ARTIST: Jesus Piece TITLE: Only Self LABEL: Southern Lord GENRE: Hardcore SOURCE: CD BITRATE: 277 kbps avg PLAYTIME: 29:19 RELEASE DATE: 2018-00-00 RIP DATE: 2023-01-26 ENCODER: LAME 64bits version 3.100 (http://lame.sf.net) -V0 URL: Track List ---------- 1. Lucid 3:14 2. Workhorse 1:58 3. Punish 2:57 4. Curse Of The Serpent 2:09 5. In The Silence 4:15 6. Adamant 2:04 7. Neuroprison 2:04 8. Dog No Longer 3:18 9. I 3:00 10. II 4:20 Release Notes: Jesus Piece rage at the nexus of hardcore, death metal, industrial, and Æ90s metalcore. TheyÆre part of a new metalcore movement that proves that experimentation and succinct, clobbering riffs can not only coexist, but make for natural partners. On their first full-length, Only Self, they make the case that such should be the new tradition. Self bolsters the industrial elements that Jesus Piece toyed around with on a 2016 demo and a 2017 split with Florida hardcore band Malice at the Palace. While they are still based around big, slamming beatdowns, the textures are more worked in and they donÆt just act as segues. Vocalist Aaron Heard and guitarist John DiStefano are also in PhillyÆs Hell to Pay, who take similar influences in a more noise-grind directionùitÆs a natural progression for them. The rapid-fire bass intro to ôPunishö is one of the most intense moments on the album, a fusing of industrial metalÆs pulverizing coldness with hardcoreÆs brisk energy. ôPunishö maintains that fury when Jesus Piece switch back, a testament to how, in their short existence and even quicker shift in sound, they can still get all sorts of windmill kicks going. Opener ôLucidö and ôCurse of the Serpentö donÆt bask in the bandÆs new direction, and they donÆt need to: theyÆre chunky death metal bursts set to bouncy hardcore temposùas good of a foundation as any. ôIn the Silenceö switches between shimmering, submerged cleans and the bandÆs crushing breakdowns and HeardÆs yells take on an abyss-staring personality when confronted by these more placid moments. More than a simple contrast between volumes, the ambient base knocks the metal out of its grounding, lending to an unease that lingers when the guitars roar back in. It has the same vibe as Chicago hardcore band HarmÆs WayÆs ôTemptationö from earlier this year, which also contrasted droney textures with aggressive hardcore. Like HarmÆs Way, Jesus Piece see industrialÆs fraught marriage with metal in the Æ90s as ripe for reinterpretation, giving it new life through hardcoreÆs immediacy. ôSilenceö solves the conundrum of being split between wanting to listen to Eno or Hatebreed. They expand on the template further and chop it in half on the last two tracks, ôIö and ôII.ö ôIö is all free, gorgeous noise with soft cymbals distorted into lush puddles, while ôIIö brings back crunching guitar but at slower paces and a more layered feel, like Jesu stuck in purgatory. At first, it feels anticlimactic to end a metalcore record on a hanging note, no last bash to re-energize and go out in a circle pit of glory. Jesus Piece are not here for the meathead-aversion to change, even if they do enjoy a lizard-brain riff.