Godflesh was an industrial metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick (guitar, vocals, and programming) and G. C. Green (bass). The band is highly regarded as one of the pioneers of industrial metal. The group disbanded in 2002.

Inspired by Big Black, Killing Joke, Swans and Throbbing Gristle as well as fellow Brummies Black Sabbath, Godflesh were among the pioneers of industrial metal, influencing well-known bands such as Danzig, Faith No More, Fear Factory, Helmet, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and even the Beastie Boys. (It is rumoured that Broadrick declined offers to join Danzig and Faith No More) Their influence can be heard even more distinctly in bands including Pitchshifter and Isis.

Godflesh is known for their unique mixture of industrial drum machine beats with droning, discordant guitar and powerful, intermittent bass. (On their earlier albums, the rhythms, synths, and samples are credited to "Machine" or "Machines". Later, Godflesh would make use of human drummers Bryan Mantia and Ted Parsons.) Their eerie, slow, and repetitive style is commonly described as "apocalyptic".

Broadrick's vocals are often guttural, making use of something akin to the death grunt technique, yet they also at times show a softer, more melodic side, as in "I Wasn't Born to Follow" from 1992's Pure. Godflesh lyrics are terse, cryptic, and bleak, often emphasizing duality or opposition, as illustrated by the opening lines of "Defeated" (from 2001's Hymns):

Everything I build I destroy
Everything I love always hurts
Everything I hate I'd rather love
Everything I am is everything I'm not

Paranoia and martyrdom are also common themes in Godflesh's music and cover art.

Contrary to popular belief, Godflesh never was a grindcore or death metal band. It was assumed that following his stint with legendary grindcore band Napalm Death Justin K. Broadrick would create another grindcore band. However, Justin did not like the direction in which grindcore bands such as Napalm Death were heading with hyper-fast music and wanted to incorporate influences spanning more than just hardcore punk. Though not a grindcore band, they have been cited as an influence by some grindcore and death metal bands. Even Justin's former band, Napalm Death, has taken influence of Godflesh, inspiring them to do the song "Contemptuous" on their Utopia Banished album.

Career trajectory

In 1982, Green founded Fall of Because (named after a Killing Joke song) with Paul Neville. Broadrick, who had been playing guitar as a member of Napalm Death, soon joined the group as drummer and vocalist. The band fell apart in 1986. Broadrick then spent a couple of years (1986-1988) as a member of Head of David. In 1988, he contacted Green about reforming Fall of Because. Justin decided to take over on guitars and they chose to use a drum machine to help out. They also decided to change their name to Godflesh.

Godflesh established a presence in underground music with albums such as Streetcleaner and Pure, which demonstrated the effectiveness of lo-fi production values in heavy music. A brief flirtation with major label Columbia Records in 1994 for Selfless and the Merciless EP saw the duo take on a more high-end production approach. In 1996 Godflesh released Songs of Love and Hate, which featured the drumming of Bryan Mantia (Guns N' Roses, Primus, Praxis). The next album, 1999's Us and Them, saw the group experimenting with a more electronic, drum and bass-oriented sound in which the guitar played a less central role. In 2001 Godflesh released the double album retrospective In All Languages. That same year they released an album of new material, Hymns, which featured the precise drumming of new band member Ted Parsons (formerly of Swans and Prong) and brought the band back to its slow and heavy roots while retaining elements of its experiments with electronica.

Green left the band in late 2001. It was announced that he would be replaced by former Killing Joke and Prong bassist Paul Raven; however, Godflesh disbanded in 2002 when Broadrick suffered a nervous breakdown just before departing for a tour of the U.S. As a kind of parting gift, the group released a remastered version of their extremely rare 1994 EP Messiah, which was doubled in length with all new remixes. Broadrick and Parsons went on to form Jesu in 2003.

During its fourteen year lifespan Godflesh toured with numerous bands, including Danzig, Front Line Assembly, L7, Loop, Ministry, Napalm Death, Nirvana, Prong, Revolting Cocks, Skinny Puppy, Type O Negative and Strapping Young Lad.

Collaborators and side projects

Several other musicians have recorded and played live with Godflesh. Paul Neville rejoined Broadrick and Green for the Streetcleaner and Slavestate albums. Robert Hampson, former guitarist for Loop, appeared on Pure and Cold World. (In 1991 Loop released the split 7" single Loopflesh covering the Godflesh song "Like Rats" while Godflesh performed Loop's "Straight to Your Heart".)

Members of Godflesh have been involved in numerous side projects, allowing them to explore interests in other musical genres, including electronica, ambient, dub, and 2step. Broadrick has collaborated with Kevin Martin and Alec Empire, among others. Broadrick's current projects include Jesu and Final.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godflesh