Godsized : The Phoney Tough and the Crazy Brave E.P. Review

The Phoney Tough talk about action but, when it comes down to it, can not carry it through. The Crazy Brave are the ones who make good on their promises. When Godsized say they “are a focused, powerhouse of a band determined to spread their music across the UK and beyond”, this is not the “Phoney Tough” speaking. If any band working in Britain today epitomises this “Crazy Brave” work ethic it’s Godsized, giving the same effort, passion and energy when performing to a room with 20 people in it as they do to a tent with 4500. This is a band focused on delivering no nonsense metal to the masses.

Godsized came to wider attention with an impressive performance to a packed Pepsi Max tent at 2010’s Download Festival which gave many new fans the opportunity to catch them live for the first time, And it has to be said they were fabulous; one of the of highlights of the weekend.

Now, following on from 2008’s ‘Brothers In Arms’ E.P. Godsized are getting ready to unleash their latest volley on their advance to the next level, in the form of ‘The Phoney Tough and the Crazy Brave’, a self financed and published 3 track E.P.

This is a much more complex release than Brothers In Arms, largely driven by an evolution in the band's musical and songwriting sensibilities and a serious 4-string contribution from Gav, bringing the bass to the fore and giving the band’s sound an added dimension.

The E.P. opens with the title track, and it is immediately obvious how much Godsized have developed since Brothers in Arms. This is the most complex thing that the band have attempted, both lyrically and musically. There are changes of tempo and feel in here by the bucket-load, and even a bass solo in the middle. This is capped off by an accomplished vocal performance by Glen Korner which, to be honest, shows a range of styles we didn’t know he had. It is undoubtedly the work of a band growing in confidence.

So I'm Told kisck off with a dirty, distorted riff which really carries the track along. It's a different feel to anything the band have done before and one which works quite well.

The E.P. closes with Bleed on the Inside which is possibly the best thing the band have done to date. There is more than a touch of Thrash to the opening salvo before it settles down into more familiar musical territory. The guitar work from Glenn and Neil Fish on this track is really something to hear. It never gets so flashy and widdly so as to be overbearing, but instead shows a fine technical complexity without getting in the way of the song.

The Phoney Tough and the Crazy Brave is punchy and flows together fantastically well, further proof that our original opinion of this band was correct. These songs are Heavy enough to make you bang your head to yet melodic enough to sing along with and are all annoyingly catchy, with big choruses and even bigger riffs. It’s a difficult mix to get right but, in our opinion, they have nailed it perfectly.

Glen’s vocals are a large part of what makes this band what they are. People who complain about him being ‘too melodic’ or ‘not metal enough’ are missing the point. Godsized aren’t looking across the Atlantic to copy anyone else, they are heading on their own track.

The Phoney Tough & The Crazy Brave is undoubtedly another step in the right direction for the Godsized boys. The only problem that we can see with this release is that it's not long enough!.

Here's hoping for an album release and very big things from the guys in the very near future, we can’t wait.

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