''Life Is Easy'' is the first compilation album by English

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...

band Fall of Because, compiling songs recorded in 1986 and 1987 before the band became

Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. (later Fall of Because) but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals, programmi ...

. Released on 24 August 1999 through Alleysweeper and distributed by

Martin Atkins Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. He also works as a consultant, has ...

' label

Invisible Records Invisible Records is a Chicago based record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. ...

, ''Life Is Easy'' contains many songs that went on to be rerecorded and turned into Godflesh tracks.

Background and content

Following the recording of a demo called ''Extirpate'' in 1986, Fall of Because disbanded and reformed in 1988 as

. ''Life Is Easy'' incorporates many of those early demo tracks, which were recorded when

Justin Broadrick Justin Karl Michael Broadrick (born 15 August 1969) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and i ...

was only sixteen. Dimitri Nasrallah of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' called Fall of Because's output "eerily ahead of its time". Released eleven years after Fall of Because turned into Godflesh, ''Life Is Easy'' was recorded partially in studio and partially live. The first eight tracks were recorded and mixed at Rich Bitch studios in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England in November 1986. Tracks 9, 10, and 11 were recorded live, with the latter two comprising complete Fall of Because shows. The songs "Devastator" and "Life Is Easy" were rerecorded in 1989 and used in Godflesh's debut studio album, ''

Streetcleaner ''Streetcleaner'' is the debut studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 November 1989 through Earache Records and was reissued with a second disc of previously unreleased material on 21 June 2010. The album ...

''. "Merciless" was rerecorded in 1994 and became the title track of a Godflesh EP. A segment of the show titled "Xmas Special" appeared as the intro of the Godflesh song "Love, Hate (Slugbaiting)" from their 1992 album '' Pure''. Since Broadrick acted as a physical drummer in Fall of Because, there is notable difference between those early demos and the final Godflesh songs, which employ programmed

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

s and slower, more grinding tempos.

Track listing

All songs written by

, G. C. Green, and Paul Neville.

Personnel

Fall of Because *

– drums, vocals * G. C. Green –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

* Paul Neville – guitar, vocals, tapes Additional personnel * Mick Harris – vocals on "Fight Show" *

Nicholas Bullen Nicholas Bullen (sometimes called Nik Napalm; born 1968) is an English musician and a founding member of the grindcore band Napalm Death. Biography Bullen is one of the founding members – with Miles "Rat" Ratledge – of Napalm Death, the b ...

– vocals on "Fight Show"

References

{{Authority control 1999 albums Godflesh albums Justin Broadrick albums Albums produced by Justin Broadrick