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August 29, 2008 |
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GOD FORBID - IV: Constitution Of Treason
Century Media (2005) |
7/10 |
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01. The End Of The World
02. Chains Of Humanity
03. Into The Wasteland
04. The Lovely Dead
05. Divinity
06. Under This Flag
07. To The Fallen Hero
08. Welcome To The Apocalypse (Preamble)
09. Constitution Of Treason
10. Crucify Your Beliefs
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Well, here it is...the long-awaited and much-talked-about new release from perennial Metalcore stalwarts GOD FORBID. If you're at all like me and generally make at least something resembling an effort to keep your finger on the "Metal pulse" out there in the streets then you too have probably heard from everyone with a walletchain, a baseball cap, and five minutes to spare how "IV: Constitution Of Treason" is everything from the new benchmark in Metal (rolls eyes) to the second coming of "Master Of Puppets" and all points in between (rolls eyes AND shakeshead at how unrealistic some pundits can be). Speaking for myself, after two or three listens if I'm going to be truly objective, while it certainly is a very good release with a lot of positives going for it, the truth of the matter falls far short of such lofty superlatives.
Hailing from the windswept, mafia-ravaged tundras of New Jersey, GOD FORBID (Byron Davis/vox, Doc and Dallas Coyle/guitars, John Outcalt/bass and Corey Pierce/drums) are among the longer-running and more accomplished of the large and growing Metalcore pack. Following the breakthrough success of previous full-length "Gone Forever" from '04, the band have racked up innumerable live assaults and almost unanimously glowing press, the word on the streets being that whatever they put out next would raise the bar as the penultimate genre-defining Metalcore, and even Metal statement. To a great degree "IV" does just that too. At least in the context of what it brings to the Metalcore subgenre. With all due respect, Metal is doing just fine regardless. But I digress.
This album is obviously the sum of a particularly ambitious equation, GOD FORBID having taken the time to craft a collection of songs which are easily among their most complex and "epic" to date. Held up comparably to previous releases, the tracks here run the gamut in terms of pace and tempo, with a varied use of both clean and aggressive vocals, acoustic moments, and much lengthier, sprawling structures overtop of the usual wall of Thrash-influenced riffing/battery which serve to reflect the weighty and serious content being explored - in this case a concept dealing with the negative aspects of U.S. culture/politics and the general decay of Western civilization in the context of an imagined, apocalyptic, post-nuclear future of anarchy and despair. Highlights include the anthemic "To The Fallen Hero", the title track, and "Crucify Your Beliefs", all of which possess the sort of dynamic, limitation-defying power and innovation the band were searching for.
For the most part however, while "good", the rest of the album tends to tread water in a very predictable and underwhelmingly familiar ocean of trite sonics.
Heavy stuff, sure. Well...relatively heavy that is, inasmuch as again, it is still Metalcore, the unwavering "nice guy" of all "Extreme" Metal subgenres. Currently the most potentially radio-friendly member of the Metal family. The WWF wrestling match to Black and Death Metal's knock-down, drag-'em-out, bottle-to-the-back-of-the-head street brawl. More wedgie-in-the-locker-room than burn-down-a-church. More six-pack-of-Coors-Lite than six shots of bourbon or rye.
I mean, as "heavy" as the heavy moments are on this thing, there is always an element of restraint present that to my ears is lacking. Despite coming from an obvious Thrash background, bands like these guys just can't seem to capture the wild intensity, spontanaeity, and visceral bite that their idols (i.e. old METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, SLAYER, EXODUS, OVERKILL, etc.) once embodied. Furthermore, while a great degree of effort has been put into crafting longer, more "epic" songs there is ultimately something contrived about it all. It is glaringly obvious that the band were consciously setting forth to create something that echoed moments from albums such as "Master Of Puppets", or even "Rust In Peace" as opposed to just allowing their creativity to evolve on a more organic level. As a result there is just not much going on here that is that memorable.
Sure, Byron Davis can sing when he wants to, and he can definitely scream and growl with the best of them...but the delivery is just so faceless and anonymous when compared to the greats of yore. Same with the Coyle brothers. Can they shred? Sure. But where's that solo that gets so helplessly jammed in your head that you have to keep playing the album for weeks on end? Andy Sneap does a great job on production in terms of clarity and overall sound quality...but where's the crunch and heft? Where's the punch in the face music like this is supposed to deliver? I could go on but I think my point is evident.
And finally, as already stated, despite the obviously intended tweaks and tightenings of the creative nuts 'n bolts, GOD FORBID still can't escape the inherent limitations of Metalcore to any degree where the listener can concede that something really unique or defining has taken place. At the end of the day, beneath the layers of frankly quite transparent ploys at "innovation" and "musical/creative development" for the most part this is all still pretty mid-paced, half-time grooved Thrash/Hardcore-riffing-with-a-Swedish-Gothenburg-undercurrent fare the likes of which we’ve all heard a gazillion times before now. Same with the lyrics. Quite trite and dispassionate. Nothing that really strikes me as evocative of the sort of incendiary and revolutionary political statement the band were undoubtedly shooting for. Is it all delivered on a more challenging level than previously? Sure. Certainly.
But given how pedestrian the bulk of what this relatively new subgenre is offering of late, that's just not saying enough. If bands like GOD FORBID wish to take the place on the world's stages once occupied by the likes of Hetfield and Co. (and I think that they do) then they need to tap into the same raw, untamed, and - most importantly - charismatic and creative ENERGY that drove the bulk of those act's material into the collective Metallic psyche. As it stands they're just tracing over what has already been done before, and done better at that.
That said, nevertheless I'm going to try and be fair and thus award both GOD FORBID and "IV: Constitution Of Treason" a solid "B+" (although as in the case of CHILDREN OF BODOM's likewise comparably favourable grade for an album I'm still somewhat sketchy on...consider this grading the result of a severe curve based on shameless favouritism towards a subgenre I'm both very cynical, and also - perhaps naively so - still hopeful towards). While I don't think that they have successfully reinvented the wheel in the way that they so obviously intended the effort is definitely there. GOD FORBID are a band who are I think bright enough to see the writing on the wall and are making an honest attempt to transcend the corner both they and their subgenre of choice have painted themselves into. Granted, they’re not there yet, despite what certain other avenues of foaming-at-the-mouth, overly-glowing press would have you believe.
Still..there's definitely a glow over the proverbial horizon that tells me these guys are on their way in the right direction. Till next time, to paraphrase the immortal Stan Lee..Make mine Metal!!!
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