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Now, I understand that nostalgia █ █ █ █ is an important factor for all music addicts (including █ █ █ █ those who weren't around when a genre first developed), and █ █ █ █ it's 'cool' and I myself enjoy a lot of the bands who █ █ █ █ provide a loving and gloomy glimpse back into the █ █ █ █ authenticity of the past, but I'm almost at the point where █ █ █ █ another doppelganger of Left Hand Path, Severed Survival or █ █ █ █ Onward to Golgotha might shred what little remains of my █ █ █ █ sanity... █ █ █ █ Thankfully, Godless uses old school imperatives only as a █ █ █ █ guideline and then forges its own path towards a grave and █ █ █ █ haunting introspection. The meaty, clear riffing patterns █ █ █ █ offer a hybrid of dark West Coast thrash like Slayer or █ █ █ █ Possessed and steadier death metal grooves from the 90s, █ █ █ █ threaded with tremolo picked passages that betray a hint of █ █ █ █ a Swedish black/death metal influence. Often there will be █ █ █ █ eruptions of more uptempo melodies you might expect of █ █ █ █ Deceased (as in "Cast from Heaven"), but they can also █ █ █ █ creep along with a cleaner, less crushing death/doom █ █ █ █ aesthetic. The vocals are blocky, brutal, gruff and dark █ █ █ █ almost like Jan-Chris de Koeijer on Gorefest records like █ █ █ █ Erase, with a more ominous ringing out at the end of lyric █ █ █ █ lines. Drums have a loud, crashy, pervasive tone to them █ █ █ █ which feels creates a very up front, live foundation for █ █ █ █ the atmosphere of the guitars, and though it's probably the █ █ █ █ least distinguished element in the music, the bass rides █ █ █ █ along hurriedly to the guitar progressions. They win points █ █ █ █ for getting such a clear production to still seem decidedly █ █ █ █ raw and lo-fi. These aren't exactly the simplest of songs, █ █ █ █ either, there's a lot of effort in the construction of the █ █ █ █ riffs and a wealth of variety across the 41 minutes. █ █ █ █ There are some genuinely chilling or distinct tunes on the █ █ █ █ album, like "New Dawn" where they pair up a mournful clean █ █ █ █ vocal to the tremolo death metal guitar, or closer "Death █ █ █ █ Dance" with its swaggering, sepulchral bluesy struts in █ █ █ █ both the intro and bridge; but at the same time, there are █ █ █ █ a dozen or so guitar progressions here that didn't entirely █ █ █ █ blow me away. The leads are frenetic and fun, often using a █ █ █ █ wah wah effect to create a darker groove psychedelia █ █ █ █ redolent of the death'n'roll niche, and there are █ █ █ █ definitely points at which Godless took on a tone and █ █ █ █ atmosphere akin to Entombed's Morning Star or Wolverine █ █ █ █ Blues. All told, this was also a fraction more enjoyable █ █ █ █ than Murderer, and worth hearing if you like well scripted █ █ █ █ death metal with a difference to it, songwriting over █ █ █ █ brutality, etc. Fans of Dismember, Unleashed, Grave, █ █ █ █ Gorefest, Desultory, Necrophobic, and Bolt Thrower will no █ █ █ █ doubt appreciate it. █ █ █ █ █ █ █░█ █░█ █ █ 1. Snakes of the Low 5:00 █ █ █ █ 2. In Harm's Way 4:31 █ █ █ █ 3. New Dawn 6:06 █ █ █ █ 4. Pest Grave 4:59 █ █ █ █ 5. Surrounded by the Dead 5:06 █ █ █ █ 6. Cast From Heaven 5:14 █ █ █ █ 7. Face the Enemy 4:27 █ █ █ █ 8. Death Dance 5:41 █ █ █ █ 41:04 █ █ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒ ░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒ ░█▓█▓░ ████▄▄ ▄▄▄████ ░█▓█▓░ ▒▓██▓▓░ ░██████████▄▄ ▄▄██████████▒ ▒▓██▓▓░ ▓█▓██▒▓██▒ ██▓ ▓██████████▓░ ▓██ ▒▄▄▓▒██▓█▓ ▓██▄██▓▄█░██ ░██▓ ▓██ ▄█░█▄▓██▄██▓ ░███ ████▀██░█ ░██░▀███████████▀▓██ █░██▀████ ███░ ▓██ ███ ▀█░█ ██ ░██ █████████ ░██ ██ █░█▀ ███ ██▓ ██░ ▀ █░█▓ ███ ▓█░ ███████ ░██ ███░ ▓█░█ ▀ ░██ ▓█░▄ ███ █▓█░ ░█░███ ▓█ ██████ ██ ███ ██ ░█▓█ ███ ▄░█▓ ░██░▄ ██░██▓█ █ ░█████ ▓█ █████ ░█ ████░ █ █▓██░██ ▄░██░ ▓███░▄ ███░█▄ ██ ░▓█████ █░ ████ ██ █████░ ██ ▄█░███ ▄░███▓ ░ ▀██░▀▀████░▓█▄ █ █░░▓█████ ▀█ ███ █░ █████▓░ █ █ ▄█▓░████▀▀░██▀ ░ ▒ ▀████▓▀███░██▄ ██ ░███ ░░▓█████ ███ ████▓▓░ ███░ ██ ▄██▓███▀▓████▀ ▒ ░ ▓ ███░▓█ ██ ███████ ░░▓▓░ ███ ░▓▓░░ ███████ ██ █▓░███ ▓ ░ ░ ░ ▀████PR█ ████████████████████████████████ █ ████▀ ░ ░ ░ ▓▓ █ ████████████████████████████████ █ ▓▓ ░ ▒ █ █████████ ░▓▓░ ███ ░▓░ █████████ █ ▒ ░ ██ █████░ ░▓████░ ███ ░███▓▓ ░█████ ██ ░ ██ █ ░████░ ▄█ ███ █▄░████▓░ █ ██ ░ █ ████▓ █░ █████ ░█ ▓████░ █ ░ █ ███▓▓░ █▓ █████ █▄ ▓███░ █▄ █▓███░ █▀ ██████▒ ▀█░ ▓███ █ ████▓░ ██ ███████ ██░ ░████ ██▓ ██ █████████ ██ ░██ █▓░ ██ ▄███████████▄░██ ░█ ██░ ░██ ██░ ▓██████████░ ▓██ ███▓██████▀▀ ▀▀██████████▒ ████▀▀▀ ▀▀▀████