antiMUSIC - The Music Site with an Attitude!

gODHEAD
by antiGUY

If the world made any sense than Fred Durst would be pumping gas for a living and Godhead would hold Limp Bizkit's position as superstars. With the release of Godhead's Posthuman Records debut, the universe is in a position to made amends for this oversight and then can begin correcting other failings from the past "2000 years of human error".

Godhead is one of those bands who have sought their chance at the top the old fashioned way by working hard, playing clubs and releasing independent albums that had lead to playing larger clubs and theatres. All the while they were building a loyal fanbase not just in their hometown of Washington DC, but nationwide as the buzz circulated around the underground that this band had something special to offer.

What they had to offer is music that follows in the tradition of Nine Inch Nails and a vocalist that seems to capture the essence of not only Trent Rezner but Alice in Chains' Layne Staley and The Cure's Robert Smith. The result is a sound that picks up where these bands left off and bridges the gap between music past and present. Combining the hard edged industrial of NIN and the classic goth sensibilities of The Cure and making it your own is a hard task but Godhead has been at it a long time. At the heart of Godhead is the vocal styling of Jason Miller, the intense rhythmic beats of drummer James O'Connor, the in-your-face chops of guitarist Mike Miller and last but not least the mesmerizing programming and bass playing of The Method. Together they create a sound that propels the industrial/goth sounds of the 90's right into the 21st century.

What is surprising is that this band has not gained international notoriety yet, especially during those years where fans were clamoring for new music from Trent and company; Godhead could have easily stepped in and claimed the throne for themselves. If only a major label exec would have had the foresight to see the greatness so evident here.

In walks Marilyn Manson. For those not familiar with Marilyn's history, his band had made a name for themselves in the Florida underground when Trent Reznor discovered them. That chance discovery lead Trent to offer Manson's band a record deal on his new vanity label, Nothing Records and he took on the additional task of introducing the world to Marilyn's modern shock rock theatrics by taking his new protégé's on tour with Nine Inch Nails.

History has a way of repeating itself, love him or hate him, Manson decided to use his fame and position to help out other artists the way Reznor helped him in the beginning. So when Marilyn decided to start his own record label, Posthuman Records, he offered Godhead their chance to breakout of the underground by giving them a record deal and taking them on tour with him.

The buzz began immediately after the deal was sealed and many critics and fans were pleasantly surprised when they got past the hype of the Manson association and heard the music. Last summer Godhead gained international recognition and critical praise from their inclusion on the Blair Witch 2 soundtrack. The track "The Reckoning" proved to the world that Marilyn knew what the hell he was doing when he signed Godhead to Posthuman. The song's melodic goth/industrial sound captured the imagination of critics and brought comparisons to Nine Inch Nails' breakthrough single "Head Like A Hole".

Now with the release of the band's Posthuman debut "2000 Years of Human Error" we see that Godhead was saving their best for last. The ambitious album's eleven tracks provide a rich tapestry of industrial rock. No stone was left unturned as the band pulled out various items from their bag of wonders. Most notable is the colorful remake of the Beatles classic "Eleanor Rigby" that first appeared on the band's 1998 indy release, "Power Tool Stigmata." Rock purist may shutter at the blasphemy of an industrial cover of the Beatles, but Godhead pulled off the impossible and created an exciting new translation of the song.

It is not often that an album comes along where all of the tracks could easily be hit singles, from the two aforementioned songs to the rhetorical "I Sell Society", the hyperactive "Inside You", the rhythmic pounding of "Break You Down" and "Backstander", the eerie ambience of "Penetrate" and the goth ballad "I Hate Today" that closes out the disc, "2000 Years of Human Error" is an instant classic that in the coming years should find a firm place in music history right along side the likes of other modern classics like "Pretty Hate Machine", "Nevermind" and "OK Computer".

Who is Godhead?