REVIEW FROM SALVO MAGAZINE

Salvo Music Magazine available at all Virgin Meastores. www.salvomagazine.com

If hardcore and metal is a genre associated with lacking a sense of humour. Godsize must be an exception to the rule. Vocalist Kris provides some crazed comedy value, Complete with badly shaved bonce, tattoos, pot belly and a repertoire of Arnie quotes to keep the crowd entertained between songs. Kris other jobs include presenter for 4Q radio and announcer for FCW wrestling and he seems born to be a front man of a sicko sludge rock hardcore band in the vain of Grief, Sabbath, Melvins and Monster Magnet. His bug eyed chest beating, "straight edge" x-fisted intensity works well with the tight and together rhythm section downtuned doomy riff work. Coming out in the audience to spit his rage in people's faces and start random fights for fun, Kris could be the GG Allin for the Nu Metal generation, thankfully without the shit eating and self harm. As Arnie would say "give me your clothes .......... Get your ass to Mars"

REVIEW FROM WWW.BLACKMETAL.CO.UK

Godsize - Rock n Roll Machine

Stunning 5 track CD from Stourbridge based sludgesters.
The opening (title) track is huge, with a "look at the devils" refrain that will stay with you long after the CD finishes.
'Rip Open You' is as brutal as it sounds, closely followed by 'Scumblood'.
This is molasses thick, stripped down rock and roll with a fantastically fat guitar sound.

REVIEW FROM KERRANGRADIO.CO.UK

Raging Speedhorn/Godsize, 23/09/2005

Raging Speedhorn is all about heavy. We all know that. Since 1998, they have been a constant reminder of just how brutal and honest UK metal can be. Despite a slight tweaking in the line up (co-front man Frank replaced by new man Kev) the band are back on the road and out promoting third album-proper 'How The Great Have Fallen'.

First though are support band Godsize, who have many similarities to the Speedhorn. Savage riffs and sludgy metal are in the house tonight and Godsize show that they are more than capable of stepping up to the plate to represent the UK underground hardcore scene.

The Speedhorn are out to show that they are still leading metal contenders and tonight they are angry mofos. 'Scraping the Resin' is there, as is 'Me and You Man', all songs sounds as brutal and furious as the last. It's free Jagermeister all round for the lucky ones down the front tonight, and the alcohol may have proven to be the stimulant to ignite the crowd into some furious pit action for the remainder of the evening.

The smaller than expected crowd is a slight disappointment on a night that otherwise proved that UK metal and Raging Speedhorn, despite their ironic new album title, are still very much alive and kicking and battling for your every attention.

Roadie Corin.

REVIEW FROM METAL HAMMER

Metal Hammer Review, May 2005

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REVIEW FROM NINE HERTZ

'Rock n Roll Machine' Review, 19/01/2005

Birmingham’s Godsize have been around for a little while now, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine is their latest demo release. Ploughing the sludge line, with Iron Monkey and Raging Speedhorn being the obvious two probable influences, the sound is a familiar one from the current UK underground. Godsize will not win any innovation awards. Yet any negativity stops there, because despite this, to put it simply, Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine fucking rocks.

What makes this EP so enjoyable is that Godsize appear to have a total command of the key elements of the style. The changes in speed – from full-on grind assaults to snail’s pace riff heavy passages are an example of this, and the variety helps maintain interest throughout the five tracks on offer.

Added to this the tangible energy and feeling of urgency put into their songs (something anyone who has witnessed Godsize live can fully attest to), and you have a thoroughly entertaining demo. Top that off with a crisp production job from Migg Kenny (of Mistress and Anaal Nathrakh) at his Necrodeath studios and you’ve got a must-have release for any fan of sludge rock.

REVIEW FROM XPOSED MAGAZINE

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REVIEW FROM THE METRO

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REVIEW FROM L H C/O M.A.S. RECORDS

'Disobey' Kidderminster Town Hall, 12/03/2004

The punishing rhythms and harsh noise of Godsize beat the crowd to submission with an unrelentingly brutal set, with the singer, irrepressibly malicious and intimidating, pacing through the crowd with spite. Not so much as enticing, but demanding the crowd to go into a wild, frenzied moshpit of self-destruction.

