Over seven years have gone by since Godflesh disbanded, and as Justin K. Broadrick’s Jesu project has long ceased to fill that void, moving further and further away from its post-metal roots into something suspiciously palatable to a wider audience. As such, many of those curmudgeons (myself included) longing for the man’s return to nasty, vicious industrial metal wait with baited breath for the August 4 release of Disconnected, the debut album from Greymachine, the vicious supergroup that combines Broadrick with Isis dude Aaron Turner.

Clearly, Hydra Head recognizes that a majority of those interested in this project were Godflesh fans back in the swingin’ 90s, and has opted for a marketing campaign that capitalizes on the awesome power of nostalgia. First, the label released a 12″ promo single for “Vultures Descend” that looked straight out of my college radio days. Taking another step down memory lane, Hydra Head has decided to bundle the pre-order for the new CD with a fucking Cassingle!

For those of you young whippersnappers who can’t fathom how people got their music before the Age of Intarwebs, cassette singles were the record industry’s “brilliant idea” to counter the decline in vinyl sales. While these days you’re more likely to find these things in a trash heap or at a flea market, back when I was a budding music consumer these compact wastes of petroleum were about the cheapest way to check out a band, much cheaper than a compact disc at Sam Goody or The Wall. (Now you kids have your iTunes and your torrents.) By throwing in a Cassingle as a freebie, Hydra Head is tugging at the heartstrings of old grumps like me, and I think it’s fucking brilliant.

-GS

[Gary Suarez feels older than dirt. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]