Jasta – Jasta

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Not content with consistently producing albums fronting Hatebreed, or taking a break by co-fronting Kingdom of Sorrow with Kirk Windstein, Jamey Jasta now releases his first solo album, and it might just be the best thing he’s ever recorded. Augmented by Kingdom of Sorrow guitarist Charlie Bellmore and his drummer brother Nick, and strewn with special guests, Jasta is as heavy as his other work without being as in-your-face aggressive as Hatebreed or as doomy as Kingdom of Sorrow. Out of the twelve tracks, half are outright solo efforts and half feature a guest either on vocals or on guitar. The guests are saved for the second half of the disc, and perhaps unsurprisingly the most aggressive tracks are Enslaved, Dead Or Depraved, which features Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe and With A Resounding Voice with As I Lay Dying front-man Tim Lambesis. Elsewhere guitarist Zakk Wylde stamps his trademark sound all over The Fearless Must Endure, All That Remains vocalist Phil Labonte shares duties on a melodic alt-metal Something You Should Know, professional skateboarder Mike Vallely gives away his lack of singing ability as he shouts over the choruses to two-minuter Heart of A Warrior, and Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton provides the tasty leads for Death Bestowed. In terms of highlights, it’s actually the purely solo offerings which shine the brightest. The early Killswitch Engage of excellent Mourn The Illusion, balls out Walk That Path Alone, leading light Nothing They Say and crushingly heavy groover Anthem of A Freedom Fighter serve to make the first album of the album much better than the second, and the second half is no slouch. Jasta appears to be able to do no wrong right now.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2011, Albums, Hardcore/Metalcore, Quick.Play Reviews, Jasta