Review: “…So Unknown” by Jesus Piece

A band seemingly without borders and boundaries, 2018’s critically acclaimed debut full length “Only Self” from Jesus Piece appeared via Southern Lord with the band proclaiming to be Hardcore and yet offering furious Death Metal riffs, droning textures and industrial elements into a Metallic Hardcore mix in a similar fashion to bands like Harms Way. That record saw them quite literally tour the globe and share stages with anyone and everyone in Hardcore, Death Metal and Deathcore genres, proving themselves worthy with fierce live show which we witnessed at a matinée at Camden Underworld where they were on the undercard for Terror. Co-produced and mixed by Randy LeBouef (Every Time I Die, Orthodox) and clocking in at a lean and mean 28 minutes sophomore album “…So Unknown” comes five years after the fact with Philadelphia Pennsylvania based five piece not only bigger than ever but also proving that hard work can take you places…

“This is as close to a JESUS PIECE experience as you’re going to get without standing in front of us.” ~ Drummer Luis Aponte

Having witnessed the band live, the bomb blast that is opening cut “In Contraints” confirms Aponte’s statement as being true with Aaron Heard’s caustic vocals making the ears bleed as he roars the lyrics in accompaniment to riffs of similar statue to those found on “Nomad” by Kublai Khan. An instant pit starter, the band create the kind of fireworks that every Metallic Hardcore band would kill for with pick slides and brutal chugs getting things off to a violently turbulent start. “Fear of Failure” follows suit as another powerhouse performance built on a combination on 90’s Hardcore and Death Metal foundations, the sinister and menacing downtempo moments being absolutely skull crushing. No quarter is given. There is no compromise here, just brutally honest Hardcore. The swirling opening of “Tunnel Vision” gives a fleeting moment of respite before the spin kicking savagery comes back around for an opening verse that hits like an unexpected punch in the face. Some almost tribal drum fills from Aponte distantly echo the raw nature of “Roots” era Sepultura with the album title in the lyrics effectively making it the title track. Menacing and sinister riffs keep coming with “FTBS” tearing a hole in the space time continuum with its razor sharp nature, the cut having a uniquely dark swagger and groove to it that is undeniable as the band capture their live energy like lightening in a bottle on this one. Splitting the album clean in half, the eerie tones “Silver Lining” with off kilter break beats and punchy aggression feels like something befitting of a horror film soundtrack. The cries of “Us against the World!” couldn’t be more fitting for the band before the feedback echoes out for a palate cleansing moment.

Break beats return in “Gates Of Horn” which rolls through the ear drums like a tank, crushing everything in its path while at the same time generating the kind of electricity that makes you want to move those dancing feet to a circle pit near you. As an album its one that is hard, even on the first listen, to sit still to – snap your neck, raise your poison chalice or get in the pit and push your friends around – Jesus Piece command it. The riffs are as infectious as an STD, the vocals the stuff of night terrors. “Profane” keeps the energy high while confirming that LeBouef has nailed the mix (no pun intended) with another gargantuan cut front loaded with staccato riff infestations in killer Death Metal tones. Anthony Marinaro’s bass drive in “An Offering to the Night” is a moment of sheer class, one of a number of nuances that appear like her ghost in the fog over multiple listens, the brain unable to take in and process everything that is going on as it happens the first few times. There is no soft centre or power ballad here and rightly so, any fat that there was in the studio has been trimmed to make this a lean, mean, fighting machine of a record, the intensity of it all second to none. Viciously barbed, “Stolen Life” goes off like a Molotov Cocktail, confirming that its going to be very difficult to pick a live set from this material, the juddering angular riffs keeping things hotter than hell. Listening to it is like watching the band at a sweaty basement club show, the sound reverberating off the walls and giving everything a dark sense of claustrophobia that suits them incredibly well. Last but by no means least “The Bond” finishes the record with the kind of cut that The Acacia Strain would be proud of. Pummelling percussive battery builds the tension while fretboard smouldering riffs cut through it like the knife in the shower curtain scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the blunt force trauma of it all nothing short of unstoppable. Who needs a solo when you can batter the listener to death with the rhythms of death? [8/10]

Track Listing

1. In Contraints
2. Fear of Failure
3. Tunnel Vision
4. FTBS
5. Silver Lining
6. Gates of Horn
7. Profane
8. An Offering to the Night
9. Stolen Life
10. The Bond

“…So Unknown” by Jesus Piece is out 14th April 2023 via Century Media