Jesus Piece blew the doors off with their 2018 debut ‘Only Self’, bringing together elements of industrial, D-beat, and beatdown hardcore with feral energy that’s remained largely unmatched. Five years on they’re on their way to becoming one of the most revered names in the scene and their second album ‘…So Unknown’ will only speed the process along.
The Philly metallic hardcore quintet defined themselves with their explosive live performances, but in the years preceding ‘…So Unknown’ they were forced to reckon with their identity as a collective and as individuals.
Where ‘Only Self’ was a white-hot expulsion of negativity and rage, their latest effort is defined by the upheavals they experienced, including vocalist Aaron Heard becoming a father and no longer wanting to understand himself only through that fury.
Just like its predecessor, ‘…So Unknown’ doesn’t waste time with any kind of intro, instead bulldozing straight through eardrums with Heard’s blood-curdling roar opening In Constraints. The bludgeoning continues for the remaining 26 minutes, with Fear of Failure injecting death metal riffing and Tunnel Vision all swaggering, demolishing grooves.
But while ‘Only Self’ meandered in its final tracks, ‘…So Unknown’ keeps the momentum up throughout. It is a rampaging, full-bore assault from start to finish as the blistering Silver Lining and closer The Bond dial up the chugging death metal influences once more. The album is like getting beaten up for your lunch money—it’s nasty, brutish and ill-tempered.
At just under half an hour, it’s a mercifully short bludgeoning, one that knows not to outstay its welcome and never feels like it’s growing stale or one-note. Jesus Piece’s songwriting is tighter, the production is monstrous and every song sounds like a moshpit waiting to happen.
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