Final

Not one to waste a second of valuable time that could be spent recording, mixing, or planning yet another side project, Justin K. Broadrick, who so recently stunned critics and fans alike with Jesu’s Silver EP, has bestowed yet another overwhelming release upon us. Comprised of material written and recorded over the last several years (roughly since the time Broadrick’s most renown project, Godflesh, was officially laid to rest), 3 may be a bit perplexing to much of the man’s less fanatical fan base, as it is easily his most minimal, relaxed work. Not quite as sparse nor as abrasive as some of the earlier Final material, most of the tracks spanning across these two 70-minute discs are at least partially based around recognisable melodic progressions, with the occasional burst of either caustic noise or glitch-y, disorganised electronics. In contrast to many efforts of this kind, most of the tracks are quite short, which occasionally kills the mood just as effectively as it keeps the listener awake and interested. However, most of the worst offenders in this case are scattered throughout the first disc — the second passes relatively hitch-free, and even the occasional questionable inclusion cannot undermine the power of many of these compositions. As the previous Final albums are now bordering on impossible to track down, and nowhere near as emotionally satisfying or developed as the material here, 3 exists as the definitive record of Broadrick’s most intensely personal project, and as such, is essential listening for those with open ears and long attention spans.