L. H C/o M.A.S Records

REVIEW FROM THECOMMUNION.CO.UK

The “We Really Should’ve Given This A Clever Name” Alldayer - The Flapper, 26/10/03
Contributed by Russ-L on Monday, November 03 @ 14:29:07 EST

Anyone keeping an eye on the Communion crew would’ve known big things were afoot. I had poked my head from around my usual wall of anti-sociality and actually spoke to a few people, and Alex – shock horror! – wasn’t wearing a hat. Some kind of omen, surely.

Bull vs Bear started the afternoon off. In this post-Raging Speedhorn world, reviewing bands becomes so much easier… sludgy bits, blasty bits, vaguely hardcorey bits, you know the style. I’m not saying they weren’t good, no sir; their songs were forceful and pretty catchy, and their horde of fans/friends/followers gave it largestyle in front of the stage. A nice start.

Up next were H8 Target, a band that I think are always best described by the word ‘WOOOOOARGH!’ Imagine Slayer and Pantera crashing headfirst into Poison Idea and you’ll get an idea of the sort of thing. They steamrollered forwards through a set with a few new (to me, anyway) songs; it’s a shame they didn’t do “Living Hell,” but time was short.

Finally getting to see Numinor properly, I found that they’re nowhere as near as tricksy-twisty-turny as I previously thought – more like a sort of metallic post-hardcore thingy with a few elements of Converge thrown in. Quite fun to watch but none of their songs drew me in massively.

Finishing the first half of the day were Intention. The number of people in the room was at its lowest during their set (it had steadily reduced since the first band, strangely) and the majority of those remaining didn’t seem interested. I really cannot fathom why. The common criticism that they’re all just nodding dogs apart from Ian is true, but Ian is more than enough to watch. Catchy and interesting songs, clever lyrics, a very charismatic frontman/vocalist… what more do you want? This wall of apathy they seem to have run into lately is baffling.

After a short break Godsize were up. No surprises in their usual sludga-rolla set, with Kris charging about in his usual style and the second (and last) moshpit of the day. Always good fun.

“We’re gonna be re-selling it, rehashing old shit. Nah, not really, it’s still fresh,” said Aconite Thrill’s singer of their EP. If you can come up with a sentence that sounds more like David Brent trying to be cool than that then I salute you. Although I didn’t mind their Glassjaw-isms the first time I saw them (in July), this time they bored me. Angular does not necessarily equate to interesting. It was during their set that I realised I was actually very tired. I think my perception of them had more effect on that than that did on my perception of them.

My War are rough, thugsy and noisy, like that bloke in the pub who voices his opinions loudly to everyone at the bar and starts on anyone who disagrees. The difference is that you actually want to listen to My War. And, as far as I’m aware, none of them were wearing sovereign rings. Bit of a crap analogy really. Sorry. They sludgecored and metalcored and occasionally punked, anyway, and we were all hugely impressed.

Decimate finished off a long day, but unfortunately weren’t at their best. Something indefinable just didn’t click, and they didn’t reach the peak of their destructive powers. A great band sounding average is always a shame, but they still weren’t bad.

With that we rode off into the sunset, happy in the knowledge that we’d managed to get away with it.

- Russ L

REVIEW FROM ROCKREVIEW.CO.UK

There are in fact 2 bands with the name Godsize – a mainland Europe death metal outfit, and these guys, a band of pissed off West Midlanders who play angry loud Metalcore. I do hope they get to keep their name, as it is a pleasantly memorable name and anything longer you would have forgotten by the end of listening to this attention-grabbing demo.

Many of you may remember Godsize from their recent Anthrax and One Minute Silence support slots, and if you were there, trust me you’d remember them. Having already proved themselves as a respectable live act its good to see they can hold up just as well on record.

Sounding suspiciously similar to Charger at times, Godsize make sludgy down-tuned hardcore with typically enraged vocals. At their better moments they sound like a really pissed off Machine Head, their lesser moments come across as a weak Iron Monkey cover band, but thankfully their aren’t many of those.

Hopefully we’ll see a full studio album soon, but if you’re strapped for cash, spend your money on seeing them live instead. A strong demo though – watch this space.

