Jesu

It's been four years since Justin Broadrick firmly broke out of industrial/metal enclaves with 2007 Jesu album Conqueror. Although for fans, it's not like there hasn't been a wealth of Jesu or Broadrick material to sift through in the interim, with EPs, singles, splits, reissues, albums under other aliases, Godflesh reunion shows and a whole slew of more experimental material filtering out at an alarmingly productive rate. Ascension picks up the same shoegazing template pursued by Conqueror, but the wall of guitars isn't quite as thick and the melodic and emotional scope underpinning the songs is decidedly more pronounced. Between Jesu and his more electronic Pale Sketcher project, Broadrick has become a lot more inviting to listen to in recent years, and unlike previous Jesu outings, Ascension doesn't even require a predisposition towards aggressive music to enjoy. For anyone who's been looking for a way into this innovator's intimidating catalogue, this is it.