"Jersey Juggernauts Go For the Jugular"
For those of you who might be in need of some “sensible” metal, New Jersey –based God Forbid's fourth album, IV: Constitution of Treason, can be heard live, as these Ozzfest alumni are currently headlining a tour. With support acts (Black/Death metal act) Goatwhore and (semi-grindcore gangsters) Mnemic in tow, one would inquire as to how to “Tag and file” (not that we need to) the groups' header cards; amongst the dusty racks of record retail’s currently half –filled aisles.
Produced by Jason Suecof (Trivium), the album packs a wallop of a punch, with the band leaving no holds barred as evident on tracks “Into the Wasteland” and “The Lonely Dead”. The songwriting is quite simply a polished, mature departure from previous efforts with ear-splitting results. The six-string camaraderie between guitar/brother duo Doc and Dallas Coyle prove to be a dynamic force in today’s metal scene.
Singer Byron Davis must have replaced that protein shake with a glass of gravel - (not Gravol®) which actually turned out to be a good thing, as he vocally and lyrically shines on this album from start to finish. This is apparent on the passionately performed “Crucify your Beliefs”.
A synthetic sitar-sounding intro signals “The End of The World” the lead track from this the fourth outing for the group, it has the essentials of the early NYC hardcore scene with enough 3-part harmonies to balance out the mix. The track listing submits a storyline in the form of an innocuous concept LP for which I am not a fan, I personally still am unable to explicate the reasoning behind the “concept” album. Today’s younger audience seems to be more obsessed with consumption rather than absorption.
Seen live previously with soldiers of the “New American Metal” alliance: Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Metalcore maniacs Hatebreed as well as Cradle of Filth, it seems that GF have toured the global metal map. Enveloped in a ridiculous amount of metal sub-genres, where do you fit these guys in? Regardless this LP should land them a spot in Heavy Metal Heaven.
10 years in the making, a metal mulching and some frenetic fret fertilizing, God Forbid have sprouted, a new series of branches as their musical tree grows on and the leaves of hell fall upon the unsuspecting publics’ ears without warning. Reminiscent of the full throttle throw down of Anthrax after dropping the Armed & Dangerous” EP” Abattoir’s “Vicious Attack”, coupled with the gritty, raw intensity of The Rods circa “Wild Dogs”.
Comparisons aside, to call them Thrash would be an understatement; to call them metalcore would be an overstatement.
How about we just say; that God Forbid has put out… a really good…. Heavy Metal album.
