As the first and only band to sign to Marilyn Manson’s now-defunct Posthuman, Godhead raised eyebrows early with its association with some of rock’s darker entities. Along with Manson, the Washington, D.C.-based outfit received recognition from Ozzy Osborne and was put on Ozzfest after the Dark Lord was impressed with Godhead’s 2001 album 2000 Years of Human Error.
After touring with the likes of Manson, Disturbed, Mudvayne, Orgy, American Head Charge, and Static-X, Godhead moves into the latter part of 2008 with their sixth studio album and an upcoming tour with Jonathan Davis and the SFA.
At the Edge of the World finds Godhead signed with another new label and boasting yet another new drummer. This time the band is working with Driven Music Group, which is owned by Brian “Head” Welch, the ex-Korn guitarist.
Vocalist Jason C. Miller is still at the helm, guiding his shadowy rock vessel through new material with elegance, endurance, and resilience. With Michael Miller (no relation to Jason) on guitars, Ulrich Hepperlin on bass and programming, and Ty Smith formerly of Bullets and Octane on drums, Godhead pulls together to produce a dramatic rock sound with tinges of industrial and gothic music thrown in for good measure.
At the Edge of the World is an interesting record. It is at once aged and fresh, inventive and derivative, forceful and featureless. There are moments of patchiness and moments of repetition.
Without question, a lot of what Godhead does here seems stuck in the mid-to-late-'90s. The use of gothic tones to flesh out songs, the use of dance-and-synth combos over the guitars, and Miller’s hygienic vocals all call to mind an era of light industrial music with soft edges. At times, Miller and Co.’s sense for the theatrical is a bit passé, while at other moments it is invigorating.
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