Despite a five year gap between …So Unknown and the band’s 2018 debut Only Self, Jesus Piece have managed to stay at the forefront of the current wave of exciting hardcore bands. They fit right in alongside the likes of Code Orange and Knocked Loose as bands in the genre that feel like they have the potential to push it into new territory without sacrificing what got them to the dance in the first place. Whilst they’ve earned a lot of acclaim for their live performances over the years, this follow-up project would really be the measuring stick for whereabouts they fit in this group of bands. We may have had to wait a long-time for it but now it is here, …So Unknown proves that they are the real deal.
Coming from a group of bands that have shown a lot of courage and creativity in manipulating hardcore into various forms, Jesus Piece solidify their identity on this body of work. Anyone who has been able to catch a live set from the Philly 5-piece will tell you that they hit incredibly hard but there is still constraint where necessary and that’s what this album is all about. With a 28-minute runtime, this project is incredibly efficient with it’s time so whilst it is happy to hit you over the head with devastating track after devastating track, it never wastes your time.
That does mean that there isn’t a whole lot of diversion from the band’s core make-up here. Their brand of hardcore is dripping in metallic sounds, textures and influences and isn’t afraid to draw from death metal when it is at its most abrasive. There’s still more than enough here to push that hardcore boundary and if anything, this is exactly what Jesus Piece needed this time around, a record that tells you exactly what they are all about.
The guitars all over …So Unknown cut deep with such precision that when they change a riff or break into a new section, it carries the impact of a turntable scratch. This is backed up by Luis Aponte’s man of the match drumming performance that really encapsulates the restraint here where nothing is wasted but that doesn’t mean it’s non-stop foot to the floor for half an hour either. The vocals from Aaron Heard are the most consistently relentless element from the album’s opener In Constraints all the way to The Bond. Some good vocal interplay between Heard and bassist Anthony Marinaro adds some much needed diversity to the vocals at points but it works having Heard go all out whilst the rest of the band switch flawlessly between tempos around him.
…So Unknown proves that everything that has been said about Jesus Piece since their debut release in 2018 can be replicated on record. They’ve carved out a better understanding of their identity and shown that at the end of the day, they are just very good at writing hardcore songs that kick the door down. Whilst it may be the done thing in this genre of music, it’s admirable that with so much hype around them, Jesus Piece haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel this time around. Their follow-up album secures their credibility and place in the alternative music scene by demonstrating exactly what they do and showing that they know how to do it very well and get out before overstaying their welcome.
…So Unknown is available on April 14th via Century Media
