Jesu: Opiate Sun EP
Here’s a little background information (for those of you who don’t know). Justin K Broadrick was in the genre defining band Napalm Death when he was in his teens and Godflesh (among other great bands/projects) later on—which inspired/influenced countless bands and he has also done countless remixes. Basically—Justin K Broadrick is a musical genius.
Since Jesu’s inception, Justin K Broadrick has strived to make ultra-heavy, slumbering guitar weighted songs—bordering on the outer edge of metal—yet still make them melodic and contain pop inspired vocals, melodies and harmonies… and the 4-track Opiate Sun EP follows along these lines. Jesu’s Opiate Sun EP was released on the heels of the epic 50min long Jesu “Infinity” EP/single track that came out last summer. The Opiate Sun EP is a pretty good starting point for people aren’t too familiar with Jesu. All the tracks on this EP start off with guitar swells and quickly progresses into ethereal vocals… a little different compared to previous albums— which leaned on vocals ran through a vocoder and masked by synths and effects. The title track, “Opiate Sun,” is probably the highlight on this EP. Great multi-layered vocals and blissful, sublime verses and choruses. This EP has a bit less synth/effects compared to earlier releases, but its still has the signature, chugging guitar riffs and improved, layered harmony and vocals.
Jesu’s Opiate Sun EP was released as a one time only edition of 2000 copies that was broken down across five different colors (300 of each) and black vinyl (500 copies), housed in a beautiful Stoughton old style tip-on jacket. This is the red version above and below.
The MP3 and CD versions are still available through Cadlo Verde Records.
…and you can listen to the whole EP at the Caldo Verde Records Myspace page.
