IV: Constitution of Treason [Dual Disc]

God Forbid | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Dual Disc
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B000AA4LIC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,788 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God bless God Forbid, September 23, 2005

By 

A. Stutheit "Teyad" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IV: Constitution of Treason (Audio CD)

I overlooked God Forbid's 2004 album, "Gone Forever," for quite some time. But when I did pick it up, it made for a very great listen, so I didn't make the same mistake twice; I bought this year's "IV Constitution of Treason" right away.

This album, God Forbid's third, has much more of an "epic" feel to it. The songs are longer (these songs are, on average, five minutes long) and more complex, the riffs are thrashier, the vocals are more aggressive, and there are even some acoustic guitars and clean, backing vocals (on tracks 2, 4, and 5) sprinkled on. "IV Constitution of Treason" is also a concept album. These songs' lyrics tell of a futuristic, political story.

Album opener, "The End of the World," begins with both guitarists strumming on acoustic guitars. The electric guitars fade in, however, and the song works up a thrashing groove with fast double bass drumming, explosive riffs, and a guitar solo. Meanwhile, vocalist Byron Davis is barking things like "this is the end!" Next, "Chains of Humanity" has fiery, punching, cascading guitars. These riffs pause about halfway through the song, however, for a brief acoustic breakdown. Track three, "Into the Wasteland," has fast, heavy, chugging and churning riffs, and "The Lonely Dead" has punching riffs, two pick slides, and great drumming; but this song ends with some cool piano playing. Things pick back up again for track five and six, however, as both of these songs have thunderous, scorching riffs. Track seven, "To the Fallen Hero" also includes more fast, blistering guitar work, but track eight, "Welcome to the Apocalypse," is a slow, acoustic strummed song, with a spoken word passage which reads the Constitution's Preamble ("We the people of the United States...").

So, most of this album plows along like any great thrash album, but this is much more than just another metalcore album. God Forbid set their sights high for this album, but instead of crash landing on their faces, they are now soaring above the rest of the competition.

God Forbid seem to be getting better with age; "IV Constitution" is not only better than "Gone Forever," but it is also a masterpiece, and among the best metal albums of 2005. If you're a thrash/New Wave of American Heavy Metal fan, or if you enjoy intelligent metal, God Forbid you should skip picking this album up.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This band just keeps getting better!, September 20, 2005

By 

Nicholas Adam Chupka "Metalhead" (Derwood, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IV: Constitution of Treason (Audio CD)

I am a huge fan of God Forbid's last album, "Gone Forever". The songs displayed some of the best breakdowns in American metal, and the dual guitar riffs were spread throughout the album.

On "IV: Constituition of Treason", God Forbid has hurtled itself into the stratosphere.

The album opens with an elegant acoustic passage that slowly morphs into a suppressed Arch-Enemy-esque theme before dropping into malevolent intensity.

Through the first track, "The End of the World" it is evident that this band has honed its songwriting abilities, and it is this added ingredient which pushes this new release into five star territory. Tracks are far more dynamic with more (gasp, yes, more!) breakdowns. At times, it seems that the breakdowns are strung together for up to a minute at a time. Interspersed between are catchy riffs, which the band tends to manipulate often, leading to variety across and even within songs.

Also present on this album are more clean vocals. However, in no way is any intensity sacrificed. Instead, this welcome change adds one more facet to this band's ever-expanding repertoire of techniques and influences.

The true rejoicing element for all metal-heads, though, must be the oppressive mood of this album. The double riffs consume your senses on a level that at least meets, and probably surpasses those off Mastodon's already classic, "Leviathan". One full listen to "Into the Wasteland" will more than justify whatever amount of money you pay for this album. The cadence of this song switches often, but ever-present are driving, epic riffs, which by the end of the song, will no doubt have your blood pumping at life-threatening speed.

