Customer Reviews

Gone Forever

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When you watch a band from the very beginning, you hope and dream of what they can do as a band. With the release of "Gone Forever," God Forbid approach near perfection in the world of hard rock and metal. They have now, simply put, placed themselves in the elite of today as well as becoming one of the brighest hopes of tomorrow.

On "Gone Forever," there's not a momentum breaking track on the album; the sequence is simply outstanding. The album balances its peaks and valleys with near precision until you are left pounded to the turf by "Judge the Blood" and its crushing fade-out. This is the kind of detailed thought that went into this album, and it pays off many times over.

To listen to this album in your car or on headphones is a treat like no other. You can put on nearly every heavy record of the last few years and feel the difference Eric Rachel, Trax East Studio and the Brothers Coyle made on this album. It is a sonic monster that pounds its soul right into yours with every listen. And to bring all the great sounds and performances together, the band called upon Colin Richardson (Carcass, you name it...) to handle the mix. This proved to be the perfect compliment as Colin helped put it all together into one powerful wall of sound. It's got the old school vibe presented in the new school way and sometimes the stereo just can't get loud enough for this album. It's that good.

Overall, the performances and writing here are beyond top notch; they are creatively written, well-thought out, energetic and reaking of talent. To know the leaps and bounds God Forbid made on this record is to not only embrace the moment, but it has many of us lining up for what they have in store for the world the next time around.

These guys are scary good. Check it out.

Now I have a really big CD collection, and I can stack many bands better than this one. But God Forbid is now among my favorite new bands with this incredible album Gone Forever. Of course the main tracks that make this bad boy great are "Antihero" and "Gone Forever", but the album goes way beyond. "Force-Fed" is a nice opening song with a fast tempo to a catchy chorus. And "Better Days" is a nice track following "Antihero", the way the track is put together is awesome. The rest of the songs are really great, and if more God Forbid albums are like "Gone Forever", God Forbid could be one of the greatest bands of all.

God Forbid, these guys kick mayor whiplash!!!!!

This album rules it's so overlooked i think it was album of the year for 2004 the breakdowns are more complex and enduring then unearths or lamb of god .. while the solos Dallas and Doc Coyle are also very intresting a great duo brutal drums from Corey Pierce and great layered vocals from byron davis... over all these guys all bring there goods to the table here to make God FOrbid have a real distinct sound and a advantage over the other guys

tracks

1) Force Fed - a well rounded song great breakdown and solos great opener 10/10

2) Antihero - awesomely brutal with great solo only 1 minute into song - 11/10

3)Better Days - greats riffs brutal drums the sing - along song for this album for sure - 10/10

4)Precious Lie - another well rounded one probably the softest song overall on this album 9/10 - just because it doesn't quite match up to the rest of the album

5) Washed out World -HERE IT IS GREAT SLOW THRASHER WITH ONE OF THE BEST BREAKDOWNS IN A WHILE 12/10
metal!
6) Living Nightmare - brutal thrasher basher probably the most head banging track here 11/10

7)Soul Engraved - God Forbid works with a different vocalist to make a powerful chorus here while still sticking to their sound its awesome listen to the solo fading out at the end by guest soloist jeff loomis it rules -10/10

8-Gone forever title track for the album one of the best songs just listen 10/10

9- judge the blood heavy riffs chorus and soft keyboard intro great layered vocals again ..a great overall representation of the album 11/10

pick this album up if you havn't already and show your support if you like trash death old stuff black metal - -- its all here just give it a try best album of 04

OK enough with all of the genre labels people throw on this type of music (e.g. metalcore, nu metal, hardcore, etc.) This is simply an absolutely brutal HEAVY METAL record. You can't help but get a little nostalgic when you listen to it if you're a fan of pure metal like Slayer and Pantera like I am. Great guitar solos are found on almost every song, which is rare these days. If you are a real heavy metal fan, this record is perfect for you.

God Forbid have really taken it to the next level with this. With a run on MTV2's Headbangers Ball tour this past Fall, and with an upcoming stint on the Ozzfest backed by the power of this new record, you can bet that 2004 is the year that God Forbid moves into the upper echelon of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal.

"Gone Forever" is a major step for GF. They still have the same caustic MetalCore fury as "Determination", only they have added some clean vocal choruses and melodies to the mix (90% of the vocals are still traditional throaty hardcore style). This alone, regardless of quality of music, will no doubt have the ...cough... "true metal fans" up in arms screaming "SELLOUT!". I've never pigeonholed myself into believing that clean vocals = sellouts. First of all this music is crushingly heavy, you'll never hear it on the radio. The music is every bit as brutal as ever, only it is tempered with a few moments of melodic vocals which only help to diversify the sound. Bascially if this turns you off to God Forbid, it is your loss. "Gone Forever" may even convert a few clean vocal haters.

