Jesus Wept – Shows Over

Having never heard of Jesus Wept and with my usual contempt for religion rearing its ugly head, I really didn’t expect much from this album. But this album turned out to be very impressive. For about a month its just laid on my computer desk, collecting dust, then by chance I happened to hear the song Broken Crown. This peaked my interest and I began listening to the CD, over and over. I couldn’t event see what it was that created any disinterest to begin with. The vocals are excellent, like most hardcore bands lately; their scream is much harder than their predecessors. But when the rest of the band lends their voice to the vocals to get the whole group yell going, they hit right on with the hardcore sound that I toil so endlessly to continue finding. The guitarists use a lot of palm mute, but I was extremely happy that there are hardly and chuggy breakdowns. They play a lot of throwdown riffs as well. If you’ve ever listened to Terror, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s the riff that throws the pit into chaos and gets everyone two-stepping and flailing their arms. There’s some pretty good bass lines that you can hear every once in a while, but I’m going to have to say that for about half the time, I could hardly make it out. The drummer in this band is one of the reasons I continue listening. He’s ever so consistent, and every drumbeat on this CD is extremely clean and he’s extremely fast. It’s not too often that you come across an actual hardcore band with a drummer that can use a double-kick this well. All of this came together perfectly, and I enjoyed every minute of this album. The lyrics were pretty good as well, they’re mostly about friends, family, the band member’s pasts and futures, and only one song dedicated to God. I was glad they didn’t push any religion on anyone through their lyrics, the last thing I need is to be preached to (it gets old after having gone to the catholic school system since the age of six).

Jesus Wept is easily one of the best albums I’ve had the privilege of hearing this year. I can usually rely on Strike First records to deliver a good album, and this case is no different. If you have any interest in hardcore, this album will most likely not disappoint you. Just in case you’re curious of what they sound like before hand, Facedown records has their video for Broken Crown up, and I know they have a myspace page. Don’t miss out on hearing this, it was an excellent CD.