Gone Forever

Sometimes we reviewers are caught completely off guard. That is of course where the Surprise of the month statue comes to play. And God Forbid is one surprise that definitely came from behind me and knocked me down. This is the third record of this American metal prodigy and I wouldn’t be surprised if GF pulls a “Metallica” or “Slayer” with Gone Forever. Rising to a prominent status in the metal world with a very strong album out of almost nowhere, that is. Gone Forever is a mish mash of melodic death metal, groovy aggro metal and even doses of hard core. If you want names, a mix of Machine Heads and Arch Enemys riffs and groovy aggression and vocals and pounding rhythms in the vein of Sick Of It All, In Flames and At The Gates would get you pretty close. The guitar work of Doc and Dallas Coyle contain some devastating riffs and equally fluid solos that have perfect control of themselves while shooting all over the place with great melodies. The nine songs here are really strong as a unit, there are really no fillers here to be found. Antihero, Washed-Out World, Precious Lie and Judge The Blood are just some prime examples of the melodic devastation on Gone Forever. This also makes it hard to point out any true standout-points from here, as the material is very equal in strength. Maybe the only "defect" that this album has is that it just isnt a total killer that would leave a feeling of a perfect album after multiple spins. Catchy choruses still abound many of the tunes like on the otherwise brutal Better Days, Washed-Out World & Precious Lie. Corey Pierce is an extremely talented drummer, as he keeps the songs tight and plays for the structure of the songs instead of flashing the double-basses on a constant basis. He also has a lot of the inventive touch similar to my drum-god, Panteras Vinnie Paul, so lots of points are given for that. Honestly, Pierces drumming is very tasty here, a recommendation on the side to all drummers of taking this album out for a listen. Byron Davis has an extremely powerful distorted tone in his voice that plays off perfectly with the melodic parts provided by the Coyle brothers. Sometimes the growls get a bit too hard core for me, but it thankfully the HC touch is not prominent that often. The production kills as well, as the instruments are well balanced with the singing and nothing is buried to oblivion. Even some nice piano pops up to bring more great melodies on some songs. Damn, I must repeat myself. The song writing is superb, with many songs changing tempos and moods from crushing to melodic in mere five minutes maximum. This is an interesting album for that reason. Every song is good, so there are no REALLY high points and no low points either. This is both a strength and weakness on Gone Forever. The equality of the albums strong material is something very rare to come across these days in even a bit modernized metal. To all of you lucky douches going to Ozzfest this year, do not diss all of the smaller bands playing there this year. At least God Forbid should be one band for every one of you to check out, live and on record, cause I think these guys especially kill live. An excellent blend of American death metal and European melodic thrashing with modern touches here and there. Be on your guard, this is a band that I would predict an excellent future to.