God Forbid to me, on this record, sound like an upgraded version of Lamb of God. Take LoG's bombastic drum beats, destructive thrash riffs, crushing breakdowns, and to the mix add some vintage In Flames dual harmony riffery and soloing, then just a dash, just a DASH, of Killswitch Engage's vocal accessibility and you will have "Gone Forever" by God Forbid.

This is my favorite record of 2004 so far, and here's to hoping that Ozzfest and this record brings them some well deserved attention. I would normally pick a few standout tracks, but I think each of the 9 tracks on this record represent it well, so I'll say ANY of the brilliant first 4 tracks will give you a good idea of what to expect.

God Forbid is one of the best metalcore bands out there. The clean vocals really add a good touch to the music. I saw these guys at Ozzfest 2004 and they were a great live act. My favorite songs here are Force-Fed, Antihero, and Better Days.
Ratings:
1. Force-Fed 5/5
2. Antihero 5/5
3. Better Days 5/5
4. Precious Lie 5/5
5. Washed-Out World 4/5
6. Living Nightmare 5/5
7. Soul Engraved 4/5
8. Gone Forever 4/5
9. Judge the Blood 5/5

I'll say it right off the bat. There are very few scheduled releases in 2004 that will have the opportunity to topple this masterpiece(most notably Killswitch Engage and Atreyu) that is "Gone Forever." While the album is a huge departure from "Determination," "Gone Forever" is better in nearly every aspect. The songwriting is stronger, the vocal patterns are better, Doc and Dallas Coyle's guitar work has improved, and the band have honed their sound to perfection. Yes, there is singing on this album, and yes, I believe that is a good thing. Some can cry "Sellout" all they want but these songs are as brutal as they are melodic. The singing on this album has taken God Forbid's music to another level. These songs aren't just good. Their epic and memorable. The production is top notch and crystal clear. Highlight songs include "Force-Fed," "Precious Lie," and my personal favorite "Judge The Blood." If your a fan of bands like Killswitch Engage or other melodic metalcore bands, then this is the album for you. It's the best record I've heard this year so far and will easily be in my top 5 of the year and thats saying alot since it's not even March yet. Highly recommended.

Well I got this album about two months ago and I was surprised that although this is labeled as metalcore it delivers more on the front of old school thrash than your typical metalcore stereotype. God Forbid relies heavely on great riffs and solos that many bands in the genre cannot accomplish. The vocal part of Byron Davis is a strong combination of heavy vocals and clean singing. The rhythm section is impressive, audible,funky bass lines and double bass drumming that is A+ in my list. Although I feel some songs have the filler feel to them but still great album from start to finish. Best songs are Force Fed and Anti hero.

This album is pretty heavy and complex and at times suffocating (in a good way) the production is tight, the songwriting is well thought out, without losing the complexity of determination, and the melodies... there are some serious riffs on this lurching bastard of a record. Doc and Dallas coyle have put all the other melodic metal-core bands in their place with gone forever, with the exception of unearth...

I guess one of the only problems I have with it are the clean vocals. now... they are not badly sung or anything, but I dont know if they are always well implemented into the songs, they still do a really good job of mixing things up, and create some pretty memorable moments besides the solos, but I absolutely HATE the clean vocals in better days, if they had just not been put in, the song would have been so much better. alot of the breakdowns are pretty lackluster... but there are a few pretty good ones too... I dont really think a metalcore band has had creative breakdowns since poison the well's early albums for the most part...

The Core element of this album, is pretty limp, but the metal is a whole different animal altogether, and this album when played as loud as possible will move you in ways you didnt think a metal record would in this day and age... haha another thing, is the solo in anti hero, makes me think of two gundams going at it in outer space, anyone who watches anime will know what i mean.

This album is perfect for the metal head in all of us \m/ but dont get it if you like hardcore alot more than metal...
also, there are nine songs, but make no mistake about it, its epic.

Admittedly, when I first heard this cd I was a bit turned off by the clean, melodic singing on some of the tracks. It definitely detracts from some of the intensity of the music but after a while the clean voice does sound good on some tracks, but not on all of them. Besides that this album is full of amazing guitar riffs and guitar solos, brutal double bass drums and some of the best breakdowns in metal/hardcore. I'd say if you you are looking for a brutal metalcore band and you like Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Unearth, Hatebreed, Sworn Enemy, Chimaira or bands like that then check this out you'll want to get in the pit and tear stuff up.