As a result of the recent reported drop in album sales, many record labels have been driven to drastic measures. Some have closed up shop, others have started dropping artists in contract buyouts, and, unfortunately, a few have begun to jeopardize the artistic credibility of their performers.

It appears one recent trend in the music industry has been to force artists to alter their image and sound with the intentions of creating a product that will appeal to a wider fan base and thus boost record sales and/or open the door to a genre crossover success story.

Examples of forced transformation can be seen in the case of Jewel (Lilith Fair acoustic goddess turned blonde bombshell pop diva), No Doubt (Cali-fresh Punk-Ska gone New Wave), and Kid Rock (then rap-metal poster boy, now country-rock contender).

Even though heavy metal and hard rock have never tried to appeal to the masses, many record labels have been presenting their most extreme artists with the ultimatum, “Dilute your aggressive image or go back to the underground.” Considering that even Marilyn Manson has dropped his “anti-everything” front for a more artistic, more macabre Moulin Rouge shtick, it can be assumed intimidation is working.

While the majority of these “alterations” have only served to alienate die-hard fans, some cases have proven surprisingly successful, both in expanding and adding credibility to the creative vision of the artist. One such example is the evolution of Godhead.

After the release of their major label debut “2000 Years of Human Error” and before the collapse of Mr. Manson’s failed “PostHuman” label, Washington, D.C.-area goth rockers Godhead were the very definition of Industrial Hard Rock. They were musicians in black patent leather and Crow-like make-up, slamming on guitars and crooning lyrics about society’s dehumanizing institutions while 1980’s-esque synthesizer back beats and sound effects attempted to add creative depth to an artistically shallow performance.

Prior to becoming free agents, Godhead left only a slight imprint on the heavy-music community with the release of its gothic industrialized remake of the Beatles “Eleanor Rigby.”

After completing tours of duty as an opening act with Disturbed and Rammstein, Godhead re-signed to Reality Entertainment with the intention of producing a major-label sophomore release containing deeper emotions and more reliance on analog musicianship than on digital distress signals. Hence the title, “Evolver.”

With the addition of Static-X drummer Ken Jay behind the kit, guitarist Mike Miller and bassist/programmer Method have dug deep inside themselves to create an aural backdrop as complex as lead singer/Uncle Fester look-alike Jason Miller’s lyrical technique. While their first single “The Hate in Me,” does give a firm nod to their old fans by revisiting the digital noise of their past, Miller and company combine this nostalgia with an intense forward march that results in a metal overture complete with an industrial intro, a hard-rock chorus, speed metal guitar bridges and dashes of synth and guitar effects — all in under a four-minute time period.

Three songs into this disc the listener is again treated to a solid metal surprise with a cameo of the unmistakable evil-disco scream of Static-X’s frontman Wayne Static on the track, “Give Away.” The finest example of the group’s evolution from underground goths to legitimate musicians can be tasted in “Fade Away” and “Dream.” Both are songs that prove even the hardest of rockers can develop a softer side after years on the road and years of contention with the BS of the record industry.

Regardless of their story, Godhead will still leave fans of all that is rock impressed with a solid album release. Devoid of filler songs, usually stillborn to begin with, “Evolver” is a testament to what can be achieved when a band sits down, formulates its message, articulates its message by pushing the limits of its members’ musical ability and expands the range of emotion those members seek to elicit from both themselves and their listeners. Bottom line: There is no way you can consider yourself a hard-rock fan without getting this disc.