Album Review: Godslave – Godslave

Album Review: Godslave – Godslave

Reviewed by Matthew Caldwell

How do you like your thrash in the morning? Godslave serve theirs with optimism and resilience, and that’s exactly what the Teutonic thrashers deliver on their upcoming self-titled album.

It has been a full five years since their previous studio offering, Positive Aggressive, and the gap between releases has not hindered their creativity. This album is a statement: Godslave are back. What separates them from their contemporaries in the genre is their lyrical themes. This is an album filled with positivity and overcoming adversity. It’s about empowerment and self-improvement, but don’t let that put you off. Unless you delve into the words themselves, the first thing you notice about their music is pounding, riff-tastic thrash.

The opening track, Reset, Rebuild, Reclaim, is their modus operandi. It’s fast, intense, and would not be out of place on a Kreator album. It also served as their first single. Another single, Repaid in Kind, opens with a soundbite of Alec Guinness from the 1964 epic The Fall of the Roman Empire. He speaks about learning to have compassion and pity. The accompanying music video is a moving reminder of the value of talking to someone if you’re struggling. The message is wonderful, but the song is ferocious and full of hooks, and you’ll find yourself hitting the replay button.

Part of the Pack has a massive chorus which is screaming out to be, well, screamed. It’s about the search for a sense of belonging. It’s hard to feel alone when listening to this album. This is about community and the positive impact that can have.

Tracks like And Yet I Stand and The Road Not Taken highlight the strengths of the production. It sounds great. It’s big, and it’s heavy.

The highlight of this album is Let the Fire Come. A couple of black metal-inspired chords infiltrate their way into the verses, mixed with a death metal vibe, making for one hell of a combination that’ll have you raising your horns to the ceiling.

But all good things must come to an end and the penultimate track is an instrumental medley of the album’s riffs, which serves as a prelude to The Fire That Calls Me. The first surprise, after all that power and speed, is an acoustic guitar. The second surprise is a guest appearance from Burning Witches vocalist Laura Guldemond. Her voice blends brilliantly with singer Thommy to create a great album closer.

Overall, this is a return that the thrash world should embrace. If you’re new to Godslave, it’ll have you reaching into their back catalogue for more. If you’re already part of the pack, then you don’t have to worry: the five-year wait is worth it.

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