Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Jesu - Heartache EP - Spitfire Records - 2004

class=nine>Track Listing 1.Heartache 2.Ruined

Personally, I have been waiting for this release to come out for quite some time now. Featuring Justin Broadrick AKA JK, the tone of this release is very crushing but thoughtful at the same time. Coming in at roughly 40 minutes, these two tracks are nothing but epic. At first thought, I would imagine that this record would have sounded like Godflesh bar none. But with listening to this record I can state that Justin has taken Jesu far beyond Godflesh. Still, with a lot of the Industrial influences of the past combined with melody, heaviness and emotion, this album does not disappoint.

Listening to Heartache is just that, a heart ache. But oddly enough there
is a shed of hope in this song. The beginning of the song starts off with
discordant heaviness but begins to build with more and more layers; by the middle of the song you get what has been deemed “death hop”. The song is broken down into parts of heavy guitar and drum lines to serene sounds and landscape. The last part of the song is to be considered the salvation if you will.

Ruined starts off with piano and builds with more layers of piano on top of that. This intro serves as a very nice medium between the heaviness and gives the listener a chance to relax. The vocals are pitch shifted to match the guitars, which serves to make the vocals an instrument in conveying bleakness. The last bit of the song sees more of the slow doom style of Godflesh but more melody.

For the record, Justin did all of the music, including the ever so familiar drum machine. And to those of you, who do not like Godflesh, stay away. For those that do, you will not be disappointed.

--Souldestroyer 3.6.05