genres of industrial and metal, the music of Godflesh is defined by its programmed drumming, Broadrick's low guitar and growls and Green's pummelling bass. The EP's sound, informed by Swans, Big Black, Killing Joke and Throbbing Gristle, is notably heavy and slow, built upon the deliberately repetitive pounding of the drum machine. Simon Turner of Melody Maker highlighted the EP's discipline and restraint as its greatest asset, praising its so-called "cruelty of denial". The songs are often glacially paced, focusing on exploring chords through repetition, and Broadrick's vocals (either screamed or wailed) are sparse. Martin Walters of AllMusic described the guitar as "explosive", and Jason Birchmeier of the same publication called the tempo "lumbering". Alternative Press Jason Pettigrew characterised the EP as "oppressive and brutal". Unlike many metal releases with guttural vocals and downtuned instruments, the EP's tone is not overtly masculine. About this subject, Melody Maker's Simon Reynolds described Godflesh as "terminal", or at the end of musical development, writing, "Rather than feminise themselves, they'd rather their masculinity was defeated, their strong bodies crushed and pulverised." Broadrick has often noted this himself, referring to the band as defensive instead of offensive. When asked directly about the topic in 1990, he answered, "We despise the celebration of male ego that comes with most metal. It's pathetic; all these guys with their penis extension guitars just make us laugh." Release Godflesh was released in 1988 through the independent label Swordfish Records. Distributed only on vinyl at first, the EP was a surprise underground hit that reached position 20 on the UK Indie Chart; Digby Pearson of Earache Records took notice and acquired Godflesh, promising them wider circulation since Swordfish could not fulfil international demand. In 1990, a year after the acquisition, Godflesh was reissued on CD with two bonus tracks. These songs, "Wounds" and "Streetcleaner 2", were in-house remixes of songs from the band's debut full-length album and first release on Earache, Streetcleaner (1989). Godflesh was remastered and again reissued in 2014, this time as a gatefold double LP. On all versions of the EP, the cover artwork was taken from the 1966 John Frankenheimer film Seconds. "Avalanche Master Song", the EP's introduction and a track that MetalSucks described as a "classic", is one of few Godflesh songs accompanied with a music video. Directed by three fans of the band (Jack Sargent, Julian Weaver and Stephanie Watson) who had followed Broadrick