We havent posted about a decent re-issue in a while and there have been many that we have missed - my fave of the last month being by Vulcan - but I couldn't let this one slide by. Jesu, the current project of Napalm Death/Godflesh god Justin K Broadrick, has carved its own niche in ambient post metal, which was a brave move considering the the dyed in the black fanbase Broadrick had developed in the decade previous, but has since elevated himself to the forefront of an exciting, experimental and surprisingly ethereal industrial, bludgeoning sound. It all started with 2004's Heart Ache, a two song EP that is as brutal as it is heart rending. Both 'Ruined' and the title track feels like a rusted mine shaft ride, both lasting 20 minutes, dipping up and down in the bowels of the earth, coalescing into a fluid journey through all of life's deepest emotions - and it proved that Broadrick is a consummate composer. This just should not work. But since Heart Ache, Jesu has spawned many likeminded individuals that are willing to entrance as much as enviscerate. The Godflesh influences are imminent, but we start to see some of the rough edges buffed away in the second half of this re-release, Dethroned. Tracks become shorter, the vocals a little more refined and to the fore. Still, these are rough compositions, and it is over the next six years that Jesu has honed its craft to become the truly unique beast that it is today. Yet, as far as a genesis goes, this is awe-inspiring stuff.
Heart Ache and Dethroned is out now on Hydra Head Records.
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