On 4 October 2024, Justin Broadrick, the singer and guitarist of the industrial metal duo Godflesh, felt a pop in his groin. He had dealt with pain in that area for years, but after a coughing fit following a show in Sofia, Bulgaria, he realized he had a hernia. "It was a small knob in my groin," he says. He continued performing live for another year, often wearing up to two hernia belts at a time. By the time he finally had surgery in February 2025, the hernia had grown to 13cm. The following month, Broadrick shared a photo of himself in the hospital and announced that Godflesh’s near-four-decade career would soon come to an end. His condition was the result of years of shouting over the band’s music, a habit he started at age 18. Now 57, he says that performing again would risk blowing out his abdominal wall entirely. There will be two more studio albums, starting with this autumn’s Decay, recorded before the surgery, and possibly some archival releases and remixes. But beyond that, nothing. "I’m still in a lot of discomfort," he says, speaking by phone in mid-August. "I’m not the toughest guy in the world, I’m very sensitive to pain, so it’s going to be nine to 12 months [after surgery] before potentially feeling no negative sensations whatsoever." Godflesh was formed in 1988 by Broadrick and bassist Ben "GC" Green. Their sound, featuring industrial beats programmed on a £500 drum machine, was groundbreaking in the heavy metal scene. Broadrick’s guitar riffs were dense, unsettling, and immediately heavy. The band was so influential that Metallica’s Kirk Hammett credited them with inspiring the design of his band’s Load and Reload album covers. Mike Patton of Faith No More once invited Broadrick to join his band, but he declined. "There’s no way I can join someone else’s band," he says today. Many nu metal pioneers, including Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, idolized Godflesh. Their music was a blend of industrial noise, grindcore, and avant-garde influences, with Broadrick’s lyrics often reflecting his childhood trauma and alienation. Despite his widespread influence, Broadrick prefers to stay out of the spotlight. Born in Birmingham, he now lives in a remote village in north Wales with his partner, 15-year-old son, and many pets. He avoids social situations and rarely grants interviews, though he gives long, detailed responses. He attributes this to his autism, which was diagnosed in 2022 when he was in his early 50s. "I’m generalising, but the psychiatrist pretty much said to me that there are two types of autistic people," he says. "A lot of people who used to get diagnosed with Asperger’s generally have the cold, don’t speak, sit-in-a-corner type of autism. My autism is the other one, where, they said, people can get hyperemotional and hypersensitive and talk all the time, trying to get themselves understood." Broadrick’s hypersensitivity shaped Godflesh’s music. Their beats echo the clanging of nearby factories, and his anguished shouts and misanthropic lyrics are rooted in childhood trauma. He began making music under the pseudonym Final at age 13 and left school at 15 after walking out of an exam. He joined grindcore band Napalm Death and wrote most of their debut album Scum, which included the world’s shortest song, You Suffer. After leaving Napalm Death, he formed Godflesh with Green. Their 1989 debut album Streetcleaner became a seminal release and gained them a following in the US. However, the physical and emotional toll of performing eventually took its toll on Broadrick, leading to his eventual decision to retire from live performances. Now, as he prepares for the band’s final album, The End, and a new solo project, he reflects on a career that has left a lasting mark on the heavy music world.