There's been a long journey of at least 5 years from a very hard-working band leading up to this début album, for all it's bluster and energy there's also a great depth of diverse ideas going on which will treat the repeat listener with new surprises on each pass and this album certainly passes by at quite a pace. After that slight pause of an intro, the first half charges along at lightning speed: there's a descent into white noise at the end of 'Maladie Melodie' after some inspired chromatic riffing that reminds me of Muse at play long before they sanded down all their rough edges. Besides that there is actually no let up until 'We Don't Like You', a mid-paced groover that stretches out over 6 minutes where the shifting layers of guitar sludge edges into psychedelia without seemingly doing much more than repeating the chords – if it's one guitar it actually sounds like ten and some organ stops! In fact in my opinion the album really opens up from this point on, with the most interesting and unexpected moments all coming in the second half where things slow a little and expand a lot.
Their big single 'Horus' adds a hint of glam stomp and is probably the best illustration on the album that beneath those blood curdling screams and behind all those layers of distortion these guys are actually really good at melody. Sure, everything is overblown to a ridiculous degree, these guys clearly adore being as huge as they can but deconstruct their songs and, just like Kurt Cobain's writing for Nirvana, you may be surprised to find a pop heart beating deep within – there are hooks everywhere! The title track 'Vultures' begins with an awesome bit of arrangement that probably sees guitarist Thom Edward dancing around his effects pedals like Michael Flatley in his Riverdance prime. Insane speed riffing which breaks down into a far cleaner chorus-soaked guitar motif and then smacks you in the face with the distortion again. It's the sort of shifting dynamic that is traditionally achieved by bringing players in and out, the sort of progression a two-piece would normally avoid for practical reasons. God Damn were originally a three-piece, until they lost founder member Dave Copson when he was seriously injured in a car accident. It seems when they made the decision to continue as a 2-piece they worked hard to insure they could retain all of their musical complexities, with a clever use of effects it feels like they've sacrificed nothing.
'Skeletons' is one of the most unexpected turns on the album, we get to hear Thom's voice stripped of all that throat abuse he normally treats it to. The melody is almost soulful, backed by a simple, bare acoustic guitar strumming along. When the first big chord hits in with the drums after a good two minutes it sounds unreasonably huge, contrasted against the sparseness of those melodic, melancholy verses. It's a song of two parts as well, after the first onslaught there's a false stop before it returns with some grand stoner rock riffing that eventually leads into a long ascending section followed by one of the most dragged out ending flourishes you're likely to hear – ending it's staggering 9 minute track length with distant screams over acoustic guitar fiddling and a full 30 seconds of silence. For all the sombre feel established at the beginning by the end you know they're actually still being a bit silly, playing with sound and expectations to dramatic effect.
'The Cut' is another strange bit of experimentalism, a brief tour de force of heavy riffing, that rises up like a volcano after the preceding silence, but before it develops into a song it breaks down into another passage of recorded sound, like 'Horsley Fields', but combined with the crumbling edifice of a song falling apart before it even truly begins; the hustle and bustle of a rainy street, drains and screeching train breaks seem to rise out of the rubble of Ash Weaver's toms. 'Sullen Fun' ends the album with another acoustic strum, a strong melody is backed by some creepy distant guitar overdubs and sparse percussion that sounds like a restless drummer shifting in his chair. It ends with distant snare fills in a reverb chamber – or could it be waves breaking against the outside wall of a sea cave?
God Damn have carved themselves a really interesting musical space to inhabit with this début album, it's an album that I'm sure will continue to reveal itself with each listen. I for one will be looking forward to seeing where they go from here – these guys could decide to explore their gentler more melodic side or tackle speedier, dirtier riffs. I'd be happy with either but I expect the unexpected, the only way forward for this group is MORE – you can tell they're the sort of band who would hate to repeat themselves. As per usual I'm getting ahead of myself but right now it's just great to hear a metal album that is so original and unique. The whole thing sparkles with fun, it's experimental without sounding worthy and it's aggressive without sounding dull or dumb: it's God Damn great!
Adam Kidd