The 11 Best Music Videos of the Week | 2023 Week 15Including new sights & sounds from Jorja Smith, Romy, The Southern River Band and more
Album of the Week: Jesus Piece - ...So Unknown | 2023 Week 15
Five years in the making, the sophomore record from one of the most interesting contemporary heavy bands was worth the wait + new albums from Feist, El Michels Affair & Black Thought, Kid Koala, Dinner Party, Metallica and more
Posted By Will Backler
2 years ago
Philadelphian metallic hardcore band Jesus Piece sure know how to start a record, taking less than two seconds to rip the lid off their new record, as opening track In Constraints assaults the listeners ears (in the most pleasurable way possible) with an all-out onslaught of guttural screams, blast beats and overdriven distorted guitars, wasting no time on things like “intros” or “build ups”... and their sophomore album …So Unknown is all the doper for it.
After releasing their acclaimed debut album Only Self back in 2018, Jesus Piece fans have been patiently waiting half a decade for a new full-length, as the band teased us with the recent singles Tunnel Vision and Silver Lining hinting as to the album’s depth and experimentation within the realms of metal-laden hardcore, offering interesting compositions with post-punk influences.
Short, sharp and sweet (in a heavy way), …So Unknown weighs in at 10 tracks, with an average run time floating around the 3-minute mark, which could risk the record falling into formulaic territory - but not Jesus Piece. Striking a satisfying balance between cohesion and diversity with more experimental and interesting compositions, the album traverses a range of tempos and styles, touching on everything from nu-metal to grindcore, while remaining crushingly heavy yet melodic and full of groove throughout.
On their new album the band say ‘Everything about us has always been a very unknown situation. We didn’t know what we were supposed to sound like, we didn’t know who we were supposed to tour with, and that’s stuck with us from the start. We’re a very enigmatic band.’
With …So Unknown, I think we can more agree that Jesus Piece are “a very enigmatic band”, and a very heavy, awesome and important one at that.
Buy Jesus Piece - ...So Unknown (Vinyl)
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The best of the rest of this week's records:
El Michels Affair & Black Thought - Glorious Game [Big Crown Records] USA
Hip Hop
Buy El Michels Affair & Black Thought - Glorious Game (Vinyl)
Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations - I Came From Love [Transgressive Records Ltd.] ENG
Alternative
Buy Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations - I Came From Love (Vinyl)
Dinner Party - Enigmatic Society [Sounds of Crenshaw / EMPIRE] USA
Jazz / Hip Hop
Feist - Multitudes [Polydor] CAN
Indie / Pop
Buy Feist - Multitudes (Vinyl)
Fenne Lily - Big Picture [Dead Oceans] ENG
Indie / Pop
Buy Fenne Lily - Big Picture (Vinyl)
Kid Koala - Creatures of the Late Afternoon [Envision Records] CAN
Hip Hop
Metallica - 72 Seasons [Blackened Recordings Inc.] USA
Rock
Buy Metallica - 72 Seasons (Vinyl)
The Tallest Man on Earth - Henry St. [Anti] SWE
Folk
Buy The Tallest Man on Earth - Henry St. (Vinyl)
Xylouris White - The Forest In Me [Anti] AUS/GRE
Folk / Rock
The 11 Best Music Videos of the Week | 2023 Week 15Including new sights & sounds from Jorja Smith, Romy, The Southern River Band and more
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