Jesus Piece Announce New Album '...So Unknown'
The album was co-produced and mixed by Randy LeBouef (Every Time I Die, Orthodox).
By: Michael Major Jan. 20, 2023
Jesus Piece gallantly broke onto the scene, turning heads for their feral live shows and grandiose, melodic songwriting which has since cemented them as standard stirrers and boundary-breakers.
On ...So Unknown, their Century Media debut, listeners ascend to the apex of metal and hardcore- where a mix of complex instrumentation is led by a manic, shaman-like vocal delivery from frontman Aaron Heard. It's a cluster bomb of ten anthems, bursting at the seams with memorable riffs and pulsing with fresh ideas. Drummer Luis Aponte (LU2K) promises, "This is as close to a Jesus Piece experience as you're going to get without standing in front of us."
Jesus Piece has created an effort that never fails to impress, gets to the point and never gets in its own way. And much like their frantic live show, their patented mid-tempo sound is only a jumping off point to chaos- ably utilizing half-speed breakdowns, left-turns into riffage at breakneck speed and moody ambient atmosphere effectively.
Their new single, "Gates of Horn" infuses industrial ambiance juxtaposed against start-stop rhythms that recall classic Ministry, breathing and blasting before merging towards a terrifying, swinging groove. Its accompanying video, directed by Eric Richter takes viewers through a series of recurring nightmares.
"The number one thing is the live performance," says Aponte regarding JP's venomous live reputation. "You can be in the studio and make that record sound insane but if you're not giving that same energy, that same feeling when you play live, it just doesn't matter."
Heard uses a livewire vocal delivery, ala Busta Rhymes, to orchestrate the crowd's kinetic energy- pushing further toward utter mayhem and culminating in a show that stands tall among their genre peers and live music writ large. Jesus Piece is a live phenomenon, only possibly held back by a heretofore limited recorded output. Their time has come with So Unknown, the new and second Jesus Piece LP, the follow-up to their white-hot Only Self.
Co-produced and mixed by Randy LeBouef (Every Time I Die, Orthodox) and clocking in at a lean and mean 28 minutes, So Unknown documents the lives of the bands' five members as they step into life's abyss and react to the changes.
"The making of the record was nothing short of all-consuming. It was an intense and challenging process," recalls Aponte. "The record reflects a lot of confusion, but also, evolution. There was a lot of uncertainty and emotion during the pandemic- we all changed and grew so much. So if there is a single thought or concept to the record, it's constant metamorphosis. That's also how we operated as a band on this LP- spending a lot of time songwriting and fleshing things out as a unit, and then upping our game from there. It's definitely a reflection of us as more mature, playing the best we've ever played and feeling like a real band for the first time."
Jesus Piece is composed of vocalist Aaron Heard, guitarists David Updike and John Distefano, bassist Anthony Marinaro and drummer Luis Aponte. Formed in Philadelphia in 2015, the band released a trio of EPs (the S/T EP, 3 Song Tape and the Malice at the Palace split) before delivering their massive 2018 debut LP for Southern Lord Records, Only Self. The release stood head and shoulders over much of the hardcore and metal crowd, with a diversity that can be credited to the unique approach and chemistry between the members. Hell, even their name bypasses typical hardcore naming conventions and instead originates from a piece of jewelry loved by the hip hop crowd.
"It's been the same five guys from the start," says Aponte. "That's extremely rare for any band and it says a lot about us as we've been able to progress together. We all have our own lives, our own backgrounds and our own individual style. I think that informs the music that we've made from the beginning to now."
Even with a triumphant new LP in pocket, Aponte is quick to come back to Jesus Piece's core competency when it comes to the release, and how they work well with one another. He tells, "A big goal on 'So Unknown' outside of songwriting and technical goals, was to capture the same energy on record that we have live - for people to get that sense of urgency and danger."
...So Unknown sees its release April 14 on Century Media. Next month, Jesus Piece hit the road for an extensive North American tour with peers Show Me The Body, Scowl and ZULU. Highlights include Brooklyn Steel, Los Angeles' Regent Theatre, Metro in Chicago, The Mohawk in Austin, with a hometown show at Philadelphia's Union Transfer to kick it all off. Check below for a full list of dates and to purchase tickets, go here.
Jesus Piece Live Dates
2/09: Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer ~
2/10: Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall ~
2/11: Durham, NC - Motorco ~
2/13: Atlanta, GA - Terminal West ~
2/14: Tampa, FL - The Orpheum ~
2/15: Miami, FL - Gramps ~
2/16: Gainesville, FL - The Wooly ~
2/17: Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea's Live ~
2/18: Dallas, TX - The Studio at The Factory ~
2/19: Houston, TX - Warehouse Live ~
2/21: San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger ~
2/22: Austin, TX - The Mohawk ~
2/24: El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace ~
2/25: Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole ~
2/26: San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick ~
2/28: Orange County, CA - The Observatory ~
3/01: Los Angeles, CA - The Regent ~
3/03: Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz - Vets Hall ~
3/04: Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre ~
3/05: Sacramento, CA - Harlow's ~
3/07: Seattle, WA - Neumos ~
3/08: Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre ~
3/09: Portland, OR - Revolution Hall ~
3/10: Boise, ID - Knitting Factory ~
3/11: Salt Lake City, UT - Soundwell ~
3/12: Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre ~
3/14: Omaha, NE - Slowdown ~
3/15: Minneapolis, MN - Underground Music Venue ~
3/16: Chicago, IL - Metro ~
3/17: Detroit, MI - Tangent Gallery ~
3/18: Toronto, ON - The Opera House ~
3/19: Montreal, QC - Corona ~
3/21: Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club ~
3/22: Albany, NY - Fuze Box ~
3/23: Baltimore, MD - Ottobar ~
3/24: Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel ~
5/23-5/25: Manchester, UK - Outbreak Fest
~ w/ Show Me The Body, Scowl, Zulu
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