Photo by Randy Blythe

For Jersey unit God Forbid, the process of completing their full circle moment was one that was dormant for nearly a decade. Having paid their dues since their 1996 formation, the band's six album catalog and progressive approach impacted American metal formative post Y2K stretch. Yet despite the band's obvious promise, God Forbid seemed unrightfully relegated to being heavy music journeymen. 

Though consistently being included in the conversation among the era's most promising contributors - your favorite band's favorite band - success at the highest levels proved elusive. Even with a body of work that was consistent and respected, if not celebrated, (reference the band's 2005 concept album IV: Constitution of Treason), God Forbid would eventually get lost in the shuffle - lumped in with the sharp ascent of early 2000's American metal and it's steep decline as trends took precedent and moved the heavy stuff back to the underground. 

Submitting a valiant effort for nearly a decade after their career arc had reached its apex, God Forbid would deliver two more full length entries with 2009's Earthblood and their 2012 swan song with Equilibrium. Though both albums offered powerful reminders of the collective prowess of the band and their willingness to take risks to expand their dynamic sound, that lightning proved tough to cork in a bottle a second time. 

In 2013, God Forbid gave up their post, opting to find other creative pursuits. The changing landscape of heavy music, combined with the difficulty of recapturing the attention of a waning base proved too strenuous - ultimately exhausting the crew entirely.

Skipping ahead nearly a decade later, God Forbid find themselves in nostalgia's good favor. In 2022, the band reunited for special set at Blue Ridge Music Festival - delivering the kind of set that reignited the spark that was never completely extinguished and had now found some fuel. The pairing of time and circumstance proved favorable for God Forbid and combined with the craftsmanship that had always been core to the band - songs that were a generation old felt brand new again. 

Set to perform for the first time in more than a decade on the West Coast, God Forbid is revisiting the album that remains debatably their most coveted showcase of skill. Gone Forever was among the great albums that defined a cultural shift in heavy music - a sentiment now corroborated by twenty years of enduring shelf life. 

Guitarist Doc Coyle discussed the legacy of Gone Forever and arriving full circle with God Forbid. 

Can you pinpoint the moment that you decided reviving God Forbid was something you wanted to pursue? What was that first show at Blue Ridge like and how pivotal was that in making you feel like this was something you wanted to do more of? 

Doc Coyle - Ironically, the most distinct moment was when I did an interview for my buddy's podcast in 2019 or 2020 where I mentioned that I didn't think anyone cared enough about God Forbid enough to warrant us reuniting. And talked about how the band hadn't really received any reunion offers at that time. That quote got picked up by a bunch of metal websites and seemed to strike a chord because all of a sudden it felt like a bunch of people cared. Or at least enough to make some waves on social media.

Around that time, me and the other three remaining band members starting doing Zoom calls to reconnect and just be friends and rebuild our relationships. During those chats, we slowly started to warm up to the idea of playing together again. Then, the Blue Ridge offer came in to reunite and it was substantial enough for everyone to seriously consider. So, I think it was the right time.

Overall, I think the Blue Ridge show was incredible. There was something electric about the show, and it was very emotional for all of us. Having Nick Hipa jamming on 2nd guitar with us really solidified the band, and gave us confidence.

A lot of life happens in a decade. Was it difficult to realign creatively with the guys when you first got into the rehearsal room? 

Coyle - There isn't a ton of creativity when it comes to preparing for a live performance. Just execution and chemistry. The main challenge for all of us was to just knock the rust off. I was having anxiety about the band not being tight enough or being up to snuff to handle the speed and technicality of the music. You have to be in a certain kind of shape to pull it off, but everyone took it very seriously.

The first rehearsal was very powerful. I kind of recognized with some perspective on things how moving the music was. It felt very relevant, and not like some nostalgia trip. The music felt current and like it should be heard. By the 3rd day, we were functioning on all cylinders. This was a very strong version of the band.

Focusing on Gone Forever - the album was an important release during the rise of the American metal movement in the early 2000s. What kind of pride do you take as a songwriter knowing these tracks still have healthy legs? 

Coyle - It's probably the album I hear the most from people and other musicians in bands as the one they tell me was a big influence on them when they were in high school. 2004 was a watershed year for the genre we were a part of. Lamb of God, Killswitch, Shadows Fall, Unearth, and All That Remains all released classic albums that year and there was a movement happening. Ozzfest and MTV2 Headbanger's Ball were ushering this style to a big audience, and we kind of rode that wave.

From a songwriting standpoint, I think it might be the most focused and condensed idea of what a grownup God Forbid sounds like. We graduated from our previous two albums which had disconnect songwriting and maybe dipping our toe into too many ponds. We had the eye of the tiger going into the studio and every riff was intentional. The puzzle just fit. 

What do you attribute to the longevity of this particular record and really, the kind of rejuvenated interest in Gone Forever? What about this record has allowed it to age so gracefully? 

Coyle - At the end of the day, the people decide. "Anti-Hero" is still the biggest song as far as streaming. For many people, this is just the quintessential God Forbid album. And I think that's hard to argue with, although I might give it to our follow-up, Constitution of Treason. 

