God Damn - Everything Ever
- Written by Marky Edison
God Damn are the Wolverhampton duo of screamer and guitarist Thom Edward and tub-thumper Ash Weaver. They formed in 2010 and have already played with Foo Fighters, Slaves, Funeral For A Friend and Eagulls. Everything Ever is their second album following 2015’s Vultures.
NME described them as “louder than Black Sabbath having a screaming row with Nirvana” and it’s a valid comparison as the Black Country ancestry of Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Napalm Death and Judas Priest have obviously had an influence on the pair. They frequently namecheck The Jesus lizard and the Pixies, as well as Nirvana and that ‘90s noise is ever-present in their music.
Thom Edward says he’s trying to sing more these days rather than just scream and ‘Sing This’ is a great way to showcase his singing ability. It makes the screaming chorus all the more powerful. The opening track and ‘Ghost’ have a Muse feel to them, though without the prog aspirations.
God Damn display a strong britpop influence particularly on ‘I’ll Bury You’ and ‘Oh No’ where Edward sings like Brett Anderson. His vocal style has yet to settle down. His screaming is like Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes or Kurt Cobain but his clean singing varies greatly from song to song; on ‘Six Wires’ he channels Shaun Ryder as Weaver takes his cowbell to the Christopher Walken SNL meme degree.
‘Dead To Me’ typifies the dichotomy between how the band play and what they play. It’s a mid-tempo tune with a descending swaying chorus written in a very basic poppy manner but the myriad layers of both vocals and guitars obscure the simplicity of the tune and it all comes out as a muddy, directionless mess.
Everything Ever has been compared to Nirvana’s Nevermind but while the production and overall sound is quite similar, God Damn haven’t the songwriting nous of Cobain. The mood swerves unevenly from screaming hardcore to Mansun-esque britpop and the disparity is discomfiting. The songs are invigorating while listening but are difficult to recall once they are finished. If God Damn can harness that energy into some decent tunes they will be one to watch.
Everything Ever is available from amazon.
Catch God Damn on tour with Red Fang and Torche at the following dates:-
September
23 London, Boston Music Rooms
26 Brighton, Concorde 2
27 London, Koko
28 Bristol, Bierkeller
29 Leeds, Stylus
30 Manchester, Manchester Academy 2
October
02 Birmingham, Institute 2
03 Glasgow, Garage
04 Newcastle, Riverside
05 Southampton, Engine Rooms