Jesus Piece’s “Tunnel Vision” kicks off with an atonal riff straight out of the black metal playbook before settling into a piledriving double-kick section and then into a half-speed wrecking ball. The single, which frontman Aaron Heard says is inspired by “the renewed drive for success that comes along with being a new parent,” is the latest preview into their forthcoming, highly anticipated new album, …So Unknown (Century Media) out April 14.

Jesus Piece gallantly broke onto the scene, turning heads for their feral live shows and grandiose, melodic songwriting which has since cemented them as standard stirrers and boundary-breakers. On …So Unknown, their Century Media debut, listeners ascend to the apex of metal and hardcore– where a mix of complex instrumentation is led by a manic, shaman-like vocal delivery from frontman Aaron Heard. It’s a cluster bomb of ten anthems, bursting at the seams with memorable riffs and pulsing with fresh ideas. Drummer Luis Aponte (LU2K) promises, “This is as close to a Jesus Piece experience as you’re going to get without standing in front of us.” 

Jesus Piece has created an effort that never fails to impress, gets to the point, and never gets in its own way. And much like their frantic live show, their patented mid-tempo sound is only a jumping-off point to chaos- ably utilizing half-speed breakdowns, left turns into riffage at breakneck speed, and moody ambient atmosphere effectively. 

Heard uses a livewire vocal delivery, ala Busta Rhymes, to orchestrate the crowd’s kinetic energy— pushing further toward utter mayhem and culminating in a show that stands tall among their genre peers and live music writ large. Jesus Piece is a live phenomenon, only possibly held back by a heretofore limited recorded output. Their time has come with So Unknown, the new and second Jesus Piece LP, the follow-up to their white-hot Only Self. Co-produced and mixed by Randy LeBouef (Every Time I Die, Orthodox) and clocking in at a lean and mean 28 minutes, So Unknown documents the lives of the bands’ five members as they step into life’s abyss and react to the changes. 

Jesus Piece is composed of vocalist Aaron Heard, guitarists David Updike and John Distefano, bassist Anthony Marinaro and drummer Luis Aponte. Formed in Philadelphia in 2015, the band released a trio of EPs (the S/T EP, 3 Song Tape, and the Malice at the Palace split) before delivering their massive 2018 debut LP for Southern Lord Records, Only Self. The release stood head and shoulders over much of the hardcore and metal crowd, with a diversity that can be credited to the unique approach and chemistry between the members. Hell, even their name bypasses typical hardcore naming conventions and instead originates from a piece of jewelry loved by the hip-hop crowd. 

Jesus Piece kicked off their massive North American tour with a sold out hometown show in Philadelphia last week. The run continues on through March with peers Show Me The Body, Scowl, ZULU. Highlights include Brooklyn Steel, Los Angeles’ Regent Theatre, Metro in Chicago, The Mohawk in Austin and more. Check below for a full list of dates and to purchase tickets, go here.

Jesus Piece Live Dates:

2/13: Atlanta, GA – Terminal West ~
2/14: Tampa, FL – The Orpheum ~
2/15: Miami, FL – Gramps ~
2/16: Gainesville, FL – The Wooly ~
2/17: Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live ~
2/18: Dallas, TX – The Studio at The Factory ~
2/19: Houston, TX – Warehouse Live ~
2/21: San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger ~
2/22: Austin, TX – The Mohawk ~
2/24: El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace ~
2/25: Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole ~
2/26: San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick ~
2/28: Orange County, CA – The Observatory ~
3/01: Los Angeles, CA – The Regent ~
3/03: Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz – Vets Hall ~
3/04: Berkeley, CA – UC Theatre ~
3/05: Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s ~
3/07: Seattle, WA – Neumos ~ 
3/08: Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre ~ 
3/09: Portland, OR – Revolution Hall ~ 
3/10: Boise, ID – Knitting Factory ~
3/11: Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell ~ 
3/12: Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre ~ 
3/14: Omaha, NE – Slowdown ~
3/15: Minneapolis, MN – Underground Music Venue ~
3/16: Chicago, IL – Metro ~
3/17: Detroit, MI – Tangent Gallery ~
3/18: Toronto, ON – The Opera House ~
3/19: Montreal, QC – Corona ~
3/21: Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club ~
3/22: Albany, NY – Fuze Box ~
3/23: Baltimore, MD – Ottobar ~
3/24: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel ~
5/23-5/25: Manchester, UK – Outbreak Fest

 ~ w/ Show Me The Body, Scowl, Zulu