With
Godflesh
coming to a close in 2002, it wasn't too long before mainman Justin
Broadrick found a new musical outlet, and thus Jesu was born.
Often in such situations, the new band is either an absolute clone
of the old, or a complete departure from the earlier works.
Jesu is right in the middle -- it's not a direct continuation of
Godflesh, but nor is it a million miles from it, as Broadrick's
style is still clearly
intact.
The style here is much more drawn-out, sparse, and moody, with
distant, monotonic (yet still somewhat melodic) vocals interspersed
throughout, and sometimes dissonant lead guitars
layered over the top, a Godflesh trademark that lives on here.
There is clearly a less-is-more approach here, and with the majority
of songs in the 9+ minute range, there is plenty of opportunity for
the songs to meander and drift.
Even though Jesu is more than Godflesh Part 2, it's likely that old
Godflesh fans are the target audience here (unless you're looking for
Streetcleaner-era material, which this isn't), as well as,
perhaps, those
into the newer wave of atmospheric hardcore bands such as
Isis.
