HO HO WHO?: Jesu is Justin Broadrick‘s latest project, a name you might remember from his work in “I’ve seen kids in all black wearing that t-shirt” bands like Godflesh and Napalm Death. More post-rock than grindcore, Jesu has just released the digital-only Christmas EP, which he describes as being “inspired by the onset of the Christmas period and the emotions and feelings of nostalgia, joy and sadness that the period evokes.” Judging by that description, Broadrick still sounds plenty heavy.

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR:  For those about to rock around the Christmas tree, a truly righteous metal holiday song can be hard to come by. Luckily, Jesu’s careening compositions spare us the requisite jingle bell jangling and replaces it with “Christmas,” a nearly 9 minute mood piece conjuring the bleak desolation of a half empty bottle and an oncoming blizzard. The EP also includes two remixes by other Broadrick projects, Pale Sketcher and FINAL, both of which sound even chillier than the original.

…TO PULL THE TRIGGER: The holidays are tough for everyone. Swelling downbeat crescendos don’t make them any easier to take. Existential angst is a-ok with The Sleigher every other day of the year, but can’t he at least feign some joy on Christmas?

CHEER FACTOR: 8/10. If you’re planning on holing up in your childhood bedroom with one song this holiday season, you couldn’t do much better than Jesu’s “Christmas.”

LISTEN: Jesu’s “Christmas”