Creating a knockout blow for this punishing, bleak, and apocalyptic force is the concept behind the album. One look at the title and cover should give you an approximate idea of the storyline of this concept album, however, it is the fitting sonic backdrop for this long-predicted fall of the modern great empire, which is most astonishing. The haunting nature of the aforementioned clean vocals adds a touch of humanity to the otherwise unrestrained fury and hellfire of the harsh vocals and death/thrash driven music. The result is what was, most likely, God Forbid's intent. We the listeners, in order to form a more perfect union, are exposed to a piece of art containing both the truths of today, and the probabilities of tomorrow. Vicariously, the discontent and abrasion of the art shall seep through our veins, and spread through our words. The success of our union will be evidenced when the generations of our children look upon this album as a classic science fiction tale rather than a lamentable piece of historical fiction.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From "...And Justice" to "Treason" - MetalMorphisis, April 6, 2006

By 

Gus Cadle "Thor" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IV: Constitution of Treason (Audio CD)

I have been into Metal for a very long time. Of course, my brothers were the ones who scheduled my first meeting with the dark side the first time they handed me a little CD entitled "...And Justice For All". This CD changed my life. Ten years and countless albums later I encountered God Forbid for the first time.

At the time, the American Metal scene was in ruins. Metallica had devastated many with the release of St. Anger, and many questioned if American Metal was dead.

Gone were the 8 minute long anthems and complexly brilliant guitar riffs and devastating drum beats. They had been replaced by the radio friendly punk scene, making metalheads everywhere cringe.

Then came Trivium and God Forbid. Insightful lyrics, blazing riffs and crushing double bass to complement the other, face-searing solos and dark images of reality abound. It seems American Metal is making a comeback. Complex pre-chorus riffage is slowly replacing the four chord simplicity in todays popular music.

When I first picked up "IV", I instantly noticed the artwork. Classic metal cover reminiscent of the aforementioned "Justice", this album was already showing promise.

Reminding myself that looks aren't everything, I popped it into my CD player and closed my eyes. 50 minutes later, I awoke a much much happier man.

Through the listening process, I couldn't help but compare this "Constitution" to the "Justice" album. Here's my synopsis:

1. The End Of The World - The opening to me paints the picture of the scene from the Matrix when Morpheus shows Neo the "real world". The channel changes from the world he knows to the reality hidden from him. Very good tone setter. Next, follows an acoustic melody (shades of Trivium's 'End of Everything' opener for Ascendancy) to highten the effect of the barren wastelands. To highlight the Epic feel of the theme, GF choose to use a chorus and some orchestration to add to the drama, in the same fashion John Williams does to highlight the fights in the Star Wars movies. Soon the guitars and drums kick in, almost as if they were a recording of a recording, very much like Metallica's "Blackened", the opener for "Justice". Then the real song explodes into sonic view. The riff and drums blew me away immedeatly. The lyrics paint an acpocalyptic picture of mayhem and despair of a government gone wrong.

"Will this be a new beginning?" "... the dawn of a New Age."

2.Chains Of Humanity - Opens with a very classic metal signature with the guitars playing the same motif only thirds and fifths apart, with the drums following their every move as if it were their collective shadow. Very metal. Double bass and a rocking bass guitar justify their cause throughout. Awesome chorus line shows off the new found clean vocals for GF, and find their rightful place instead of falling flat like they do for alot of bands. Solos timed and performed perfectly. Great stops and starts, shadows again of Metallica and Megadeth, tempo changes, riff accents, and even a brief acoustic lullaby make this a CD favorite for many. Great intrumentation, some of the best I've heard lately for American Metal.

"Lost inside..." "I'm at the end of the line. I must break these chains of humanity."

3.Into the Wasteland - Classic Thrash Metal opening statement. The frantic guitars and drums are only expelled upon by the great motif played suddenly alone by the guitars, reminiscent of an Arabian melody, very fitting for the vast and lonely feel of the huge watelands. The riffs then take it upon themselves to play this motif an octave down and as the actual meat of the song. This motif is heard many times throughout the song, and it never gets old. Excellent guitar work on the lead parts, showing the player's true mastery and understanding of their 6-string counterpart. Hammet-esque sudden break with a Mustaine-ish lead underneath sounding impossible to play live, but when has that ever stopped a metal band from writing a great part?

04. The Lonely Dead - Shades of the "Justice" album again, only from the song "Eye of the Beholder". Just as Metallica did with "Eye", GF has chosen for the drums and guitars to be at full pace as they fade in for this great example of the heart of metal music is.

