Justin K. Broadrick has opened up about the impending end of Godflesh, the final album planned for the influential industrial metal outfit, and his new project White Light District in a new interview with The Guardian.
The wide-ranging conversation traces Broadrick’s career from his teenage years and early work in the grind scene through his time with Godflesh and Jesu. He also discussed how the initial rise of nü-metal impacted Godflesh’s prospects with record labels during the 1990s, as well as revealing that he once turned down an audition for Faith No More.
The biggest development, however, concerns the future of Godflesh.
Broadrick announced in March that his recent abdominal surgery has effectively forced him to bring the band’s touring career to an end. The physical demands of performing — including the sustained screaming and vocal techniques associated with Godflesh — have become increasingly difficult for him to handle safely.
Godflesh’s penultimate album, “Decay,” is due on September 25, with one final studio effort planned to follow. That album is currently being referred to as “The End” and is tentatively scheduled to be recorded during November and December.
The final record may sound somewhat different from Godflesh’s most punishing material, however. Due to his physical limitations, Broadrick intends to utilize higher-pitched screams and spoken-word passages rather than attempting to replicate the deeper growls and bellowing of the band’s earlier work.
While Godflesh is approaching its conclusion, Broadrick has no intention of stepping away from music. He plans to continue working with Jesu and JK Flesh, along with various remix projects connected to Godflesh.
He is also developing White Light District, a new solo project that he describes as “brutal, industrial, heavy.” The project will incorporate sampled percussion and electronic textures, with session drummers expected to join him for live performances.
However, Broadrick is adamant that White Light District should not be viewed as a replacement for Godflesh.
“I wouldn’t dare call it a Godflesh replacement. Because it’s heavy, ugly music, people may venture that it is, but it will be less rock based. It’s not confined by that instrumentation. It will sound like Glenn Branca with metal guitars, except it’s not metal: 15 layers of guitar that create this ultra-cluster of fucking hallucinatory dissonance, which could not be created by a band.”
Broadrick also revealed that his recent collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers is set to continue. After contributing to two of her upcoming tracks, he is now expected to appear on another song she is preparing for a film.
Interestingly, Bridgers discovered Broadrick through his work with Jesu rather than Godflesh.
“The fact that she was so personable and we were immediate friends was brilliant for me, but I was overwhelmed by how big she is. I was literally sending music to Taylor Swift’s personal engineer! I’m catapulted into this huge, mainstream world, and I’m like, ‘How the fuck am I here?!’”
He added:
“She wanted me to play guitar and bass on a song for a film. She said to me a few months ago, ‘I’m just going to keep hitting you up.’”
With one final Godflesh album still to come, Broadrick is already preparing for the next chapter of his career — one that appears likely to push his experimental and industrial tendencies even further.
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