One of the most anticipated records of the year is finally here, but don’t let that mean for one second come August you’ll have forgotten this record. Hell no! God Damn have released their brand new record into the wild and for us all to become utterly obsessed with it. The Black Country trio are back, and the are louder than ever. If you’re looking for a record to deafen those eardrums of yours ears, then invest in this belter of a record.
If like me you cite bands like Melvins and Sleep as two of the greatest bands of all time, and you just let the sheer loudness and power consume you with every listen, then chances are you’re also a fan of God Damn. I can’t recall the first time I ever heard God Damn, but since then they have consistently blown my mind (and eardrums of course!) We all know that Vultures is one of their finest pieces of work, but we cannot discount the mammoth of a record that is Everything Ever! These two records have built us up ready for what they gave us last month. And my oh my, what they have given us is an intense delivery of Stoner Rock mixed with Grunge- a style we know and love from them, but this time they have hit us harder. GOD DAMN!
‘Whip Goes The Crack’ is the anthem. This is the one you can imagine being belted out in stadiums across the world, with us fellow God Damn fans singing our heart outs to Thom, James and Ash, aiming to be louder than them. It’s a beast of a song, and much like the whole record- it will stick in your head for days. There’s only three of them but it sounds like a chorus of noise, it’s nothing short of incredible. The way the songs flow into each other without giving you the chance to catch your breath is divine. ‘We Are One’ is another stadium anthem, but at the same time you want to see them play basement dive bars, cramped sweaty spaces with everyone losing their mind to what they are hearing. It’s just a phenomenal record, and I genuinely thought I couldn’t love anything as much as I loved Vultures. Turns out I was wrong, and I’m okay with that.
There are some exceptional sounds on this record. Take opener, ‘Dreamers’ for instance- if you’re looking for a perfect song to kick a record off, then this is it. It just leaves in awe of them again and again. This record sounds like something that the Melvins could have done just after A Senile Animal– it is THAT heavy. These 11 songs are made to be played and enjoyed at a volume that would leave others uncomfortable. There’s no way you can enjoy ‘Satellite Prongs’ or ‘Palm of Sound’ at a calmly low volume. Where’s the fun in that? The production on this record is flawless too, and that’s just another reason as to why you need to play this loud. Really LOUD.
I just want to touch on ‘Palm of Sound’ briefly. The drums on this is Ash’s moment. There’s no denying how insane a drummer he is, but this is us being shown what he is truly made of and how ferocious he is. It’s one of my favourites off the record so far, but it’s one of those records that after one listen you just become obsessed with it and cannot loosen your grip on it. It’s an absolute pleasure to listen to, and it just makes you really proud to be a fan of such a remarkable band. Alright, mushy bit over.
‘Satellite Prongs’. Nearly 9 minutes long. One of the greatest songs God Damn have ever written; it’s a Stoner Rock symphony. I want to play this at least 10 times a day and just get totally lost in it. It’s such a grand song and shows us just how exceptional they all are. This song truly shows us how out of this world James, Thom and Ash are. There’s a rage within this song that just makes you want to trash your room but at the same time tell everyone you know repeatedly how much you LOVE this song, and how important it is. It is truly one of the best things God Damn have ever done, and it makes you wish it was longer than 8 minutes and 51 seconds long. After the 5-minute mark all hell breaks loose- you are welcome!
Well in short, God Damn have truly made the best record of their impressive career. Mind=blown!
Review by Olivia Cellamare