GODBLUFF

Following some of the experiments with punk on his solo albums, Hammill has adapted a gruff and aggressive singing style. Gone are the high and clean register he used 4 years earlier. The man means business now and sings as if life itself depended on it. The band follows in similar fashion, the rhythms are jagged, the organ heavy and stark, the saxophone almost insane.

Also the songs have become more desolate, bare and uncompromising. Even when they have a go at a playful dance halfway through Sleepwalkers it still sounds menacing. All four tracks are instant classics and cover a wide and wild range of musical styles and moods. There's so much going on in fact that, even with a length under 36 minutes, the album doesn't feel too short at all. There's not much more darkness you can have in one go.

If Pawn Hearts was VDGG's finest hour then Godbluff is certainly their most stirring. 'Fine' is a word that is completely out of place here. This is one of the best examples where progressive rock goes hand in hand with a disciplined performance and remorseless passion.

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