I knew about God Forbid from their 2005 album “IV. Constitution of Treason”, so I had an idea what to expect on “Earthsblood”. Here’s proof that they are a good metal band with plenty of ideas on how to keep it fresh. It’s the essence “Metal” but beyond that it’s hard to categorise because there are so many influences and they follow their own path. Yet it’s not pretentious or over-technical. It’s melodic and has a bit of Swedishness as well as the trademarks of Metal from their native USA. It’s definitely thrashy and mostly heavy and can be dark and even progressive. The band keep it interesting by changing the mood and pace of the tracks. It’s tight and well strung together. Basically it’s got loads of balls.
For me, the tracks on “Earthsblood” divided into two sorts. Tracks like “The Rain”, “Empire of the Gun” and “War of Attrition” had a classical Metal structure. Others like “The New Clear,” “Bat the Angels”, “Earthsblood” and “Gaia (The Vultures)” were like mini-works. “The Rain” is a piece of melodic Death/Thrash. It’s catchy, heavy and has a poignant guitar solo. “Empire of the Gun” is a piece of headbanging Thrash, whose flamboyant rhythms and raucous vocals in the middle section bring Arch Enemy to mind, before it returns to a nice bit of Hardcore Thrash. One frustrating feature which this track and “The Rain” have in common is that they both end in mid-air. They could have gone on and exploit the advantage which they gained. “War of Attrition” is a piece of melodic Hardcore. “The New Clear” takes us into totally different territory. The track has a quiet atmospheric build-up, then speeds up and alternates skilfully between the quieter section, a really catchy chorus and some more familiar heavier excursions. There are headbanging moments yet the vocals create a distance and feel which you would expect on a Porcupine Tree album but not here. “The New Clear” is altogether a well-paced and powerful track. “Bat the Angels” by contrast has a flashiness about it but it’s all in a legitimate context. Strangely it’s like a Hardcore Adam and the Ants in places but it’s not kitsch. It almost has a pop structure with brutal guitar riffs. The beat is fast, then there’s a nice classical guitar interlude and then we go from the chorus to dark and doomy meanderings. Piercing screams are the trigger to open up and treat us to a rampant metallic march before it ends with sinister sampled chaos. The track “Earthsblood” is another feast. Overlaid onto the Thrash/Hardcore/Heavy Metal style is a dreamy section which takes us into another, amazing world. I came to realise that the lamenting chords and driving quality of this track sound uncannily like Opeth’s “Deliverance”. The tonality is the same. It’s equally impressive. “Gaia (The Vultures)” is another exercise in Metal movement and control. There’s loads going on. The heavy riffs are punchy and powerful. The guitar work is stunning. It’s brutal but has a clear emotional edge. There’s a feel of Killswitch Engage about it. Yet at the same time the vocals, in common with “The New Clear” before it, have a haunting quality, very much like Pink Floyd in ethereal mode on “Dark Side of the Moon”. Pink Floyd and Killswitch on the same track? Yes, folks, but this is God Forbid and I am now discovering that they are masters of bringing all these layers together. The pace steps up, but there’s no lessening of emotional anger or atmosphere. The tempo is worked up gradually, and only when the sad strains of the violins cut in after seven minutes of intrigue does the track come to an end, and bring to a close our 55 minute Metal adventure.
The quality and variety led me to really enjoy “Earthsblood”. It’s amazing that they can impose layer upon layer and hold it together so brilliantly in the face of such an onslaught of styles. There’s no compromise. It’s impossible to lose interest. This stunning album absolutely gripped me. Not to be missed, it’s for the Modern Metal connoisseur.
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