Review: “Vol. III” by Godwatt

Ironically returning for their fourth album and their second drummer, Italian Doom Metal trio Godwatt Redemption have long been inspired by genre masters including Black Sabbath, Cathedral and Monster Magnet to name but a few. Founded in 2006 by vocalist and guitarist Moris Fosco and bassist Mauro Passeri, initially they were joined by drummer Andrea Vozza and released a trio of self produced records with English lyrics. However despite their success, in 2013 they decided in to switch to their mother tongue, rebirthing the band simply as Godwatt, releasing “Senza Redenzione” (or “Without Redemption“) the same year. That was followed by 2016’s “L’Ultimo Sole” (or “The Last Sun“) and 2018’s “Necropolis“. Vozza then exited stage left to be replaced by Jacopo Granieri and four years on has been able to make his recording debut with the band in “Vol. III“. The band promising obscure atmospherics created by dark and negative lyrics whose main theme is death and reoccurring flashbacks that refer to first-hand experienced emotions and miserable true events…

…taking a moment to translate the song titles when you’re not a speaker of the language in which a record is written makes a huge difference to the listenability so we’ve done exactly that. Opening cut “Signora Morte” (or “Lady Death“) brings together a collection of classic Stoner Doom Metal riffs for worshippers to bow down to with all the style and grace of bands like Spirit Adrift, the language barrier being the equivalent of what you might find watching a foreign film. It matters not because the quality of everything else is remarkable. As a collection these songs have a real grit and gravity to them while also being completely timeless; if the album had appeared at any point from 1970 onwards no one would be any the wiser about it, only the modern production value giving the true age away. Second cut “Sepolta” (or “Buried“) finds Granieri bringing some almost Jazz inspired loose fills while Fosco lays down the kind of majestic solo of which Zakk Wylde himself would be proud with an almost pre-Crowbar sound creeping in. All that’s missing is that Sludge guitar tone and a some of the punch. There is a meditative quality to “Croce” (or “Cross“) with hypnotic riffs and almost chanted lyrical flow marking the band for ascension into another plane of existence as they build the mountain once again.

The bell tolls during “Delirio” (or “Delirium“), which also has a little Hammond organ in the background before another majestic solo lifts the midtempo chug, the riffs having an instant genre familiarity to them that leads you down the yellow brick road to oblivion into the evil laughter that brings it to a crushing close. The band haven’t allowed themselves the opportunity to go soft in the middle of the album, instead keeping it to the seven cuts for seven deadly sins and ensuring that each one is of the finest standard with quality over quantity being their mantra. Picking up the pace a notch, “Oscura” (or “Dark“) drives down the darkness for approaching eight minutes with extended instrumental passages allowing the riffs to breathe. The result is something that like the work of instrumental bands like Scuzz could easily be on the soundtrack to a Robert Rodriguez directed film, playing on the Juke box as a fight breaks out in a biker bar on a dusty hill somewhere, beer bottles getting smashed over skulls as it plays out. The music has those kinds of vibes to it, as does “Non Ritornerai” (or “It Will Not Return“), the longer cuts of the later half of the album having more weight and gravity to them. FX come into play on grand finale “Lamenti” (or “Laments“) which adds some interesting texture to the sound, enlivening it in an unexpectedly space age fashion as the bounce of the bass keeps things chugging along nicely [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Signora Morte
2. Sepolta
3. Croce
4. Delirio
5. Oscura
6. Non Ritornerai
7. Lamenti

“Vol. III” by Godwatt is out 20th December 2022 via Time To Kill Records and is available over at bandcamp.