Jesse’s Divide-Thirteen Steps-Album Review-Planetmosh.

Staffordshire based noise mongers Jesse’s Divide have not quite outdone Guns And Roses for the eagerly awaited album award but ten years is a helluva long time for their debut studio album Thirteen Steps. Thankfully its eleven scintillating tracks are well worth the wait, point proven by opening track ‘Bad Decisions’. A force of nature main riff, tongue in cheek lyrics, powerchord heaven and a seismic groove make for an early album highlight especially when a molten guitar solo arrives.

‘Free Thinker’ curiously brought to mind Moving Pictures era Rush due to the histrionic vocals of Simon Ward and also his jarring guitar chords until it picks up the pace for a galloping outro of bass guitar blustre from Nick Cotton and an outrageous wah-wah guitar solo.

‘Down Again’ is a growly grungy grinder that could shift the Earths tectonic plates with ease. Lyrics are delivered with a snarl to add to the ire but a brief respite comes midway from a folk tinged midsection until all hell breaks loose from a fiery guitar solo.

‘Long Time Coming’ is a glorious feel good number of Edge like guitar work pinned down by powerful bass. Lyrics bring a message of hope and it ends on howling feedback and an air guitar inducing outro. Maybe the song title is to do with the album release?

‘Fyre!’ is a wham bam thank you glam rocker to fire up any dancefloor.

‘Thirteen Steps’ increases the numbers for a solid gold twenty four carat hairy headbanger of speaker rattling power. Its rampant riffing and high pitched vocals are sheer preciseness!

The claustrophobic rhythms of ‘Jajvam’ bury this pounder under a cloak of doom. Riffs are thick and fast, lyrics are soul searching as a touch of calm comes from some welcome “Whoa oh oh’s”.

Another tub thumper courtesy of the drumming from Rob Barnes sees ‘The One’ open with distorted bass to rattle your ears. Riffs hit hard and heavy but the spotlight is stolen by creepy lyrics that send shivers down the spine.

‘Hollow Throne’ by far is the heaviest song here as they whip up a wall of sound akin to Ministry in their prime as four minutes of fury tackled my tinnitus.

‘Anubis’ bounces along on sturdy kick drumming, rock hard riffs, a dreamy vocal and eases out on calm bass lines and percussion.

This fine debut ends on the blink and you’ll miss it forty one seconds of ‘SYCM, a curious lilting guitar piece.

Fittingly, the band class themselves as “Big smiles, big melodies and even bigger bar tabs!”

Album purchase link and band info are here :- https://jessesdivide.bigcartel.com/product/thirteen-steps I https://www.facebook.com/JessesDivide I http://www.jessesdivide.com/ I https://jessesdivide.bandcamp.com/ I https://www.youtube.com/user/JessesDivide

Thirteen Steps album track listing :-

Bad Decisions.

Free Thinker.

Down Again.

Long Time Coming.

Fyre!

Thirteen Steps.

Jajvam.

The One.

Hollow Throne.

Anubis.

SYCM.

Jesse’s Divide band line up :-

Simon Ward – Guitar/Vocals.

Nick Cotton – Bass Guitar.

Rob Barnes – Drums.