Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Jasta
Label: Century Media
Release: 2011
Length: 44:16
Rating: 4.7/5
After twenty years of pouring himself into music, the moment has arrived that some could barely wait for, and plenty of others dreaded. Dreaded, because the music world is crawling with moments when idols decide to do something of their own, something that’s theirs alone, and simply kick into the dark, disappoint, and the untouchable icons end up dirty and defiled. This time, though, you can’t call it a half-hearted jaunt beyond the permitted, because Jamey Jasta has lined up a dozen reasons for you to like him even more after listening than before. True – Jasta is a franchise, whether you’re selling clothes, music or attitude, and the long-awaited debut follows suit all the way to the core.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhULCo-7-vE
The rawness of punk and HC shakes hands this time with a carefree mix of Killswitch Engage-style metalcore standards, and in the juicy, groove-packed manner of the excellent Kingdom Of Sorrow, Jamey adds value and goes from promises to action right away, no stalling. Jasta is an interesting dude because, besides his explicit commitment to melody, he doesn’t scatter flower petals with needless sugarcoating and sucking up. Walk That Path Alone is proof that the road ahead is full of adrenaline, sweat and overheated neck muscles, since in his guttural, raging mantra Jasta sounds much more like the golden days of Pantera than like a star-obsessed fashion guru, MTV host and toothless pushover with the spine of a Haribo gummy bear. He needed that spine to successfully defy and escape the demons of intoxication and self-destruction that a whole army of fellow musicians fell to. Fell, yes, but of their own free will, while Jasta picked the path of musical therapy and work ethic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBwzzqj73PM
Mourn The Illusion carries on toward the goal he’s set, and alongside the HC rage some not-at-all-annoying melody sneaks into the whole, where the rhythmic interplay of the Bellmore brothers meshes nicely with Jasta’s rummaging through the realms of the dreamy and the spiritual. Definitely not a nightmarish intermezzo in the slightest, after which the cannonade of Screams From Sanctuary erupts from the speakers, and under it the rebellion against the onslaught of everyday banality melts away and vanishes at speed, while Nothing They Say, admittedly a somewhat standard-sounding track, finishes the job. In the pit in front of the stage, a tear or two will no doubt be shed by everyone who’s after groove and perfect guitar riffs, where less can be more eloquent than cramming in too many notes. What’s food for thought is that Jasta is anything but just a throat-shredding rabble-rouser, because this metal man of a guy can actually sing and modulate syllables that every music-loving fan of the beautiful and the noisy can understand. Jamey sounds like he could easily fill the gap in Soilwork if the mic stand ever changes hands (and if he decides to move from the US to the somewhat chillier world of Sweden’s Viking villages …).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7VQS71EJy8
Anthem Of The Freedom Fighter is best explained by Jasta himself, who writes in the accompanying text: “What would you do if all your basic human rights were taken away, if you had no food, no shelter, no basic necessities, no safety?” Jamey dedicates the track to UFC fighter Shane Carwin, but instead of a hymn to one single man, Jasta weaves a veil that offers a grain of comfort to all the oppressed and humiliated – in the name of freedom. And so we don’t split hairs over every track on the record, let’s zoom out for a slightly more global view. More than the hard-hitting trio centered on the charisma, persona and throat of Hatebreed’s frontman, what grabs your attention is the rich lineup of eminent guests who give the record an even shinier gleam. First to show up, on Something You Should Know, is All That Remains vocalist Phil Labonte, and while the track isn’t especially earth-shattering, it’ll no doubt be just right for besieging rock-friendly radio waves. The next sweet moment that blows away anyone caught off guard is Enslaved, Dead Or Depraved, the best moment on the whole record. Granite chunks tear themselves out of the ground and, like shrapnel, shred everything that’s been souring your life for a while, and the full thanks go, besides Jasta, to what I personally consider the best vocal demon in metal hell – Lamb Of God singer Randy Blythe!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKMtFsDaCN0
The line of outstanding guest spots is continued by the talented metalcore orator Tim Lambesis, who, despite not gracing another As I Lay Dying release, pushes With A Resounding Voice to new heights. Just when you wonder what else the record could possibly offer, the bearded man of the guitar Wild West steps up – Zakk Wylde, for whom the playful tempo of the screaming The Fearless Must Endure is tailor-made, damn well. The track’s guitar rhythm and drums slightly recall Rob Zombie, but you simply don’t sweat details like that, because this colorful parade of names, good music and joy flies by fast. The next moments, in Heart Of Warrior , are devoted to strengthening ties with a skate legend – Mike Vallely. Not everything has to be perfect and shiny, because it’s precisely the primal charge that makes the heart beat faster and makes both living and dying easier. In that fighting spirit comes the home stretch with the big finale of Death Bestowed, where the cherry on top is added by an outstanding guitar demigod – Lamb Of God’s six-string virtuoso Mark Morton. Just as the first dance unexpectedly kicked off with brutal groove and violently painful honesty, after one last guitar farewell it wraps up in the style of the greats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRvCzF7kNmw
A trembling hand rises toward the sky with the horns up, and in your head echoes one big, constant, repeating wish for more. Jasta has justified his greatness and delivered something that was simply worth waiting this long for, and because of it we’ll be glancing nervously at the calendar for a while yet, waiting for him to announce – whenever he does, of course – the next act in a story set up in brilliant style. Though there’s nothing here you haven’t heard before, the string of fresh, shiny, roaring American metal has gained one more record, one that will no doubt swell the legions of believers on both sides of the Atlantic, and Jamey Jasta will no doubt go down in the annals as one of the most important co-creators of the myth of greatness, uncompromising attitude and brilliant talent of the soldiery of the new millennium. This time we can honestly say, with a clear conscience, only one thing: “Horns up, Jasta!”
Lineup
Jamey Jasta – vocals
Charlie Bellmore – bass, guitar
Nick Bellmore – drums
Guest musicians:
• Randy Blythe – vocals on ‘Enslaved, Dead Or Depraved’
• Tim Lambesis – vocals on ‘With a Resounding Voice’
• Phil Labonte – vocals on ‘Something You Should Know’
• Zakk Wylde – guitar on ‘The Fearless Must Endure’
• Mark Morton – guitar on ‘Death Bestowed’
• Mike Valley – vocals on ‘Heart of Warrior’
Production
Jamey Jasta
Tracklist
1. Walk That Path Alone
2. Mourn The Illusion
3. Screams From The Sanctuary
4. Nothing They Say
5. Anthem Of The Freedom Fighter
6. Something You Should Know (Feat. Phil Labonte)
7. Set You Adrift
8. Enslaved, Dead Or Depraved (Feat. D.Randall Blythe)
9. With A Resounding Voice (Feat. Tim Lambesis)
10. The Fearless Must Endure (Feat. Zakk Wylde)
11. Heart Of Warrior (Feat. Mike Vallely)
12. Death Bestowed (Feat. Mark Morton)
