“The response is not what I expected and it’s not something I’m gonna get used to,” the singer/guitarist confides.
Those familiar with Justin Broadrick may find his awe at such positive receptions odd considering his staggering musical legacy. As a founding member of Napalm Death, he essentially co-created grindcore at fourteen, after which he spearheaded the brutally low-tempo Godflesh, whose contributions to metal would require pages upon which to expound.
However, after over a decade, the elements that defined Godflesh atrophied and became a creative noose for Broadrick, who ended the band in 2002 and immersed himself in a cathartic process of writing songs unburdened by past triumphs and future expectations. He emerged two years later with material that became Jesu’s first EP, Heartache. The album’s acclaim came as a shock to no one except Broadrick.
“When I split Godflesh, I thought that the days of having vaguely popular records were over.” – Justin Broadrick
“When I split Godflesh, I thought that the days of having vaguely popular records were over,” he says. “I thought being this self-indulgent, I’d lose fans more than anything. It’s really quite accidental that this has become popular in any sense.”
Considering the critical praise Jesu’s releases have garnered, the self-indulgence Broadrick drew upon to construct Jesu’s sound has obviously resonated. Conqueror, a melding of Broadrick’s signature down-tuned heaviness, mantra-like repetition, and submerged harmonies with Red House Painters-inspired pop undertones, is no exception. Markedly more melodic and emotionally uplifting – at times gloriously rousing – than previous releases, Conqueror’s redemptive essence is the culmination of the changes Broadrick has undergone since the band’s inception.
“I think most of my music has been autobiographical. Everything is written from an emotionally instinctive, extremely sensitive standpoint,” he says referencing Conqueror. “Throughout the last few years I’ve managed to conquer some of my own fears. It’s been like a rebirth for me. I finally let the light into my life. Some people would’ve found God through these experiences, whereas for me, I just found myself.”
As someone who has contributed so much to music, Broadrick is momentarily stopped in his tracks when asked what gifts music has offered in return.
After some thought, he responds, “The gift is music itself. Somehow I’m able to translate ideas through music and I can use that as a vehicle for the only sense of spirituality I seem to have. I don’t see how I could exist without music. I’m incapable of doing anything else.”
– Story by Frank Parisi, photo by Tina Korhonen