Bringing the technicality of progressive metal artists like Devin Townsend into a more accessible alt-rock sound is a tough task but one that Godsticks take on confidently, incorporating soaring, melodramatic clean vocals and chugging riffs to accompany the more progressive aspects of their sound. The veritable prog veterans have been working tirelessly since their 2010 debut with a full touring schedule and five studio albums already under their belt, their latest release This Is What A Winner Looks Like shows off the band’s penchant for complex grooves and their fantastic technical chops but too often miss the mark.
The opening track ‘If I Don’t Take It All’ showcases frontman Darran Charles’ unique vocal delivery, finding a space between the theatrics of ‘70s prog and the grungy growl of Eddie Vedder. This song builds itself around a repeated guitar riff jumping between, rhythmic chugging and a copy and pasted lead line that’s present throughout most of the three and a half minute runtime. It would’ve been nice to see some more variation in this guitar riff, which does show some melodic evolution towards the end of the song but not enough rhythmic changes to stay engaging. The drums, although tight and rhythmically diverse, lack any real punch and are far too low in the mix, being drowned by the other instruments at times and dragging down the track as a whole. ‘If I Don’t Take It All’ acts as a fitting introduction to both the album and Godsticks as a whole, demonstrating their superb technical abilities and Charles’ exceptional vocal style and, if not for a few annoyances, could’ve worked really well.
“If I Don’t Take It All acts as a fitting introduction to both the album and Godsticks as a whole”
Some of the stronger moments on This Is What A Winner Looks Like are when Godsticks drop some of more extravagant and intellectual elements of their sound and allow themselves to build up a solid groove, this is exemplified on the track ‘This Is My New Normal’. Despite continuing the underpowered drum sound ‘This Is My New Normal’ stands up on its elegantly simple guitar riff and its relentless, bouncy energy. Unlike ‘If I Don’t Take It All’ this track manages to get by with a single continuous riff by cutting it right down to the basics, there’s no pretence of virtuosity here, the straightforward guitar line allows the band to work in some nice flourishes, particularly with the winding basslines doing much of the melodic gruntwork, that really elevate the song.
The tracks ‘Silent Saw’ and ‘Lying’ elect for a softer, more atmospheric approach bringing in electronic and soft rock elements. ‘Silent Saw’ heavily features synths and drum machines alongside the band’s typical setup, with the more experimental aspects of the track shining. It would’ve been great for Godsticks to lean more into this sound, which gets lost in the song’s more generic chorus, instead choosing to build around a basic rock drum beat and clean broken chords. Lying is a slow-burn, classic rock inspired track building up to a smooth, bluesy guitar solo. It’s in a nice place in the album, acting as a break from the heavier tracks but the four minute runtime is wasted here with an extra chorus stapled onto the end that could’ve left a more lasting impression by just fading out.
“This Is My New Normal stands up on its elegantly simple guitar riff and its relentless, bouncy energy”
Godsticks occasionally incorporate much heavier elements into their songwriting bringing influences from bands like Opeth and Meshuggah, two of the songs that show this side of the band off are ‘Throne’ and the album’s lead single ‘Mayhem’. Finally bringing the drums higher in the mix, ‘Throne’ sounds like a lost Opeth track, complete with an ominous sliding guitar solo, exaggerated soaring vocals and punchy, complex drums. The Godsticks on ‘Throne’ is not the one on the rest of the album, oozing with confidence and creative writing, it would’ve been great to hear more songs like this throughout.
‘Mayhem’ goes in more of a djent direction with chunky, dissonant guitar riffs and intricate double kick patterns. Charles’ expressive, clean voice is bolstered by layered backing vocals and delay and tremolo effects in an attempt to keep up with the much heavier instrumentals, this would’ve been a really great track to bring in a guest vocalist for some harsher vocals in the climax of the song. In its current state the tight, brutal instrumentals and theatrical vocals of Mayhem seem a little at odds, like if Meatloaf fronted Periphery, it doesn’t ruin the track but certainly doesn’t get as close to greatness as it could.
As a whole This Is What A Winner Looks Like is a bit of a mixed bag. With some fantastic technical ability Godsticks won’t let down long time fans but some disappointing production and a few uninventive songwriting choices may leave some listeners frustrated. If the band had played to their strengths, with more straightforward, heavy grooves backing their frontman’s impressive voice, This Is What A Winner Looks Like could’ve been a great listen.