Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1988 by Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals, programming) and B. C. Green (bass, programming). Before forming Godflesh, the pair worked together in Fall of Because, a band that began in 1982 as O.P.D. and helped lay the groundwork for Godflesh’s formation. Through their fusion of hip hop–derived drum programming, metal riffs, and industrial dissonance, later exploring electronic and dub elements, Godflesh developed a sound widely recognized as foundational to industrial metal and post-metal, and influential across experimental and extreme metal.
The band signed to Earache Records in the late 1980s and released their debut album Streetcleaner (1989) to contemporary and lasting acclaim. After the release of their sophomore album Pure (1992) and their major label debut Selfless (1994), they started experimenting with live drums as well as hip hop and breakbeat sounds. The resulting albums, Songs of Love and Hate (1996) and Us and Them (1999), were followed by Hymns (2001), which saw a simplification of the band's style. Shortly after Green's departure in 2002, Broadrick ended Godflesh and pursued various other projects, such as Jesu. Broadrick and Green reformed Godflesh in 2009, releasing A World Lit Only by Fire (2014) and Post Self (2017) to critical acclaim. Their ninth album, Purge, was released in June 2023. In March 2026, Broadrick announced that Godflesh as a live act was over due to health complications and that two final studio albums were forthcoming.
As pioneers of industrial metal, Godflesh's early sound was defined by harsh machine beats, production-emphasised bass, distorted guitar and sparse vocals delivered in a low, guttural fashion. The band performed for most of their career as a duo with Broadrick and Green playing over preprogrammed percussion, normally to a backdrop of apocalyptic scenery and Christian iconography. Godflesh's music has been regarded as especially heavy and grim, with Streetcleaner being named by several publications as one of the heaviest and greatest metal albums.
History
Formation and early years (1982–1988)
thumb|The Mermaid, site of Fall of Because's first concert with Broadrick
The band that would eventually become Godflesh, O.P.D. (Officially Pronounced Dead), The band's ninth studio album, Purge, was released in June 2023, preceded by the singles "Nero" and "Land Lord". On 6 December 2024, A World Lit Only by Dub, a remix album of 2014's A World Lit Only by Fire that had been in the works since 2013, was released. On 30 October 2025 at the Scala in London, the band supported this release with what would be their final live performance; Godflesh played two sets, the first of which consisted of dub versions of their songs. This was the second remix set the band had played after the 1997 show at The Garage.
Style and influence
Musical style and legacy
Drawing inspiration from early industrial and noise groups such as Throbbing Gristle and Whitehouse, as well as from ambient musician Brian Eno, noise rock band Swans, post-punk innovators Killing Joke and also Siouxsie and the Banshees and Public Image Ltd., fellow Birmingham heavy metal band Black Sabbath and a wide range of hip hop artists such as Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim and Run-DMC,