| Merciless | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | 23 August 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1991–1994 | |||
| Genre | Industrial metal | |||
| Length | 28:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Godflesh | |||
| Godflesh chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
Merciless is the fourth EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh, released in 1994 through Earache and Columbia. In 1996, the EP was reissued along with the Selfless (1994) album as the compilation Selfless/Merciless. [1]
Recorded from 1991 to 1993, Merciless comprises one rerecorded song, two previously unreleased songs, and a remixed song. [2] The EP's title track, recorded in December 1993, is an updated version of a 1986 Fall of Because song. [3] "Blind" and "Unworthy", tracks 2 and 3 respectively, are both labeled as "Biomechanical Mix" in the EP's liner notes, though no original versions are publicly available. [4] This is the same tag that Godflesh frontman Justin Broadrick applied to the remixes he made for Pantera in 1993 and God in 1995. Track 4, "Flowers", is a stripped-down remix, or "demix", of the song "Don't Bring Me Flowers" from Godflesh's 1992 studio album, Pure . [4] After the EP was mastered and completed, Columbia brought in Bob Ludwig to refine the release. Broadrick said Ludwig's changes improved the sound. [5]
The EP's cover is taken from the 1943 experimental film Meshes of the Afternoon by Maya Deren. [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
AllMusic reviewer Daniel Gioffre wrote that the EP "displays clearly that there is method in Godflesh's madness, that their peculiar brand of discord is carefully calculated, in the full knowledge that there is consonance lurking inside every dissonance." [2]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Merciless" | 6:16 |
| 2. | "Blind" | 7:16 |
| 3. | "Unworthy" | 7:13 |
| 4. | "Flowers" | 7:34 |
| Total length: | 28:20 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Unworthy" (Biomechanical Mix) | 7:13 |
| 2. | "Blind" (Biomechanical Mix) | 7:16 |
| 3. | "Flowers" | 7:34 |
| 4. | "Merciless" | 6:16 |
| Total length: | 28:20 | |
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick and B. C. Green 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.
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.
Slavestate is the second EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released in July 1991 through Earache Records. The EP saw the band experimenting with more samples and electronic sounds than their predominantly industrial metal prior releases.
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.
Selfless is the third studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 26 September 1994 in Europe and on 18 October 1994 through Earache and Columbia Records. Being the band's major-label debut, the record features a more conventional and rock-oriented sound compared to Godflesh's previous releases. It spawned two singles, "Xnoybis" and "Crush My Soul". The music video for the latter was directed by photographer Andres Serrano.
Paul Neville is an underground experimental guitarist and musician from Birmingham, England.
Godflesh is the debut 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.
"Slateman" is a song by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released as a 7-inch single in 1991 through Sub Pop and later reissued on Earache Records as a CD, a 7-inch and a 12-inch. In 1996, the single was repackaged alongside Cold World (1991) on one disc by Earache Records as the compilation Slateman/Cold World. Both "Slateman" and its b-side, "Wound '91", were appended to the end of most issues of Godflesh's 1991 EP Slavestate.
"Crush My Soul" is a song by English industrial metal band Godflesh, taken from the album Selfless (1994). It was released in 1995 by Earache Records on 12" vinyl and CD. The single's two remixes were also included on the Selfless/Merciless compilation released on Earache Records in 1996.
Messiah is the fifth EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. The EP was originally recorded and mixed during 1994, and was released independently to members of the band's fan club on 5 December 2000 along with four remixes, which were created in 1995. After Justin Broadrick disbanded Godflesh, he reissued the material through Relapse Records on 1 April 2003.
Love and Hate in Dub is first remix album by English industrial metal band Godflesh released on 24 June 1997 through Earache Records. The remixed songs are sourced from their 1996 album Songs of Love and Hate, and they adopt a more ambient, dub and drum and bass flavor.
In All Languages is the first compilation album by English industrial metal band Godflesh, released on 24 July 2001 through Earache Records. It is a double album, and a companion music video DVD was also released in 2001. In All Languages' first disc acts as a greatest hits collection spanning from Godflesh's 1988 self-titled EP to their 1999 studio album, Us and Them. The second disc compiles rare and unreleased tracks.
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.
Cold World is the third EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh, released in late 1991 through Relativity Records. It was recorded and mixed during September 1991 as part of the Pure (1992) sessions.
Streetcleaner: Live at Roadburn 2011 is the first live album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. The release was recorded on 14 April 2011 at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. Apart from being the group's debut live album, it was also the first time they played Streetcleaner in its entirety.
"Xnoybis" is a song by English industrial metal band Godflesh, taken from the album Selfless (1994). It was released in 1995 through Earache Records as a CD, and was also distributed as a promotional to radio stations.
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 the first compilation album by English industrial metal band 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.
"Mothra" is a song by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was taken from their 1992 album Pure and saw release as a radio promo and music video in the same year. The track's title is derived from 1961 Japanese film of the same name by Ishirō Honda. Musically, "Mothra" is a grinding, mechanical song with shouted vocals and heavily distorted instruments.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)