GODFLESH - Pure : Live

Roadburn 2013 suuuucked. Why? Well, I went to the festival for the first time the year before and then I thought I would be content with just going there every couple of years. What a dillusion!

Of course there were a couple of performances which made me regret not going so hard that from 2014 on I drove to Tilburg every (non covid) year...

GODFLESH - Pure : Live (CD) (2022)

At least one of my main regrets after omitting 2013 is now - almost ten years later - finally available as a live release. Even though "Pure" had never been my favorite among the classic Godflesh works - not because it was bad, but just since I was so much more obsessed by "Streetcleaner", "Selfless" and several EPs -, it was a bummer not having witnessed this full album performance.

Luckily it's all long enough ago now to live with the pain of missing out, but listening to "Pure : Live" absolutely confirms that this show must have been amazing.

Alongside Justin K. Broadrick and Ben Green on bass the performance - just like the original album from 1992 - also featured Loop's Robert Hampson on second guitar. All in all I'm already pretty sure that I love this version and its sound more than the actual studio album. The much more dense and droning sludge wall of guitars and bass suits the material perfectly, where in the original production the drum machine had always been just a wee bit too front and center for me.

Of course "Pure" still is and will always be among the most important and influencial Industrial Metal / Post Metal classics of all time.

And to get back to me prefering the live version, it doesn't hurt either that after the feedback drone of "Pure 2" the set closes with the title track of the "Cold World" EP from the same period as a bonus.
"Love, Hate (Slugbaiting)" missing in exchange is bearable, since "Cold World" simply is the much better song.

Damn, this is a very strong addition to my ever growing "Live At Roadburn" collection! (I tried to capture it for a Facebook post just recently - and failed, because of course I forgot at least five releases, haha.)

The CD of "Pure : Live" comes as a digipak, pure and simple. The double vinyl version is coming soon and can be pre-ordered.