In his second release to date this year, Justin Broadrick has created something completely different from his previous two splits (with Eluvium and Envy), and two tracks that stand out as different in his entire discography. On the other half, Battle of Mice provide their own brand of emo-influenced post metal that simply doesn't seem to go well with the Jesu material (or vice versa).
The two tracks from Jesu on here are as far away from the synth heavy post-punk influenced pieces that he created on both prior split releases. Instead of the complex heavily layered and multi-tracked material the project has become synonymous with, here it is stripped down, Spartan, and extremely subtle. “Clear Stream” is based entirely on plucked guitar notes, piano, and slow, simple drum programming. The vocals are heavily vocoded and low in the mix. This will probably satisfy those people who aren’t fond of Broadrick’s singing, which some criticize as being amateurish and detracting, but personally I have always enjoyed it, and I feel it usually meshes with the rest of the track well and wish it was a bit less effected on here.
“Falling From Grace” is similar, though somewhat more traditional Jesu with the more distorted riffs, but still moving along at a sluggish pace and dominated by piano in the mix. The vocals are more up front, but it still maintains the simpler arrangement of “Clear Stream.” As a whole, the feeling isn’t far removed from Earth’s recent (post-Hex) output in its pace and simplicity, but there is also a similar sound to the hidden track on the final Godflesh album Hymns, which was a teaser as to what Jesu would become.
The two contributions by Battle of Mice actually seem out of place next to the Jesu material, being much louder and aggressive in comparison. In general, I’m not a big fan of the unabashedly hard rock sound here, and the alternating over-enunciated female vocals mixed with emo screaming don’t inspire much for me. Both “The Bishop” and “Yellow and Black.” The latter fares a bit better with some more interesting atmospheric elements here and there, but again is overshadowed by the overly conventional metal riffing and emo vocals. While I admittedly am not usually a fan of female vocals, the two extremes presented here: overly feminine “soft” vocals and hysterical screaming have never worked for me, and I feel no different here.
As a whole, this just feels like an odd combination. Considering some of the most sparse, gentlest Jesu material is on here, putting it back to back with more metallic and aggressive Battle of Mice stuff just seems odd. The previous Jesu splits with Eluvium and Envy worked because they both showed the other band’s penchants for atmospherics and shoegaze influenced rock, respectively. Here it’s an odd combination that doesn’t seem to sit well. The Jesu material is different, but still great (though for this year I’m preferring the stuff on the Envy split) and Battle of Mice would probably sit better with someone who’s a bigger metal fan than I.
samples:
- Jesu - Clear Stream
- Jesu - Falling From Grace
- Battle of Mice - Yellow and Black
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