Jesaiah

Et Tu, Hope

Written by: PP on 06/10/2009 21:45:24

Sweden's Jesaiah first caught my interest when they were announced as the second support band for the high profile The Devil Wears Prada tour in Scandinavia, and since I'll most likely be attending the Danish stop, if for no other reason than to just to laugh at the scene-cled people in attendance that night, I'm also the most appropriate reviewer for their debut full length, "Et Tu, Hope". But jokes aside, the real reason why I signed up for this release is because these guys present a rather well constructed mixture of bands like The Chariot, Norma Jean and Converge.

If we disregard the rather pretentious title of the record (plus a few of the song titles like "I'm Saving My Flower 4U Goatboy"), you'll be searching long for a record as brutally uncompromising, relentless, crushing, and convincing as this one. Lets start with vocalist Max Sjöblom, who has clearly taken inspiration from Jacob Bannon's (Converge) merciless, unmelodic bark. At first, his intense scream will come across as more of a menace than a pleasure, but after a couple of tracks it's easy to establish that there's some great texture in it as well, adding a escaped-mental-hospital-attendee-but-genius type of atmosphere to many of the songs. Particularly "Deflower Me" demonstrates a vocalist with great conviction, as even on record it sounds like he's only inches away from your face, a feat that I guess will dominate their live show come November. Fans of Converge will definitely take a liking on his delivery.

The rest of band plays horror-chord infested mathcore/metalcore/chaos hardcore with the occasional nod to Since By Man, but much more melodic than, say, The Chariot, Norma Jean or Converge for that matter, although you'll find more than your fair share of feedback, screechy guitars and brootal breakdowns in all songs. Occasionally, the band adds atmospheric pieces like the interlude track "Music Noir", or haunted spoken-word passages like the one found on "L'Ame Prison Du Corps". These add variety and contrast to the band's sound, so they aren't just balls-to-the-walls, break everything type of chaos outfit which plagues the approach of an otherwise good band like Hospital The Musical. Still, if you're searching for catchy choruses, poppy metalcore leads or anything of the sorts, "Et Tu, Hope" isn't going to be a record for you, even if a few tracks feature distinct melody lines as well. A quick listen to the lunatic instrumental/vocal combination on "Great Big Whale" should be just the slice of the album you'll need to decide whether you'll love it or hate it. I bet these guys are fucking crazy live.

Download: Deflower Me, Great Big Whale, I'm Saving My Flower 4U Goatboy
For the fans of: The Chariot, Converge, Hospital The Musical, Pristina,
Listen: Myspace

Release date 28.09.2009
Black Star Foundation

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