Godsized – “Time” [Album Review]

I saw UK rockers Godsized in a local bar a few months ago and, while there may only have been a hundred or so people in the bar, it’s a fair bet to say half of the town actually heard the band. Loud? The walls shook as their thundering, heavy metal riffery turned grown men into jelly and left this writer with ringing ears for a week. Not that you’d expect any less from a band who’d just come off the road from a tour with Sir Zakk of Wylde himself. But does their self-released new album manage to capture the gritty feel of those slick, sludgy Southern grooves or will their fist-pounding riffery be lost to the sterility of a recording studio?

Well, thankfully it is the former with Time being as good a demonstration of what Godsized are about as you could want. Recorded in their rehearsal room, there is something organic and natural about the grooves laid down by the quartet with the raw wails of “Soul Taker” setting the tone for the rest of what is, considering the recording environment, a mammoth-sounding album. Compared to and inspired by a list of modern and contemporary rock greats (including the obligatory Sabbath), it’s hard not to listen to the likes of first single “Heavy Load” or the melodic stomp of “Final Act” and not pick up on the bands that you know fill the lives of these music lovers. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Godsized are merely aping their inspirations, far from it in fact. Time is more the sound of a band who enjoy their music and love churning out thumping, anthemic songs like the fantastic “No Reprieve”.

The best part about listening to Time is you know that these songs have been honed and fine-tuned by a band who have earned their dues touring their collective arses off, dragging their gear in and out of grotty venue after grotty venue. It’s a lifestyle that would finish off most bands but you know that Godsized have earned their stripes and, while the hard work for the band starts now, you wouldn’t begrudge them a night off and a well-earned beer or two as they sit back and listen to the impressive results of their effort.

Track Listing:

01. Soul Taker
02. Through to You
03. Heavy Load
04. It’s a Hanging
05. Mother
06. Moving on
07. No Reprieve
08. Final Act
09. Perfect Moment
10. The Bounty Hunter
11. One More Time
12. Still Waiting

Run Time: 57:00
Release Date: April 22, 2013

Check out the song “Heavy Load”