KHOST [Deconstructed And Reconstructed By] GODFLESH
Needles Into The ground
Cold Spring Records
CD/DL/LP
Out Now
Fighting Boredom like Khost. Their heavy layered sound is always well received and the last time we saw them they were supporting Godflesh on their World Lit Only By Fire tour. Justin K. Broadrick from Godflesh and Andy Swan from Iroha were both members of Final. It therefore seems fitting that things have come around full circle and Justin has taken to pieces tracks from Khost’s last album. The result is striking and loud. Read what we think below.
This isn’t really a Khost EP, neither is it a Godflesh release, it’s something that meets both bands in the middle and carefully pulls things apart with razor blades and hooks to stitch what’s left back together with infinite care to make a noise that transcends expectations. Justin has taken the tracks from Khost’s last release and in full Godflesh mode put them through the noise wringer and made something new.
It throws you off balance immediately as ‘Inversion’ has an almost soothing start, this soon dissipates into an organically mashed up weight of drums and guitar. It’s a balance between the doom and space of Khost and the industrial precision of Godflesh and it fits. ‘A Shadow On the Wound’ is slower and more doom laden. The distortion that is ingrained here makes it oppressive and hard. The violence is strung out and almost beautiful. The hellish choir echoes the unstoppable majesty of the sound; and this sound is majestic, make no mistake about the power ingrained here. it sounds like vast blackened brick factories sprawling across a desolate, wind raked landscape. It’s a soundtrack to the most disturbing book you ever read. It has power.
‘Revelations Vultures Jackals Wolves is static, it’s built from almost unbearable layers of static beats, like techno that has been broken and then badly glued back together. It aches to be played so loudly that pieces of furniture fall over.The final track, Deathsset, feels visceral, it’s like an army marching as far as you can see, crushing concrete to dust under their boots. It’s hard, black and nasty.
This release has taken the organic space that Khost use to create their beautiful slow heaviness and crushed it together with the sparce, utterly focused vision that drives Godflesh forward and has created one of the releases of the year. If you haven’t found Khost yet then get out there and listen and if you aren’t already waiting for the next Godflesh release you will be after this.
KHOST [Deconstructed And Reconstructed By] GODFLESH