When I found out I had the option to cover God Forbid’s concert on January 13th, I was beside myself. I had heard some of their music and I liked it a lot. The only problem was I knew virtually nothing about the band and though I had heard some of their music, I hardly knew the beginning. One thing’s for sure, they let you—no, force you to know who they are when you attend a show. This New Jersey-based metal band exploded onto the scene in 2001 when they were signed to Century Media and released Determination. Since then they have released three albums including their latest A-bomb of an album, IV: Constitution Of Treason. This new album is what I believe to be the future of metal. Where they have similarities with such present day bands as Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage, they have as many similarities with old-school metal bands like Slayer and Pantera.
When my colleague Jim and I arrived at the show, I could tell it was going to be a long night. There were about five bands on the bill (not including God Forbid) and one of them I don’t favor much at all. But I knew it would be worth it in the end. After what seemed like days of waiting for the final act, the lights finally dimmed and you could feel the energy in the room completely change courses from drunken dissonance to metal madness.
Vocalist Byron delivers a plethora of gutturals that shake the room almost as much as Drummer Corey’s double-bass footwork. Bassist John holds the bottom end with his thundering bass licks, while fraternal guitarists Doc and Dallas Coyle embark on a guitar-driven journey throughout the night.
After nearly an hour of heavy metal riffs paired with the vocal harmonies of Doc and Dallas, the band bid their farewells and left the stage. I would’ve been angry but I, along with everyone else, knew they weren’t done yet. They returned to the shining stage after about two minutes of the crowd chanting “GOD FORBID!” They first played the song I was waiting for, “End of the World” off of their latest album, then played one more song and ended the night leaving everyone wanting more.
God Forbid has proven themselves to be one of the most extreme metal bands of this millennium thus far. They will pave the way for metal-heads and new metal bands alike. I can only hope to share a tour bus with them one day.
