Written by Justin Broadrick, frontman with extreme metal pioneers Godflesh, has announced that the band will no longer perform live. Broadrick shared the news on Instagram, alongside a photo taken in hospital, after undergoing what he describes as a “significant open abdominal surgery”.
“I’ve dreaded sharing this news, partly due to the threat of insensitive and/or negative comments, combined simply with the general anxiety of it all,” says Broadrick. “So, three weeks ago, I had significant open abdominal surgery for an inguinal hernia that was close to an emergency.”
“I am still in shock from the process, and as someone with diagnosed Autism and C-PTSD [Broadrick was diagnosed in 2022], open surgery is absolutely debilitating, not that it is easier for anyone, of course.
“I had a huge hernia, and for it to be repaired, I had to endure a six-inch incision in my groin. This, unfortunately, was not keyhole surgery. I have a very weak abdominal wall, which, at being 57 years old this year, is not going to improve.
“If I continue to perform and shout/scream as I do with Godflesh, then I am at high risk for more hernias and blowing out my abdominal wall entirely. Godflesh live ended the day of my surgery, and upon the surgeon making this statement.”
Broadrick goes on to report that he is able to walk, but that full recovery will take about six months. He also says that live performances from his other projects, the experimental metal band Jesu and the electronic project JK FLESH, will be possible as they’re not so physically demanding.
Broadrick confirms that Godflesh’s next studio album, Decay, will be released via Relapse later this year and that a final album will be recorded in late 2026.
“After that, there will continue to be Godflesh dub albums, live albums, and so on, but no new studio releases nor performances,” he says. “In the near future, a new solo project will emerge, further exploring the parameters of heavy/ugly music, featuring my guitars and electronics, and of course, vocals, but not shouted vocals!”
Godlesh’s upcoming booking at the Arch Club in Athens, Greece, on May 2, has been cancelled.
