- Review by Faye Coulman
REVIEWED: Godless - 'Swarm' EP
Cast your imagination deep into the putrid, rotten gloom, where a loathsome swamp creature slowly stirs. It glides malevolently through the inky lagoon waters, hissing ominously before opening its malodorous maw and releasing a fetid cloud of toxic death. These spine-chilling, eerie sound effects of curiously cosmic, Lovecraftian horror are how Indian metallers Godless set the scene for their second unapologetic orgy of deathrash, before launching into a full-on cacophony of abrasive, aggressive beats, deep-throated growls and raw, gut-wrenching screams.
Godless have been garnering rave reviews and ensnaring a gathering army of fans since they formed three years ago in Hyderabad and released their debut EP 'Centuries of Decadence'. Inhabiting their chosen genre with panache, there’s no banishing this beast back into the box. Having won the Metal Battle India competition, they went on to conquer the mighty Wacken Open Air festival last August for their international debut. Now they are all set to embark on an epic tour, unfurling their creeping darkness across the four corners of India.
Second EP 'Swarm' is a four-track assault of relentless, thrash-influenced, cathartic death that hits like a punch in the guts. 'Infected by the Black' sets the adrenaline-inducing pace for the rest of the album, the speed and vigour with which they ply their instruments showcasing each member’s undoubted technical skill. 'From Beyond' flings the listener into black chaos with Kaushal’s keening vocals and Aniketh’s rabid drumming, as merciless as a pelting of stones. 'Deathcult' poisons the mind like the insidious brain-washing of a satanic sect, with guitarist Ravi furiously rocking the riffs and Abbas blasting the bass like things possessed.
Final track 'Empty Graves' features a guest appearance from Tom ‘Fountainhead’ Geldschlager of Obscura fame. The horror of the hammering chords and the morbid, heavy rock interludes fall like the claustrophobic clang of coffin lids - as Godless remind us of the hopeless inevitably of what awaits us in the end.
'Swarm' is out now. Grab your copy here