Review Summary: Jesu's newest release is an impressive excercise in sonic experimentation. Truly crushing in some parts and beautiful in others.
After purchasing and enjoying last year’s beautiful full length debut by underground metal legend Justin K. Broadrick’s newest project, jesu (intentionally spelled lower cased), I was naturally excited to see what the band’s newest expression of emotion and melancholy would bring. After all, this was shaping up to be a great year for heavy music, and to kick it off with another beautiful experiment in human anguish a mere year after jesu’s groundbreaking debut was a wonderful prospect for me. I pre-ordered the EP, and it finally arrived in my mailbox on Saturday. I had heard samples of Silver on jesu’s webpage, but nothing quite prepared me for the four song onslaught that came from my speakers when I hit play.
Upon first listen, I noticed immediately that the songs were shorter than on the full length debut, but somehow the band packed in more instruments, feedback, and other little nuances than on the self titled LP. The album kicks off with the title track, beginning with some soft keys and then bringing in the crushing heaviness that I have come to love from this band. The keys stay constant throughout the entire song, lending a sort of poppy melody until the short bass interlude just before the four minute mark. It is also important to note that Silver is the only song on the disc that features live drums, and it shows. The dramatic cymbal crashes make the song that much more emotional, as Justin’s vocals beautifully echo over the soundscape. The song closes six and a half minutes later with the haunting refrain, “Silver’s just another gold,” as the droning guitars and keys wash over the listener for the last thirty seconds of the song.
The next song, Star, is a uniquely up-tempo piece for a project that usually sticks to a slow burning rhythm. The programmed drums drive a surprisingly punk sounding kick-snare pattern as Justin sings some of his catchiest vocals over strummed guitar. The song is a welcome experimentation, combining a faster, almost optimistic drum beat with soaring vocals and jesu’s trademark ambience in the background. A very different but exciting direction that the band will hopefully explore more in their next full length, which they happen to be working on right now.
The third song, Wolves, is my personal favorite on the disc. This track sounds the most like the older material from the self titled LP, and, seeing as I enjoyed that album immensely, it comes to no surprise that my heart skipped a few beats when the familiar heavy guitar rippled through the synthesizers and down-tempo drums. There is, however, something different even about this track. Though it sounds the most like something from jesu’s full length, there is still something fresh that sets it apart from anything they have ever done. Perhaps it is the delicate yet powerfully commanding refrain of, what I believe to be “I’m not sick,” that hits something inside of me, but this song is by far the most emotional of the four that are presented in this wonderful EP.
The fourth and last song, Dead Eyes, begins with a strange, morphing synthesizer in the background that gives way to a deep, droning guitar and eventually a haunting ambient melody over the entire track. The piece gives the illusion of constantly being in motion, but in reality never quite goes anywhere. Usually this would be a critique of a song, but in jesu’s case the band makes it a brilliant experiment in just how far one can take ambience and still make it interesting. This track is minimalist metal at its finest. When the drums drop out four minutes into the song and give way to a truly crushing guitar riff to overtake the rest of the track, the purely instrumental song collapses under its own weight with nearly a half minute left to leave the drifting ambience to fade out into silence. A brilliant and nihilistic way to end a much lighter iteration of a band that so many fans have come to expect dreary melodies from. The darkness is still present, but there are more and rays of sunlight piercing its oppressive ceiling.
