the band.
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