Jesu Silver EP
Hydra Head Records HH666-110 April 11th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Now making music under the banner of Jesu, Justin K. Broadrick (ex-Godflesh) stunned everyone with his debut Jesu, which Hydra Head unveiled last year. Predictably it rose to the top of numerous best-of lists, and when HH announced the follow-up, I know I looked on with anticipation. Similar to Heart Ache, Silver is considered an EP, yet is also fairly sizeable. Approximately 30 minutes long, the EP boasts four songs that are impressive for different reasons, giving the eager Jesu admirer material to digest until the sophomore record hits stores.
Aside from the music, the photography is excellent, all pieces ooze gloominess, and I can appreciate every shot thats here. Much like Isiss Panopticon the liner notes are glossy photographs, but Silver has three individual inserts rather than a foldout booklet or bound inlay. Silver fits right in with previous compositions, though Star is more upbeat and happier than prior offerings, which is then juxtaposed by the plodding sorrowful Wolves. A departure from the norm is Dead Eyes with its mixing of ambience and drone doom, both styles occupying half of the six-minute instrumental. None of the four dip below six minutes, and only Wolves exceeds the eight-minute mark.
More than anything, Silver is a fine companion to Heart Ache and Jesu. As a matter of fact, the time and effort expelled in order to create this are immediately discernible, repelling the concept of the cash-grab indubitably. Jesus latest does exactly what it was meant to: provide substance in between the larger doses. And since it contains just the right amount of variation, its a pill Im willing to swallow.
8/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Jesu Website
Official Hydra Head Records Website
Hydra Head Records HH666-110 April 11th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Now making music under the banner of Jesu, Justin K. Broadrick (ex-Godflesh) stunned everyone with his debut Jesu, which Hydra Head unveiled last year. Predictably it rose to the top of numerous best-of lists, and when HH announced the follow-up, I know I looked on with anticipation. Similar to Heart Ache, Silver is considered an EP, yet is also fairly sizeable. Approximately 30 minutes long, the EP boasts four songs that are impressive for different reasons, giving the eager Jesu admirer material to digest until the sophomore record hits stores.
Aside from the music, the photography is excellent, all pieces ooze gloominess, and I can appreciate every shot thats here. Much like Isiss Panopticon the liner notes are glossy photographs, but Silver has three individual inserts rather than a foldout booklet or bound inlay. Silver fits right in with previous compositions, though Star is more upbeat and happier than prior offerings, which is then juxtaposed by the plodding sorrowful Wolves. A departure from the norm is Dead Eyes with its mixing of ambience and drone doom, both styles occupying half of the six-minute instrumental. None of the four dip below six minutes, and only Wolves exceeds the eight-minute mark.
More than anything, Silver is a fine companion to Heart Ache and Jesu. As a matter of fact, the time and effort expelled in order to create this are immediately discernible, repelling the concept of the cash-grab indubitably. Jesus latest does exactly what it was meant to: provide substance in between the larger doses. And since it contains just the right amount of variation, its a pill Im willing to swallow.
8/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Jesu Website
Official Hydra Head Records Website
