Zola Jesus - "Okovi"

Now, being someone who enjoys a whole lot of dark and gloomy music, when Zola Jesus signed with Sacred Bones records back in 2009 I was expecting great things.  Now, her debut album, I wasn't too wild about.  A lot of the time the song structures I felt were just a little too loose, and I didn't think some of the heavier moments were pushed hard enough.  However, there were brilliant moments for sure, and one thing Zola did have down was her atmosphere.  I mean, this thing was seriously twisted in its atmosphere, and that alone made it an interesting listen.  However, Zola started really picking her game up with 2010's "Stridulum" EP.  This EP was so much cleaner and bigger in sound.  Zola's much cleaner vocals here lead to some seriously stunning moments as well.  And most importantly, she started to really carve out her signature sound in a very darkly tinged Synth Pop.  Zola sadly let me down a little with her next album, 2011's "Conatus".  This album sonically had a lot of the same elements that her previous works had.  But The songwriting and structure were often all over the place.  The Synth Pop elements Zola brought in were solid and all, but overall this album didn't suck me in like I thought it would.  Zola started to then go into some stranger territory.  On 2013's "Versions", I loved how she came out into the spotlight more for some more stunning vocal passages.  But I dunno, I just felt like some of these instrumentals were incredibly boring.  And boy oh boy, my thoughts on 2014's "Taiga" are even harsher.  This album showed Zola going even more headfirst into the Synth Pop genre, which once again is fine.   But she continued to sell herself so short.  Zola's vocals were just so huge, in the right atmosphere I felt like she could easily release something completely legendary.  But oh my LORD, these new singles are literally exactly what I've been dying to hear from Zola.  Literally, she's singing with more passion than I've ever heard, and most importantly she's incorporating so much more of an intense atmosphere.  I don't want to waste another minute, let's talk about this!
This album starts off with “Doma”, and this is exactly the intro I wanted to hear from Zola.  I’ve always wanted her to focus 100% on atmosphere, which she certainly does here, and what a haunting atmosphere this is.  I love how Zola is practically chanting among this very chamber-like atmosphere,  and it’s just so effective at getting under your skin.  I mean clearly, there really isn't that much to truly take in with this, but as an intro, it’s absolutely what I wanted to hear.  Not to mention that repeated line of “Take Me Home” is just so powerful.  Then we have “Exhumed” which seriously wakes you up very quickly.  The strings that dominate this track are just so sharp, the almost industrial percussion in the back is so calculating, and I can’t remember the last time Zola sounded so comfortable.  Her voice here sounds absolutely ridiculous.  The sheer intensity of this one as a whole, however, is really what drives it home.  This is the sort of claustrophobic atmosphere I’ve wanted to hear Zola dive into years ago.  But my friends, it’s truly worth the wait.  Leading up to this album, I just really wanted more than anything for Zola to take her sound and go all out with it.  And that’s exactly what “Exhumed” is.  There are plenty of DarkWave elements, and some Industrial Metal as well.  Call it whatever you want, Zola sounds in control of all of it.  Then we have tracks like “Soak” which come off more patient, which is just fine by me.  Zola’s music has gotten so much bigger recently that she does have more room to breathe.  As far as her vocals go, I continue to be completely blown away by just how overpowering Zola sounds.  Like, she was so shy on some of her early recordings.  But on “Soak” she sounds like a real star.  Not to mention, I love how dark this all is.  And yes, I’m aware that you can say that about any old Zola Jesus track.  But the material on “Okovi” is next level darkness (I swear, I was so tempted to drop an “ADVANCED DARKNESS” SpongeBob reference).  Seriously though, the upped production values and the gigantic atmosphere here makes “Soak” seriously twisted.  Not to mention, that album cover is just so perfect for this material, because I barely feel like I can breathe half the time.  And some of those high notes that Zola topples over here?  Girl, you sound RIDICULOUS. This track is absolutely stunning.   “Ash To Bone” on the other hand caught me a little off guard, sounding so much more like a classic Pop ballad with some Zola Jesus twists.  I do like the seriously somber tone to this, that one cello note constantly being played is just so powerful.  Not to mention, Zola’s performance is commendable as far as lyrics and vocals go.  Also, any fan of Chelsea Wolfe’s “Abyss” will get on board with this track immediately.  But the lack of that killer atmosphere turns me off to this one sadly, making “Ash To Bone” just alright.

