GODHEAD – The Shadow Line

It’s hard to believe, but Godhead has now released their fifth official studio album. Up until now, Godhead was hardly ever heard of or known at all. That is about to change, however, with their new release, The Shadow Line.

There are several scenarios for why all of a sudden Godhead has become noticeable and more popular than ever. First, The Shadow Line combines old Godhead with their new sound to produce the best Godhead album to date — a little vague, but still easy to follow. Second, previous Godhead albums have been more Industrial and the music less audible than on The Shadow Line. On this album, vocalist Jason C. Miller is heard more clearly and more often sings without all of the effects drowning out the music … and the lyrics are more detailed yet still easy to follow. Third, Godhead finally found their sound by combining effects and music in a perfect balance, resulting in a catchy Industrial Melodic Rock sound that even has some heaviness to it at times. Fourth, their songs are well thought out now and actually have guitar solos incorporated into them courtesy of the two Millers in the band (Jason and Mike – unrelated) that are headed in the right direction. Fifth, and probably the biggest factor, they have gotten away from sounding like an 80’s band and sound more in synch with today’s popular style.

Originally formed in the mid-90’s as an Industrial Rock band from Washington, D.C., the band Godhead consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jason C. Miller; lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Mike Miller; bassist and programmer Ullrich “Method” Hepperlin; and the most recent addition and drummer Glendon Crain. Having a couple European releases under their belt in 1994 and 1995, followed by five USA releases; Nothingness (1996), Power Tool Stigmata (1998), 2000 Years Of Human Error (2001), Evolver (2003), and The Shadow Line (2006); the band has had their share of problems holding onto their continuity. The band has had five different drummers and two bass players before settling on their current line-up.

The new album has twelve songs going a little over the 49-minute mark. Each song still has that Industrial Rock sound lingering in it somewhere, either in the background or throughout the entire track. The main difference is that now with Jason singing clearly and better than ever being able to create this album completely on their own terms; the remaining product is nothing less than a new brilliant sound and a smoking album from Godhead. “We have more opportunities now than we’ve ever had before,” says Jason C. Miller. “And we’ve got a group of people behind us who won’t take no for an answer …who won’t stop until we get to the next level.” With an effort like this one, and something out of the ordinary, it won’t be long before they get to that level … it’s just a matter of time.

Godhead is the first signing of Cement Shoes Records, the new Hard Rock label distributed by FONTANA/Universal, which re-establishes the importance of true artist development. “In the ever-changing and evolving record business that has a new set of rules every six months, Dan Catullo and his staff are the people that can roll with the punches and take us to the top,” says Godhead.

The first track, “Trapped In Your Lies,” is clearly the best track on the album. It’s heavy, has a nice guitar solo in it, features great-sounding vocals, and happens to be the hit single from the album. This right away doesn’t even sound like anything associated with any of the bands previous albums. A close second behind “Trapped In Your Lies” is “Through The Cracks.” “Hey You,” “Push,” and “Unrequitted” also have some heavy sounds to them, but not to the extent of the hit single. “Fall Down” is another track that will see airplay. It is more on the melodic side, but is still a hit. Other good-sounding melodic tracks are “Your End Of Days” and “Inside Your World,” which happens to have some acoustic guitar play in it. The remaining songs have more of the older Godhead style associated with them, but not overkill as before. Overall, this album will find many new ears listening to it, and over time this band should get better, assuming they can stay together and grow as musicians.

Most fans of Rock music will enjoy this album, although they are not Metal, Heavy Metal, or even Hard Rock. So if that is your bag, this album might not be what you are looking for. For those who purchase The Shadow Line (Digipak), you get an added treat. It is a 2-Disc set with the second side being a DVD that has their first hit single, “Trapped In Your Lies,” music video, interviews with other frontmen (David Draiman – Disturbed, and Wayne Static – Static-X), two other music videos from their Evolver album (“The Hate In Me” and “Far Too Long”), and an interview with Andy Dick.