JESU features that effervescent vegan fart knocker Justin guy who guiterrorized in GODFLESH and drummed in HEAD OF DAVID. The later replaced him with a drum machine as he used one in the former. Could it have been a ploy by both parties to coerce Steve Albini back to the mad cow mainland? Does anyone really care? Now I know what some of you are asking yourselves. Is the splendor of the spectacle worth the price of admission? Is there a genealogical glint of the old GODFLESH? The drum machines are even more present (omnipresent?). Check. The basslines are driving. Check. The principal difference here is that the guitars are ever more psychedelic (SPACEMEN 3, SPIRITUALIZED) than the metal/noise of days gone by (VOIVOD, BIG BLACK) and that the voices are sung rather than yelled.

I thought I knew my guitar effects well, but the intro to “Farewell” kicks in with a swirl so alien that I is stumped. Phaser mixed with tremolo and ring mod? Ya gots me. It glides seamlessly into a single note E-bow like drone. This sort of guitar goo is veering awfully close to COCTEAU TWINS (specifically “This Spangle Maker”) territory. The vocals work well in spite of the fact that they are nasally lazy and dry effects wise. The vibes add a jazzy picturesque space age bachelor pad feel. Nice. The instrumental “Blind And Faithless” with its flanged guitars, static noises, eerie strings and choral drones does not fair quite as well but is still a flattering foretaste of what’s yet to come. And once “Why Are We Not Perfect” gets off the grounds Jesu can do no wrong. I rarely hear a drum machine plod this slowly. The guitars are mostly layered and delayed in the first half. The use of tremolo half way through this opus adds a new dynamic. We get the wall of distortion at the conclusion of the composition. Hell yeah.

ELUVIUM's half here is much of that monochromatic sonic wallpaper that is pleasing to the ear for a time and can get rather dull fast (depending on your mindset). I may have lost the discipline in listening that I once had. In the mid 90’s I may have ranted on and on about the merits of this sort of thing back in those “post rock” days. I can tell you this. There was very little discipline involved in the creation of this “piece” of music. The title is fitting. “Time Travel Of The Sloths Parts I, II and III” describes this rather accurately. It’s hard to tell when one “part” ends and one commences. I think the piano and foghorn kicks off part II - not quite sure. III starts when the volume increases I suppose.

- Herring

OFFICIAL SITE: www.avalancheinc.co.uk/jesumain , myspace.com/eluviumtaken

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