Five albums and one EP into their career, Godsticks have successfully carved out a space for themselves that sits somewhere between the energetic swagger of Faith No More, the questing drama of mid-period King Crimson and the dizzying mathcore pyrotechnics of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Yet over the course of 17 years, the Welsh band have transcended their influences, fusing them into a sound that’s their own.
Having settled into the expanded, four-piece line-up that’s been in place since 2017’s Faced With Rage album, their sixth full-length builds on what they were doing with that record and its follow-up, 2020’s Inescapable. Opener If I Don’t Take It All thumps and crawls from a growling synth line to expansive and melodic rock. Singer and guitarist Darran Charles’ earnest, full-hearted delivery suits the material, backed by some fine interplay between drummer Tom Price and bassist Dan Nelson, with Gavin Bushell’s circling, driving guitar providing a spine. They sit at the less flashy end of the prog metal spectrum, favouring a streamlined, song-first approach over showy individual musicianship or bombastic indulgence.
