Band: Godflesh
Title: Songs Of Love And Hate / Love And Hate In Dub / In All Languages
Label: Earache Records
Distribution: Rough Trade Benelux.
Release date: April 2009
Review: re-release-3-CD-box

Earache Records seems to be re-injected with some life fluids??? Anyway, an implementation is: re-releases of Godflesh-stuff. Godflesh? You might know them, or you don’t. In case you don’t know them, well, let’s say it was one of the most important projects when it comes to so-called Psycho-Grind (a defining termination I do prefer above the flat, superficial labelling of ‘Industrial Metal’ - f*ck those using this labelling!), along with, for example, Pitch Shifter, Scorn or Sonic Violence, to name but a few. Personally I was enormously enthusiastic with their first recordings - especially the full length Streetcleaner was hot, and it might be one of my favourite albums from the late eighties (release date: 1989). After this killer recording (and some minis), the band released the full length Pure, which was somewhat different, but still acceptable to a Metal-minded audience. The same goes for Songs Of Love And Hate, originally released in 1996 (and recorded after some more experimental material), and still with that certain impressing feeling of modernism and old school obscurity (read: with elements of Godflesh, Streetcleaner, Selfless, and Pure. One might consider this album the last one that could please a Metal-minded audience - and of course that too isn’t but a subjective opinion - but indeed the comparisons to both Pure and Streetcleaner (and also the debut Godflesh and the few mini-albums in between) were still present at this moment.
This box does contain that 1996-album, which makes this re-release only interesting to the fans that do not have this album in their possession yet. Besides, the box also consists of the 1997-album Love And Hate In Dub, which was some sort of, well, the kind of stuff several ‘Industrial Metal’ bands are involved with (meaning: remixing their material). I don’t like (most of) this kind of shit, but many Industrial-oriented bands try to f*ck people’s mind with this sad, sick stuff. Sometimes I might seem interesting, especially when certain Industrial-monikers come to mind (among which some of the many side-projects by the members), but unfortunately this certainly isn’t the absolute truth. Yes, Love And Hate In Dub is Songs Of Love And Hate, but in some remixed and dubbed edition, sometimes interesting, sometimes boring the faeces out of me. Sorry, guys, but f*ck you!
And besides, the box also contains a bonus-DVD, which was initially released at the very beginning of this century / millennium, and with a pretty old content (meaning: this stuff dates from the beginning of the nineties!).
Conclusion: unnecessary to those who liked the band’s early years (and to those who might have this old material), yet highly recommended to everyone who tries to experiment / to have a trip on industrialised Noise with a Grindoom-edge (a word I invented myself, but I think it does clearly cover the package???).

--/100

Ivan Tibos.