*NOTE: I have reviewed this demo under the belief it was their 2002 self-titled release, however other sources show that the track-listing should be different and only have 3 tracks on the self-titled, so should anyone be able to inform me of the correct title of this demo, or that other people are just wrong, I would be very grateful.

Rock Review Rating: 8/10

REVIEW FROM THECOMMUNION.CO.UK

2nd Feb 2003
Birmingham Flapper and Firkin
Mistress, Decimate, Eden Maine, Dead Sun Rising, Conquest Of Steel, Godsize, Hostile

HOSTILE had the pleasure of opening the days proceedings with their finely tuned very melodic death/thrash sound. This provided a fine start, and with main vocalist Slag jumping around the tables of the venue they also provided a wake up call to the respectable crowd who were already there to see them. With several very memorable tunes, this band balance a sense of traditional heavy metal, At The Gates style riffs, death grunts and hooky chrous’ to stunning effect. I believe this band are vastly underrated.

Next up were Godsize, whose sludgy riffs with a hardcore-esque intensity and stage presence sounded heavy as fuck. With the vocalists crowd interaction, floor gymnastics and intriguing dance moves it was almost impossible to ignore this bands impact. Coming on like a hardcore infused version of Charger and other such sludge luminaries, this band have the songs to take them places beyond this positioning on this bill.

REVIEW FROM METALUK.COM

In terms of the amount of times I’ve spun a demo this year and how much I have truly enjoyed it, Godsize are firmly stuck at number one. Their self-titled demo is absolutely superb and from the outset, I was hooked and taken through the aggressive and angry sides of my diverse emotions more than once. Comprised of three raw, blisteringly heavy and intense songs, this band is going to go far – very far.

Godsize have seemingly perfected the kind of sound that recalls elements of old school death metal, hardcore and groove – all of which culminate in a superb collection of catchy songs. The opening aural assault of ‘Kill, Kill, Kill’ is captivating – beginning with an almost doomy approach before speeding into heavy hardcore and screaming vocals and then completing formula with it’s intense but catchy chorus. All of the elements here – from pounding drums, to screaming vocals, to full-on guitars – work incredibly well together and Godsize seem to bounce off each other and feed off the resulting energy. The strength of their material is extraordinary and continues into ‘Frustration’, which is heavy and inspiring. The middle of the song is filled out by doomy riffage, which isn’t technical but works surprisingly well.

Closing number ‘Doom’ is possibly the best track on offer here, with its superb, weighty and downright heavy riffage being secured into quality by the ultra-strong chorus. Halfway through, the band leap into intensity, all the while holding it together with demonic vocals that never grate and always sound refreshing. Instead of taking it into directionless nonsense, Godsize head straight back into that stronger than strong chorus again and finish the demo with near thrash-like intensity, punching a hole into your skull.

Godsize are simply amazing. Somehow, the band have developed a sound that incorporates hardcore, death metal and doom, with a groove that is unquestionably their own. The production is raw but appropriate and all the essential elements can be heard without any problems. It’s rare to hear demos that manage to fit musically with their production and as a result, Godsize come across as a band that have so much potential and have managed to flesh out their ideas effectively. Refreshingly, they sound like no one else in particular and the strength of their material is astounding. Not just the best demo of the year but one of the best demos in existence – bleed for it if you have to, just get it.

REVIEW FROM DOWNTUNED.CO.UK

JOHNNY TRUANT
with
3 STAGES OF PAIN,
GODSIZE
and
THE MURDER OF...
Friday 16th November, 2002

The Old Angel, Nottingham, ENGLAND.

Having attended quite a number of gigs at the Old Angel over the years, it never ceases to amaze me just at the lack of any organisation at this venue. For the bands, trying to find someone that could help with almost any technical\sound problem encountered during the performances tonight was thankless and for the punters, even getting a drink seemed a major problem! Anyway, that’s the unnecessary annoyances out of the way, let’s get on with the music…
The first band to play tonight was ‘The Murder of…’ who has to be described as disturbing. They’re a group of 16 year olds and they didn’t even change out of their school clothes before coming out to play. They indulged in a short set of short noise tracks that didn’t seem to have any structure or tune. During this melee on the dance floor, various members of the band (or they could have been the crowd) leapt about like mad deranged dervishes, writhing about on the floor, shaking themselves violently or just bashing into dumbfounded people in the audience (it looked hilarious). It was total chaos, with neither the audience nor the band seeming to have a clue what was going on. The whole episode came across as a bit of a piss-take, which was dissappointing as they had been tipped as worth looking out for. Their EP has been reviewed by Downtuned and promised much more than this.