    On the other hand, “Witness” is soft and shows a much more tender sign of Zola once again.  But in this instance, it actually comes off seriously breathtaking, and hearing Zola in this very bare atmosphere with just her booming vocals dominating is stunning.  The strings that populate most of the background end up making this one a serious tear jerker.  Now I’ll admit this one doesn’t have the same lasting power as earlier tracks.  But it’s refreshing to hear Zola in this much more heart felt performance mode.  Not to mention, it just really nails home the fact that this is easily Zola’s most personal album to date.  As this album goes on, it’s evident that Zola is certainly making up for lost time with ballads.  The only reason that doesn’t get stale however, is because she keeps switching up these instrumentals just enough.  “Siphon” has a very dreary synth pop sound to it.  The atmosphere is just as crushing, and every single second of the verses lead up to this gigantic anthemic chorus.  At the end of the day, Zola Jesus is mastering the art of Arena Pop for Goth’s, which is certainly a tough job.  But let’s be honest, she’s doing one hell of a job, because he hooks on this album are just so memorable.  Not to mention, I love how gigantic and explosive these industrial sized synths and drums are.  It’s pretty damn epic to say the least.  However, “Veka” quickly throws us right back into the pits of hell pretty harshly.  This is easily the darkest thing we’ve heard in quite a while on here, but it ends up working so well.  I love the twisted sound effects and that heavily synthetic beat.  It’s just such a driving beat, and those icy synths and her monotonous howl over everything is just so powerful.  There really haven’t been too many long tracks on here.  But hearing “Veka”, I sort of wish there were more long ones.  Hearing her really getting into this very abstract atmosphere is just so hypnotizing.  This track is easily the darkest Synth Pop tune I’ve heard in ages, but it ends up sticking with you so much.  Zola’s performance is hypnotizing, but it has a strong enough dance groove to really hit home.  But don’t get to comfortable on the Goth dance floor, because “Wiseblood” once again takes things down a sort of Ballad road for Zola.  And to be honest, I’m really not even pissed to hear it, she’s certainly proved that she can take this sound and put it to the next level. And while I sort of wish that this one had more instrumentals to fill in some of this atmosphere, I think Zola’s performance is more than capable of making this track listenable.  I mean, her very haunting vocals and that steady synth beat in the background are just so hypnotic.  Not to mention, Zola continues to seriously write unbelievably memorable, Arena sized pop hooks.  I do wish that “Wiseblood” make had maybe a little more oomph in these instrumentals, kinda like what we get in that last minute.  But still, I’m totally happy with the way this track and this whole album has come out.

    Now I’m not going to lie, “NMO” doesn’t really do much for me.  I mean, it’s only a minute long, but if Zola wanted to do something truly memorable she easily could have presented a claustrophobic interlude for the ages.   If she made “NMO” more intense, this could have been absolutely dread inducing.  But it just ends up being a minute of filler that sort of messes up the flow.  On the other hand, Zola bounces back strong with “Remains”.  Just from this intro, you can sort of guess that we’re getting another ballad.  But then out of nowhere, this beat drops, and “Remains” quickly becomes the most upbeat track here by far.  All of a sudden we have Zola breaking into territory that she’s never touched, and it’s GOOD.  To be honest, I really feel like this is what she was going for with her “Taiga” album.  But this overall is just so much more interesting, intense and thought provoking.  Not to mention, this very upbeat instrumental keeps things seriously intense and raw.  Zola ends this album off with “Half Life”, which is the sort of stunning ending that honestly I really wanted to hear Zola touch down on.  These strings here are just so stunning, and Zola’s haunting melodies floating in the background truly make this a chilling track.  But it’s what I expect to hear at the end of an album like this, from a label like Sacred Bones.  But the synth beat and that great industrial beat really rounds this one off well, and give this a real Zola Jesus finale feel.  This track and this album are brilliant, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Zola.

Rating: 8.5/10

Give A Listen To: “Exhumed”, “Soak”, “Siphon”, “Veka”

Genre: Gothic Pop / DarkWave / Synth Pop / Industrial

If You Dig This, Check Out:  Zola Jesus - “Conatus”, Chelsea Wolfe - “Abyss”, Marissa Nadler - “Strangers”

Overall Thoughts:  In every single way, this is the album that I wanted to hear from Zola Jesus.  For years, I've been dying for Zola to branch out, get more in depth with her atmosphere's, and really let loose.  That's what we get here.  There are booming industrial blasts, gigantic strings, and Zola sounds absolutely incredible.  Not to mention, this is easily one of the most personal albums Zola has even touched.  If you're into dark music and love big choruses and gigantic performances, this is a must listen.