Awesome riff to start the song off officialy, setting the tone for this epic masterpiece. A new motif is introduced by the guitars in this one, shades of Megadeth's "Dread and the Fugitive Mind", with only the root note changing each time the motif repeats, using the bass to underline each root with a great bottom to rest on.

Also heard heard are the complex stylings of In Flames and Trivium, utilizing the great fret work on the verses and pre-choruses, and the use of octaves for a very free and open feel that sets them apart in the rest of the song.

Descending lines and riffs abound present a very dark and dreary feel until the choruses, and even then the fear can be felt in listeners heart.

As in most of these songs, the motif makes itself evident just as the current begins to go stale. They also accentuate the main riffs and feels with background chords to give it an epic and story-telling taste, much like Foo Fighters of Alternative fame.

The choruses, like all on "IV", feature the new clean vocals of the lead singer, as he shows his talent by making hooks and melodies you can sing with, and also mosh to. Great combination.

The song ends with a somber piano outro, which added an ecclectic flavor to the mix, but I somewhat question. The piano work almost sounds like a Final Fantasy generic save menu because of the weird lines played inside the chords.

"Our first choice was to bury them..."

5. Divinity - This song begins with a heavy cadence as the guitars take on a violin-like circular melody, common to film music and game music.

Unlike most choruses on "IV", this one makes me feel a bit nautious. This could be a personal taste negative or an overall negative, only time will tell.

The militaristic feel of the song is expanded upon with the use of the snare drum, a unique way to keep the song floating in the way Metallica did in their "I Disappear" verse feel.

6. Under This Flag - Again, the title keeps with the concept of the album quite well, suggesting the New Jersey natives are not going to let up.

Awesome intro, the double bass and machine gun riffs exact replicas of each other. This song has a filler aspect to it somewhat, almost watering down the sound of the instant favorites before it.

7. To The Fallen Hero - The song that got me to look this album up, it did its job as its single. Odd guitar work for metal, but in the context of this song it works like a charm. Awesome extreme guitar techniques implied, while at the same time revisiting the beautiful chorus work of Trivium and In Flames, almost as resolve to the great verses.

The solos also deliver an epic punch to the song, while the vocals also bring a great lyrical and melodical element to this extremely catchy song.

Although I question the acoustic breakdown with the distortion returning almost as fast as it left.

"This is an ode, to the fallen heros..."

8. Welcome To The Apocalypse (Preamble) - I do not like this song at all. On paper it makes sense. The Preamble to the Constitution is read aloud as an intro to the title track. It just does not transfer well onto the CD. Aside from a flashback to 4th grade history, this track doesn't deliver much.

"Treason..."

9. Constitution Of Treason - Great riff, very epic and it sounds like it would work on a Trivium album, yet it doesn't sound like a Trivium clone.

Very Godsmack/Metallica sounding solo, utilization of Wah and the bend technique. In fact contrary to most on the American Metal scene, these songs are in Drop C Tuning compared to the popular use of Drop D. Godsmack and new Metallica also use this tuning. This gives the song a heavier feel.

This song lyrically stands as the album's title track, but musically doesn't truly stand out.

"Lies, Lies, Lies..."

10. Crucify Your Beliefs - Awesome Middle Eastern sounding acoustic intro for a great album closer. As usual, great riffs and drum work. Ends the album conceptually and musically.

Great buildup at the end starting with the drums as they barrel down to the end of the song and the album like a snow ball builing speed and size. The guitars themselve end on clashing notes, a technique used by composers to signal a wrong or a change to follow soon in the score. Maybe this is a hint to the next GF album. Followed by the clash is the mellow and sad playing of a piano and orchestrated parts that fade into silence, for the story has been told.

All in all, this is an album that should be listened to over and over for all the right reasons. From what I have heard of previous GF releases, this album is a huge right turn from the past, and they have succesfully propelled themselves into the future. I compared this album to Metallica's "Justice" for many apparent reasons, but I am in no way saying the two are equal. Both are great albums, one just has stood the test of time as a classic.

Whether this one will is something we will have to wait and watch for.

If you like this album, I suggest:

Trivium: Ascendacy, In Flames: Come Clarity, Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith OST, Metallica: ...And Justice For All