3 out of 5

Label: Subsound Records

Produced by: Dano Battocchio (live recording), Lorenzo Stecconi (live sound engineer)

So, look: it’s okay to not be hyperbolic about stuff. I think that there are certain bands that encourage calling various releases the bestest things ever, and “extreme” (or extremely experimental) acts like Ruins or Zu can tend to fall under that bestest-ever banner; as though the relative oddity of their music becomes hard to qualify, and so, geez, each release is 1000% amazing. Thus, were you to bring such bands together for one co-release… 2000%, if not more.

Obviously my opinion forever remains that: an opinion; furthermore, I’ve only read a small scattering of reviews of Jassisdead Live, the live recording of the aforementioned bands’ concluding show of their 2024 tour, so probably there are some takes out there that are more critical, but my narrow view brought up only those who were filled with nothing but praise. And I’m confused.

I mean, on actual reviewerly terms I’m not; this is a pretty good idea – Massimo Pupillo and Luca T. Mai, as Zu, have been kicking metal and jazz’s ass since the early 00s, raging bass and saxophone across a slew of wild material with semi-regularly rotating drummers; putting Tatsuya Yoshida of hardcore zuehl act Ruins in that spot seems about right. Where I get a little plus/minus on the goodness of the idea is in not making this a new project (despite the creative ‘RuinsZu’ name), but rather having the trio do takes of each other’s songs. That’s conceptually cool, but upon learning that, my eagerness for the teamup diminished somewhat, as there’s enough crossover in sound between the bands that I couldn’t really see what that format would offer. Add in that it’s a live recording, and my skepticism goes up even more.

When it comes to live stuff, my criteria is generally that I want something that justifies the recording: give me a sense of the show, and how / why it couldn’t be produced in studio (or how the live experience produces something unique from the studio); if you are just covering the songs, and often with less fidelity than the properly recorded stuff…

Jassisdead Live is a good recording. Dano Battocchio / Lorenzo Stecconi seem to have it mic-ed well to pick up all the instruments (and vocals) effectively, and Stecconi’s mix / master gives a good punch to the low end, lets Tatsuya’s vocal yelp hang out with the loud sounds, and keeps the bass and sax in good competition. But it still has the marks of a live show: it’s flatter than a studio recording by far, and the highs feel a bit muted, and the lows a bit fuzzy. I switch over to the originals of any of these songs, and they just… sound better. It’s one of those “you had to be there” type of shows, I think; the recording is quality, but doesn’t sell the experience directly.

And yeah, you might as well switch to the originals. This leans more on Ruins tunes than Zu, but the selections are from (I think) four albums: Zu’s Bromeo and Igneo; Ruins’ Hyderomastgroningem and Burning Stone, and apparently each band chose what to select from the others’ material. Tatsuya definitely makes the Zu tracks more drum focused, adding extra beats and fills – the stuff sounds slightly less post rock and more Ruins-y – but still, tracks like Asmodeo and Mar Glaciale Artico are smartly not fussed with too much; he does his job. Similarly, while we get sax added into the Ruins material, it’s often following the vocals or bass or synth lines, and not doing something off the beaten path. It’s cool but not different. Again: “you had to be there.”

I bet it was wild to see all these maestros on stage, and knowing each band separately and their history bringing them to this point… yup, cool. They had to learn the others’ parts, which are different from how they’d approach their own material. Conceptually cool. And if this earned Zu fans interest in Ruins or vice versa, amazing!

So, no, it’s not the bestest thing ever from either act. It’s put together well; it’s a consistent live recording. But overall, I’m not sure I have much reason to listen to this instead of the original tracks.