God Forbid - IV: Constitution of Treason
Century Media - CD 77566-2 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
It's been a mere eighteen months after Gone Forever, God Forbid's third album and the platter that saw them reinjected with purpose and vigour after the period of inter-band unrest that followed 2001's Determination. So little time has passed, but it seems like the almost universally positive reception of Gone Forever has given God Forbid the confidence to fully spread their wings and create the album that they've been threatening to make since their inception. IV: Constitution of Treason is a ten-track concept album, matching lyrical ambition and scope with an expanded sense of melody and dynamics, all melded to the quintet's already-energising blend of melo-death, thrash and contemporary metalcore.
The story tells of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, torn apart by nuclear war. The survivors are oppressed by a fascistic, staunchly religious government, until a lone 'hero' speaks out and begins a sort of people's revolution against the establishment. He eventually becomes a martyr for his cause, and we leave the album with a re-constituted civilisation seemingly stumbling towards making the same mistakes again. The musical backdrop for this opus is recognisably God Forbid, but just more so. The compositions are more complex in their structure, the harmonies and riffs more adventurous, the interplay between clean and harsh vocals more pronounced. The thrash component, in particular, seems to have come more to the fore, with breakdowns reduced in number but, as a result, given an added kick when they arrive .
The album was produced by Jason Seucof at Audiohammer Studios and Eric Rachel at Trax East (Rachel also handled the mixing duties), and the combination of their considerable talents has rendered a meaty sound - the guitars growl and roar, the drums clatter away with clarity and punch, multi-layered vocals whisper suggestively or soar like a choir where the song requires... basically, the entire album has been written, performed, recorded and constructed with an equal measure of musical talent and technical attention to detail, making this one of the most satisfyingly complete albums to have been released in recent years.
Any complaints are pretty minor - I keep cringing whenever I hear the 'welcome to the apocalypse... the rain falls into the deepest chasm of despair' lyrics at the beginning of 'Welcome To The Apocalypse', and the opening moments of first track 'The End Of The World' sound unnervingly similar to the introductory track to Trivium's Ascendancy - but in the face of such quality material as the absolutely storming 'Crucify Your Beliefs' or the emotive, yet bruising 'To The Fallen Hero', these barely even register as niggles. Existing God Forbid fans will be ecstatic at the progression the guys have made, and those yet to find out what all the fuss is about will find no better introduction. Top notch stuff.
9.5/10
God Forbid's Official Website
Century Media's Official Website
Century Media - CD 77566-2 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
It's been a mere eighteen months after Gone Forever, God Forbid's third album and the platter that saw them reinjected with purpose and vigour after the period of inter-band unrest that followed 2001's Determination. So little time has passed, but it seems like the almost universally positive reception of Gone Forever has given God Forbid the confidence to fully spread their wings and create the album that they've been threatening to make since their inception. IV: Constitution of Treason is a ten-track concept album, matching lyrical ambition and scope with an expanded sense of melody and dynamics, all melded to the quintet's already-energising blend of melo-death, thrash and contemporary metalcore.
The story tells of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, torn apart by nuclear war. The survivors are oppressed by a fascistic, staunchly religious government, until a lone 'hero' speaks out and begins a sort of people's revolution against the establishment. He eventually becomes a martyr for his cause, and we leave the album with a re-constituted civilisation seemingly stumbling towards making the same mistakes again. The musical backdrop for this opus is recognisably God Forbid, but just more so. The compositions are more complex in their structure, the harmonies and riffs more adventurous, the interplay between clean and harsh vocals more pronounced. The thrash component, in particular, seems to have come more to the fore, with breakdowns reduced in number but, as a result, given an added kick when they arrive .
The album was produced by Jason Seucof at Audiohammer Studios and Eric Rachel at Trax East (Rachel also handled the mixing duties), and the combination of their considerable talents has rendered a meaty sound - the guitars growl and roar, the drums clatter away with clarity and punch, multi-layered vocals whisper suggestively or soar like a choir where the song requires... basically, the entire album has been written, performed, recorded and constructed with an equal measure of musical talent and technical attention to detail, making this one of the most satisfyingly complete albums to have been released in recent years.
Any complaints are pretty minor - I keep cringing whenever I hear the 'welcome to the apocalypse... the rain falls into the deepest chasm of despair' lyrics at the beginning of 'Welcome To The Apocalypse', and the opening moments of first track 'The End Of The World' sound unnervingly similar to the introductory track to Trivium's Ascendancy - but in the face of such quality material as the absolutely storming 'Crucify Your Beliefs' or the emotive, yet bruising 'To The Fallen Hero', these barely even register as niggles. Existing God Forbid fans will be ecstatic at the progression the guys have made, and those yet to find out what all the fuss is about will find no better introduction. Top notch stuff.
9.5/10
God Forbid's Official Website
Century Media's Official Website
