Mythology Agency proudly represents Godflesh for management and international bookings worldwide. 

“Since forming in 1982, Godflesh have mastered a sound that blends overwhelming intensity with superhuman restraint.”  – Pitchfork, 2023

Hailing from Birmingham, England, Godflesh are widely recognised for their groundbreaking contributions to the genre and their innovative blend of musical influences. Formed in 1988, the band was spearheaded by Justin Broadrick, whose potent combination of relentless guitar riffs and drum machine rhythms gave Godflesh its distinctive sound.

The band’s debut EP in 1988 and the critically acclaimed full-length album, “Streetcleaner” released in 1989, set the stage for their evolution. Despite their heavy influence on metal, Godflesh sees their work as an extension of post-punk music and their music is a testament to constant experimentation, seamlessly fusing elements of dub, dark ambient, breakbeats, and hip-hop into their sound.

Their subsequent albums, “Pure” (1992) and “Songs of Love and Hate” (1996), further showcased their innovative approach, influencing the emergence of nu-metal. In 1999, the band pushed the boundaries even further with “Us and Them”, exploring drum’n’bass and other unconventional genres.

However, in 2001, following the release of “Hymns”, Godflesh disbanded. Broadrick went on to form a shoegaze-influenced band, Jesu, named after the final track of ‘Hymns’. But the hiatus didn’t last forever. Godflesh made a triumphant return to the stage in 2010 and continued to push their creative boundaries with the release of “A World Lit Only by Fire” in 2014.

In 2017, Godflesh leaned into their post-punk roots with the release of ‘Post Self’. Fast forward to 2023, the band revisited the concepts of ‘Pure’ with their latest offering, ‘Purge’, further cementing their status as pioneers of industrial metal who champion constant experimentation and a hybrid of influences.

Justin Broadrick was influenced early on by heavy metal, as well as such experimental groups as Can and Lou Reed’s 1975 noisefest, from Metal Machine Music. He formed O.P.D. (Officially Pronounced Dead) with B.C. Green and Paul Neville in 1982, renaming themselves Fall of Because after a Killing Joke song and a chapter from an Aleister Crowley book. The group (as well as Broadrick’s experimental solo project, Final) performed a scarcely-attended show with Napalm Death in 1984, a pioneering grindcore band he founded – writing, performing and recording the first side of their landmark 1987 debut recording, “Scum”. However, he left Napalm Death and joined Head of David as a drummer. He soon departed Head of David, and sought to form a new group that would be even more musically extreme and experimental. He reformed Fall of Because as a duo with Green and a drum machine, renaming the act Godflesh. The duo unleashed a pair of releases that sounded unlike anything at the time: the 1988 EP Godflesh and 1989’s full-length “Streetcleaner”. A strong hype began to build around the band, especially in the music press, though the commercial success of more accessible industrial metal bands (Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, etc.) eluded them, and Godflesh never broke out of “cult” status at the time. Still, they were namechecked as a major influence by countless artists, including highly popular groups like Metallica and Korn. Godflesh continued issuing further EPs and full-lengths (1992’s “Pure”, 1994’s “Selfless”, 1996’s “Songs of Love and Hate”, and 1999’s “Us and Them”) throughout the ’90s, gradually incorporating more and more influences such as dub and drum’n’bass. Godflesh’s first best-of compilation, In All Languages, was issued in 2001, yet the early 21st century saw Godflesh enter a tumultuous period, when Green exited the group shortly after the release of a new studio album, Hymns, that same year. Although a replacement bassist was announced (former Killing Joke/Prong member Paul Raven), Broadrick announced Godflesh’s dissolution in 2002. As a final thank-you to longtime fans, Broadrick decided to re-release an expanded edition of Godflesh’s ultra-rare 1994-recorded EP, Messiah, in 2003. In addition to his work with Godflesh, Broadrick headed several record labels (including Head Dirt, Lo Fibre, and Avalanche); produced other artists; and also found time for a few side projects, such as “Final”, “Techno Animal”, and the Sidewinder, often in collaboration with Kevin Martin. In 2003, Broadrick formed “Jesu”, a more electronic, shoegaze-influenced successor to Godflesh Decline & Fall.

In 2009, Broadrick announced that Godflesh would be reuniting to play the 2010 Hellfest in Clisson, France. While details about other shows remained sparse, the band began to appear at other festivals around Europe, appearing at Roadburn in Holland and the Supersonic Festival in England. Rumblings of a new album began to emerge, and in 2013 the band released its first new material in 12 years, a cover of Slaughter’s “F.O.D.” The following year, Godflesh returned with two releases, an EP, Decline & Fall, as well as the band’s seventh full-length album, “A World Lit Only by Fire.”

In 2017, Godflesh released “Post Self”, an album that leaned closer to the group’s post-punk and industrial influences rather than metal. The album was issued by Avalanche, with a cassette edition on Hospital Productions. Remix collection “New Flesh in Dub Vol. 1” and compilation “Long Live the New Flesh” (containing the previous two albums and EP plus remixes) appeared in 2021.

“Pure: Live” was released in 2022, and the 2023 studio album “Purge” revisited the hip-hop influences of the original “Pure” – described by Pitchfork as “…returning to the apocalyptic club setting of its early-’90s work, the industrial metal duo crafts the most inviting record of its late career…”.

Managing Agent: Mark Lewis