Godhead Albums (9)
'At the Edge of the World'
Release Date 10/7/2008
Tracks 18
Label Driven
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
When Godhead were building a following in the '90s and early 2000s, they had a reputation for being a club-friendly industrial/goth rock/EBM/darkwave type of band. Godhead appealed to fans of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM and the Revolting Cocks; they appealed to fans of Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Switchblade Symphony. And the Marilyn Manson connection certainly didn't detract from that image (although folks who consider themselves goth purists will swear up and down that Manson was never goth). The Shadow Line certainly sounds like the title of a goth, industrial or darkwave album, but when this 2006 release is playing, the term "club friendly" is not the first thing that comes to mind; instead, the terms "radio-friendly" and "active rock" come to mind, and the term post-grunge generally seems more appropriate than industrial, goth, darkwave or EBM. Of course, jazz legend Duke Ellington asserted that there are really only two types of music -- good and bad -- and The Shadow Line is a good, solid example of post-grunge alternative rock that is commercial and friendly for active rock stations but is never stiff or mechanical. With Shadow Line, Godhead deliver an album that generally brings to mind Staind rather than Ministry or Spahn Ranch. The aggressive yet melodic material is angst-ridden (as is most post-grunge) and full of darker emotions, but it is also hooky. Not that Godhead wasn't hooky in the past -- only this time, the hooks seem to reach out to active rock stations and large arenas rather than the sort of goth, darkwave and industrial clubs where the patrons have black fingernails and black lipstick to go with their black latex clothing. Bottom line: the Godhead of 2006 may not be an exact replica of the Godhead of 1996, but the band is an enjoyable Godhead with a pleasing sense of alt-rock craftsmanship. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Non-Stop Ride is a continuously mixed set helmed by Godhead frontman Jason Miller with support from Nitzer Ebb's Julian Beeston. Using the mechanistic bleat of vintage EBM and industrial music, Miller hops fluidly between old and new material. He seems restricted to stuff that Cleopatra could actually license; however, the album moves along nicely, and is actually more danceable than its overdramatic cover art would suggest. Well, danceable if you believe PVC is a fashion statement. A snippet of Ogre's "Borderline" cover is enveloped by the insistent goth disco of "Shadow to Fall" from the Damned's mid-'90s comeback album, remixed here by Leæther Strip. There's quite a bit of Prodigy happening, as both Funker Vogt and Haujobb turn in takes on Fat of the Land material. As it turns out, both the former's "Narayan" and the latter's "Smack My Bitch Up" are pulled from Cleopatra's 2002 Tribute to the Prodigy. This lack of depth is Non-Stop Ride's only glaring fault -- with all the Cleopatra-branded material (Fear Cult doing Blur?), the album could be seen as an elaborate advertisement for the label's back catalog. Curiously, there are also two tracks tapped from Pigface's by-the-numbers 2003 effort Easy Listening.... While the motives behind his song choices can be murky, Miller's mixing is consistently engaging. He uses a bed of repeated samples to weave the tracks together, and successfully balances darkwave gloom (Pig's jarring "Rope," for example) with the groovy synth twitter and the rhythmic tick of industrial beats. Godhead fans should also enjoy the three covers tacked onto the end of Non-Stop, "Bela Lugosi's Dead," "Fascination Street," and the Sisters of Mercy's "This Corrosion." ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Agrarian Goatrock Roadhouse Standards'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 16
Label Nightmare
See Album Tracklist and Review
'2000 Years of Human Error'
Release Date 1/1/1994
Tracks 11
Label Godhead
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Wherever Marilyn Manson goes, controversy is sure to follow. And with Godhead, the first band signed to Manson's Priority/Posthuman Records, the petals do not fall too far from the seed. Though the tracks on 2000 Years of Human Error (2001) sound more like an eerie electronic aural score than a symphony of pure evil grumblings from the beasts under your bed, the band Godhead is determined to push society's buttons. And if they keep it up, they might just succeed. 2000 Years is a vessel of angst-ridden tunes that condemn society's ill will, in which the band scolds the evils of the innate nature of humans as a whole. The powerhouse track, "I Sell Society," is a satirical statement in which singer Jason Miller howls in a deep, hypnotic voice, "Tell me all your problems/I've got just the thing to fix it/sell it to you for this bargain basement price." With Godhead's dark, macabre attitude and brash electronic musings on the folly of human sin, it didn't take long for Marilyn Manson to pick up on their scent and take them under his dark wing. Manson lends his vocals to the hypnotic track "Break You Down" and worked as executive producer for the album. Godhead's cover of the Beatles' tune "Eleanor Rigby" is a mysterious, dark tribute that is sure to ring terror in the ears of the Fab Four like a recurring nightmare hosted by Trent Reznor of NIN. The fourth album from the industrial goth band with a penchant for picketing outside the gates of the ignorantly grazing humankind, 2000 Years is a guitar-ripping dissertation -- only it's sealed inside a musical envelope that's addressed to the likes of Adam and Eve. With a little help from Manson, Godhead will keep the nightmare alive. ~ Kerry L. Smith, All Music Guide
