JESUS ON EXTASY

Beloved Enemy

Release: May 02nd, 2008

Post-industrial revolution schemes
Phases of decline have frequently proved to be an unusually fertile breeding ground for the arts. This was particularly striking around the fin de siècle, when frivolity and a lust for life collided with regression and an apocalyptic atmosphere, resulting in an expression of very individual aesthetics. Today, only a few years after the beginning of the new millennium, there are increasing signs of change in many areas. Faltering social systems, a society that has gone slightly haywire, a state of emergency in education and crises in the cultural industry provide ample reason for pessimism. At the same time, a climate of change is once more bearing artistic fruit, in artists such as JESUS ON EXTASY. For all those who still require evidence of this fact, the five musicians have now come up with their new album, "Beloved Enemy".

When vocalist and pianist Dorian Deveraux and guitarist Chai founded the band in Germany’s Ruhr region back in 2005, they decided to dedicate themselves to nothing less than revolutionising a genre which had used itself up. They felt that industrial music, originally the soundtrack of the machine age, had become obsolete with the demise of the heavy industries. The time had arrived for sounds which combined the decay, which was perceptible all over the Ruhr, with euphoric elements - in other words, for JESUS ON EXTASY’s hedonistic mix of post-industrial and glam rock.

Starting by measures
Their self-produced "Assassinate Us" EP gave a first impression of how this might sound. Some time later, JESUS ON EXTASY were offered an opportunity to join the billing of the nationally renowned Bochum Total festival, playing in front of 6000 people - a chance that the band proceeded to make the most of. Their infective performance paved the way for the release of their brilliant debut, "Holy Beauty", a multi-faceted musical search for the beauty that lies behind the obvious.

Although Dorian’s dream of debating topics such as Chopin, literature and fashion with musicians like Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, Brian Molko and Marilyn Manson over a glass of wine hasn’t come true yet, JESUS ON EXTASY succeeded in conquering the dancefloors by storm with catchy and at the same time independent numbers such as "Assassinate Me" and their ingenious Chameleons cover "2nd Skin". The line-up was completed by guitarist Alicia Vayne (ex-Pain), keyboardist Ophelia Dax (a graduate pianist who toured with Rya before joining the band) and drummer BJ and embarked on a successful tour of Germany’s club scene. Their dynamic and visually appealing performance ensured another surge in popularity. The only question was: Would Dorian & Co. be able to uphold their standard?

Attracting opposites
"Beloved Enemy", the quintet’s second longplayer, provides an unequivocal answer: Yes! The album presents a consistent development of the group’s original approach, containing a wealth of new ideas: "Beloved Enemy" is a reincarnation in a new sonic outfit. The musical range between phat rock guitars ("Change The World"), noisily furious eruptions ("Lies"), nervous sequencer parts ("You Don’t Know Anything") and melancholy piano sprinklings ("Sometimes") has been expanded again, yet these elements never appear isolated but come together, uniting or contrasting, always creating a diverse sonic cosmos which seems to care even less about conventions than "Holy Beauty". It’s not the stylistic pigeonhole, but the song itself that matters. JESUS ON EXTASY are a band of contrasts, not only in musical terms. Dorian, for example, had classical piano training and studied literature before he decided to concentrate on the music business. He loves the theatre, is interested in the fine arts, but has always liked to party in clubs, preferably moving in so-called sub-culture circles. So it comes as no surprise that he has a wealth of impressions to draw from in his lyrics, which the experiences of the past year have expanded even further.

Accusations that the band is a mere casting product, over-reactions from peers who misinterpret the criticism intended in the name, JESUS ON EXTASY, as a simplistic, blasphemous provocation, title stories in music magazines, and the extreme lifestyle on tour - all these elements contributed to the playful love stories and self-reflections of their debut giving way to an examination of the abysmal depths of humanity. "Dead Presidents", for example, centres on people’s willingness to sell themselves for a handful of dollars. In spite of this, the band has maintained its affinity to pop music on "Beloved Enemy", succumbing to it more than ever on tracks such as "Stuck".

Music of the future
Glittering despair? Danceable side blows against society? JESUS ON EXTASY merge apparent opposites and serve the haunting result with an attractive portion of glamour as the cherry on the cake. This unusual mélange makes an international career highly plausible. Backed by a strong album like "Beloved Enemy", there shouldn’t be much to stop this band in 2008. The post-industrial music revolution is under wayÖ