A big part of this album is the mix and production. We got Colin Richardson, who in my opinion, is the best metal mixer ever. He produced and mixed Machine Head Burn My Eyes, Carcass Heartwork and so many of our favorite albums. I think that gives the album a timeless sound. I also think it may be our most purely metalcore album besides our debut, Reject The Sickness.

We spent the next few years trying to break the formula, but Gone Forever caters to this formula in very creative ways. The confidence and execution is undeniable. I've never been as sure of a finished album as I had been as when we heard those mixes.

Do you feel like Gone Forever was maybe ahead of the curve - one of those albums that went under-appreciated in real time and people are now realizing the quality of those track man near a generation later? 

Coyle - All of our peers released some of their best material the same year, so I don't know if it was ahead of the curve. We were all doing our thing. And it's always tough to get the spotlight when there is so much great stuff out there. In the moment though, that was the album that had the most immediate impact. Our record sales tripled. We could finally headline, and get respectable crowds. And we got respect not only from our peers but from our heroes as well.

I remembered distinctly Dino Cazares from Fear Factory rolling up in his SUV at the Century Media office blasting Gone Forever and I couldn't believe it. The Machine Head guys were fans. Slipknot. Adam Jones from Tool came to see us headline in LA. That stuff still blows my mind. As far as who is still discovering the record now, that's difficult to gauge from afar. 

Stylistically the album was a bit of risk for you in that it deviated from your previous albums at the time including Reject the Sickness and Determination. Do you remember if that shift was a conscious effort or do you think the band has just found their stride as songwriters? 

Coyle - The big thing back then was getting backlash for adding melodic vocals when you only did screaming beforehand. We had a lot of fear and wanted to experiment with melodic vocals on our previous album, Determination. But it just didn't pan out. Then Killswitch released Alive or Just Breathing and it kind of made it more acceptable, or feel like there was more upside than risk. Because at the end of the day, people weren't mad at singing in general. They were mad at bad singing.

Luckily, Dallas stepped up as a secondary vocalist and really revamped the sound of the band. Our thing was we wanted to vocals to match the music. We had a lot of melody and we had a lot of dynamics. Artistically, just doing harsh vocals for an entire album as very boring to me and most of the guys. We grew up listening to Metallica, Megadeth, and Alice In Chains. We didn't want to be limited and wanted to push the possibilities.

What made this album stand out was how conscious everything was. We felt like our previous album underperformed, and so we deliberately decided to make an album that was on par with the bands we idolized. Big riffs. Big hooks. And don't be afraid to do things that big bands would do. We were not trying to make an underground record. There's a lot of Metallica and Pantera and even borrowing from bands like Radiohead. I always wonder what God Forbid sounds like if we never decided to sing. 

The band has commented on feeling like outsiders when it came to that era of metal. It that a sentiment you still live with? Do you feel like God Forbid still exists on the fringe or has this reunion made you feel differently about that? 

Coyle - The chip on our shoulder will never go away. I've been thinking about this a lot recently because the genre du jour is currently modern Metalcore, and we don't really get mentioned as being an innovator, I think, as much as bands like As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, or Unearth. And part of it is that even back then, we were always trying to differentiate ourselves and so maybe we never totally fit in with any scene.

We weren't 100% metalcore. The true metalheads never 100% accepted us. We were never totally thrash, death metal, hardcore, or mainstream metal. When you blend genres, you either get everyone to come to the party like Motorhead or Hatebreed or you can end up in no man's land. I just think we'll always be like that. Never totally accepted and rarely invited to the party. Watch our 2008 documentary "Rated R For Real". It sums it up well.

Looking back on 2004, you acknowledged that you were part of a very formidable era. Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Killswitch Engage, and now with the resurgence of bands like 3 Inches of Blood, Chimaira and Shadows Fall - things seem to be coming full circle. Do you chalk that up to nostalgia or something more substantial? 

Coyle - Nostalgia always has a way of galvanizing fans to rediscover bands and music they loved as a young person. This happened with thrash around 10 years ago. Half of those bands were broken up in the 90s and are now bigger than ever. Creed and Limp Bizkit couldn't get arrested for around 10-15 years, and are now the coolest bands in the world. So, everything comes back around. Unless it's like a Refused situation where your catalog blows up while you were dormant, usually the nostalgia bump is in conjunction with your peak.

We were never the biggest band in the world, but much more people are engaged in what we are doing than they were when we broke up in 2013. I think that's the thing you want the most outside of the creating music you love with people you love - is for people to care about the work and connect with it. I'm glad bands like Shadows Fall and Kittie are getting the love they deserve.

Every band strives to make something timeless and given how Gone Forever still resonates both thematically and stylistically, it would seem as though you have accomplished just that - timelessness. What kind of validation does that give you as an artist? 

Coyle - I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I don't get a lot of gratification from coasting on past accomplishments. I want to write the next song that will be considered timeless 20 years from now. We are going to play these shows in California and I get to experience how people connect with this material in real time. And I think that's how you have to be. In the moment and focused on gratitude.

I feel lucky to be able to do this because we weren't able to do this for so long. For every person that's been waiting patiently for this for 10 years, I am just thankful they stuck with us. I never feel satisfied or good enough. It's always striving to be better. Maybe that's just the artists' mind. I prepare and prepare and prepare, so when it's showtime I can just let go and experience.