The Meads of Asphodel : The Murder of Jesus the Jew
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
What…the hell…is this? OK, The Murder of Jesus the Jew is the fourth full-length release from UK-based experimental black metal act The Meads of Asphodel, but seriously, what the hell is this thing? An album as…unexpected as The Murder of Jesus the Jew is not an easy one to wrap your arms around, especially if classic rock and melodic metal are your bread and butter, so to speak. Still, once the initial shock wore off (and rest assured it took a while), it’s hard not to be impressed at the scope an ambition of what The Meads of Asphodel is doing here.
How best to describe The Murder of Jesus the Jew? It’s black metal, sure, so you can start with the idea of Dimmu Borgir or Emperor, but it spirals out of genre restrictions fairly quickly. For one thing, Sigh’s own Mirai Kawashima provides session keyboards for The Meads of Asphodel, and you can hear his distinct presence clearly, especially on the opening instrumental. There are also some very theatrical elements to this album, which is a conceptual look at the life and times of Jesus. It’s an unconventional and controversial look, but combined with the theatrical approach the album feels like the blasphemous equivalent of Jesus Christ Superstar.
For all the blast-beats, harsh vocals and dark subject matter, The Murder of Jesus the Jew is a strikingly atypical black metal album. It’s a very experimental album, pushing the boundaries of the genre and incorporating lots of different sounds, ranging from atmospheric synths to clean vocals in a music theater style to almost progressive song structures. Even if you don’t walk away from the album a fan of The Meads of Asphodel, you can’t deny the sheer creativity and vision that went into this very complex, very intense, and very troubling album.
Oh, and the full title of the closing track is “A Canticle for the Lost Amputees of Aelia Capitolina Who Have Been Trampled Under the Iron Shod Hooves of Salivating Hell Rams and Impaled on the Shimmering Tusks of Salvation Within the Abandoned Tabernacle of a Bronze Age Myth.” And you thought Dimmu Borgir and Bal-Sagoth had some lengthy titles!
Genre: Black Metal
Band:
Metatron (v)
J.D. Tait (g) (k) (v)
Urakbaranel (d)
Track Listing:
1. Boiled in Hell Broth and Grave Dust
2. My Psychotic Sand Deity
3. Apocalypse of Lazarus
4. Addicted to God
5. Stiller of Tempests
6. Man From Kerioth
7. Dark Gethsemane
8. Jew Killer
9. Genesis of Death
10. From Eagle to Cross
11. Apostle of the Uncircumcised
12. A Canticle for the Lost Amputees of Aelia Capitolina…
Label: Candlelight
Website: http://www.themeadsofasphodel.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10