GODFLESH Readies for Final Descent with 'Decay'

In a world where music often feels perpetually unfinished, GODFLESH mastermind Justin Broadrick reflects on the delicate balance of creation. “Music, for me, is rarely complete,” he states, underscoring the inherent struggle of artistic expression that mirrors the band’s own journey. Now, just over three years after the seismic impact of their last slab, 'Purge', and 38 years into their storied existence, Broadrick and bassist Ben Green are set to crush the collective psyche with their tenth and penultimate offering, 'Decay', slated for release on September 25, 2026, via Relapse Records.

GODFLESH stands as a monolithic figure in the realm of heavy music, a band that transcended mere genre classification. As the 1980s gave way to the 1990s, their debut album 'Streetcleaner' detonated like a cosmic cataclysm, obliterating the competition and reshaping the landscape of heavy music. The shockwaves from that initial explosion rippled across continents, as the band followed it up with a relentless barrage of albums like 'Pure' and 'Hymns', each a visceral exploration of sound that seized the listener’s very being and left a trail of destruction in its wake.

After a nearly decade-long hiatus, the band returned to the fray with the 'Decline & Fall' EP, heralding a new chapter that culminated in the brutal resurrection of 'A World Lit Only By Fire', followed by its more introspective successor, 'Post Self'. “It’s all just instinctive,” Broadrick reflects on the ebb and flow of creativity. When 'Post Self' concluded, he felt GODFLESH’s time had waned. But like phoenixes rising from the ashes, the pandemic lockdown ignited a new urgency in Broadrick’s creative mind, leading to the birth of 'Decay'.

“'Decay' was born from the same sessions as 'Purge',” Broadrick reveals, hinting at a treasure trove of tracks that were both lyrically and sonically sculpted from the same dark wellspring. After navigating the tumultuous waters of label negotiations, the album now stands ready to unleash an even more harrowing soundscape. The culmination of these sessions was further complicated by Broadrick’s recent abdominal surgery, a physical battle that he faced while recording. “I was already aware that the GODFLESH shout was exacerbating my hernia greatly,” he shares, adding a layer of raw, corporeal pain to the already existential themes that permeate his work.

As the shadows of their active tenure grow long, Broadrick expresses a bittersweet gratitude for what GODFLESH has meant to him. “I feel quite lucky, because GODFLESH is now physically impossible for me,” he admits, acknowledging the toll that years of sonic warfare have taken on his body. Yet, this marks not an end, but a transformation; Broadrick is poised to forge ahead into uncharted territories of heavy and ugly music, leaving behind the constraints of his past.