Of the many excellent Godflesh albums released during the '90s, Songs of Love and Hate will appeal to fans of traditional heavy metal more than any of the other albums. The preceding albums -- Pure, Merciless, and Selfless -- integrated a strong sense of industrial mechanics with their machine-driven percussion into Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green's aggressive, detuned guitar poetry. Succeeding releases -- Songs of Love and Hate in Dub and Us and Them -- integrated even more computerized manipulation into Godflesh's emo ...
Read More
Of the many excellent Godflesh albums released during the '90s, Songs of Love and Hate will appeal to fans of traditional heavy metal more than any of the other albums. The preceding albums -- Pure, Merciless, and Selfless -- integrated a strong sense of industrial mechanics with their machine-driven percussion into Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green's aggressive, detuned guitar poetry. Succeeding releases -- Songs of Love and Hate in Dub and Us and Them -- integrated even more computerized manipulation into Godflesh's emo-heavy metal with these albums' hip-hop, dub techno, and drum'n'bass flavors. But on this particular intermediary album, Broadrick and Green actually chose to use a human drummer rather than strictly machines, giving this album a much more traditional sound than any of these other albums. The songs on Songs of Love and Hate are less mechanical and more fluid than preceding albums just as they are less innovative and more standard than succeeding releases. Of course, just because Godflesh happen to conform to traditional heavy metal practices on Songs of Love and Hate doesn't mean that the music pales in comparison to the group's other albums. In fact, never before has the group rocked so hard, sounding tighter as a unit and more human than ever before. Broadrick's lyrics aren't epic or complex, but rather succinct and lucid, dwelling almost entirely on contradictory emotional extremes. For example, on "Gift from Heaven," the ex-Napalm Death guitarist shouts "I am nothing/feel like everything" during the chorus and mumbles lyrics such as "I am love/I am hate/hate my love/love my hate" during the verse. The monolithic riffs grind harmoniously as they never have before, with Broadrick's gigantic guitar tone bulging through the speakers with rude, distorted salience while Green's bass guitar grinds with more prominence than one can nearly handle. To make the sounds even more extreme, B. Mantia smashes and hammers his drums with rabid aggression, instilling the sense of anger than no machine can possibly accomplish. Yet for as intense and aggressive as this album is, in addition to its bleeding emotions, it isn't quite as daring as other Godflesh albums. Every song tends to follow the same template of intro-verse-chorus-bridge with similar sounds, tempos, and moods. What makes albums such as Pure and Us and Them so amazing is partly their experimentation. Sure, every song on these albums may not be successful, but the first listen is always a rewarding experience as Broadrick explores the future of grindcore-influenced heavy metal. The succeeding Songs of Love and Hate in Dub showcases the experimental possibilities of these songs, offering listeners a chance to decide between the traditional approach and the experimental approach. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Songs of Love & Hate to cart. $20.82, very good condition, Sold by insomniacsonline rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from South Hackensack, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Earache Records.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 0x0x0; Buy from insomniacs! We dont sleep until your order is shipped! Professional packaging, same day shipping on most orders. View our feedback and buy with confidence.
Add this copy of Godflesh-Songs of Love and Hate to cart. $25.16, Sold by Entertainment By Post US-KH rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Indian Trail, NC, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Earache.
Add this copy of Songs of Love and Hate to cart. $60.51, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2016 by Earache.
