gODHEAD
The Shadow Realigned
April 2014
Warrior Records
http://www.godhead.com/
With an extensive music catalogue spanning nearly two decades, I initially wondered why vocalist and founder of Godhead, Jason Miller, would choose to have The Shadow Line, Godhead’s 2006 release, re-released as a remix album? Then I thought about it. The Shadow Line was Godhead’s first release to be produced mainly by the band themselves. Giving the fans a glimpse of what these tracks sound like after being re-worked by other artists is a brilliant way to tide us over until a full length album of new material is released.
Hearing the remixed versions of these songs gives me a greater appreciation of their original forms. Godhead’s music has always encompassed several genres and styles. Miller’s solo work has a twinge of country to it, while Godhead’s could fit into the rock, metal and industrial genres, sometimes all within the same song.
I’ve heard people complain about full remix albums being released, which is utterly ridiculous. It takes true skill and mastery of your craft to create and an entire album of original songs. It takes patience and care to hand those tracks over to someone else and ask them to put a unique twist on your creations. Miller handpicked the artists and trusted them to take Godhead’s music and work them into something that the fans would find familiar but twist them enough to keep the music fresh. The Robotic Beehive mix of The Gift is a brilliant extension of the original track. Ben Moody molded Unrequited like a master sculpture. Psyclon Nine reworked Trapped In Your Lies into an even more brutal industrial anthem. While the music for each track has been reworked, Miller’s vocals hold strong, whether stretched and distorted or unedited and bring us back to the Godhead that we love.
Miller also dug through the archives to include three new tracks. To Heal, the first original track from Godhead in almost six years, is full of haunting piano chords and Miller’s echoing vocals. The band couldn’t have picked two songs to cover that are further apart in genres. Their renditions of Kiss’ God of Thunder and Depeche Mode’s Never Let Me Down Again prove that Godhead is just as comfortable in the rock and metal genres as they are in the industrial rock world. That being said, Smashing Pumpkins remade the Depeche Mode track over a decade ago for the Not Another Teen Movie soundtrack. Godhead’s version blows the Pumpkins’ out of the water.
Don’t steal this album. Don’t borrow it from your friend and rip it. Buy this album. It’s worth every penny. This release proves without a doubt that Godhead may have taken a break but the band still has our attention and will continue to prove themselves as the Metal Gods they’ve always been.