The West Midlands band Godsize were next up and the four-piece really give out a solid punch. With the bass player wearing a Charger and the guitarist wearing an Iron Monkey tee-shirt, it gave a suggestion as to what they were going to sound like, and you got exactly what was on the shirts. The set included a song dedicated to Sabbath and to be honest it could have been a cover of a Sabbath song. The heavy sludge style riffs with the occasional faster sections that switch between that and the monotony of crawling chords, doesn’t always hold your interest and the pace changes definitely caught the band out a few times as well. They were entertaining but musically just too predictable.

It was a big jump up in standard as the next band got into their stride. 3 Stages of Pain came across as more professional and with far more character and confidence. They gave a good performance of menacing heavy metal, which at times was abrasively grinding and always screamingly savage. The vocals were handle by the charismatic ‘Shelf’ who reminded me so much of Brian Johnson from AC/DC in both his live vocal style as well as visually, even down to the wearing of a cap. In fact, it was the vocals that just let things down a little, as compared to their recently released and most excellent album ‘With Chaos In Her Wake’ they did come across as being just a bit one dimensional. Having said that when they play cracking songs like ‘Death Rides The Highway’ - songs that are just so heavy that they blow you away - it’s easy to forgive that small quibble. This is a band well worth catching live, especially if you get to see them at a place as small as this and on a tiny stage, it’s very amusing as it almost became a mosh pit up there!

Then, the band we came to see - Johnny Truant. This is a band that is currently carving a name for themselves on the UK scene and their album hasn’t been released yet! And there is good reason, for they are simply something very special and tonight they didn’t let us down. It was an excellent set and as ever they put everything into the performance. You could see the enthusiasm in Olly (vocals), screaming like a banshee and violently convulsing to the demonic noisecore being produced around him by James (guitar), Stuart (bass) and Paul (drums). As a bonus a new song was performed called ‘I The Exploder’ which sees a slightly more relaxed emphasis to their song writing and includes some vocals by James. Having said that, it was still awesomely heavy and fitted in perfectly with the existing material. So, apart from a few technical problems with the bass, which really upset Stuart as they set themselves such high standards to perform to (and actually resulted in his bass being thrown down at the end of the set), this was another fine gig from those playing Truant. Watch out for their album ‘The Repercussions Of A Badly Planned Suicide’ to be released on Undergroove on the 2nd December, or get it now at one of their gigs! They’re playing some of the best music to be found anywhere at the moment, so don’t miss out on this experience as it will all be at your loss.

Rigsby
Transcripts From The Downtuned

REVIEW FROM RAWNERVE PROMOTIONS

GODSIZE
3 TRACKS 14 MINUTES
BLEEDING EARS PROMOTIONS
EMAIL- band@godsize.co.uk

1. Kill, Kill, Kill
2. Frustration
3. Doom

Coming in with some pretty nice artwork and a really nice clear and black CDr.

A really good opener in the form of "kill, Kill, Kill" which sounds a bit like early Clutch, with the dirty scuzzy sound. Like Will Haven in the vocals especially with songs off "WHVN" (think of Jaworski and you have it) and a bit like a heavier, noisier Helmet, a really good bright and lively opener with some good ideas and enjoyable riffs.

"Frustration" uses That standard nu-metal riffage , on open and 1 fret on top string sounding, a bit Machine Head-y, a bit Deftones-y and a bit Korn-y, also sounds like a simpler Medulla Nocte, Taint and Rabies Caste.

Distorted and simple riffs with a mid range oral assault. Pretty decent demo, one that definately raised a few heads and i think that the pretty dark sound of Godsize, once fully matured could well be something quite nasty and venomous.

I look forward to either another EP/Demo or even more so a full album.