Zola Jesus - Exhumed

Nika Roza Danilova is a strange presence in music, she creates dark atmospheres that can make you shiver and make goosebumps prickle around your skin. The cold and industrial instrumentations that she favors joint to her portentous voice, make us think of a gothic ice princess, a scary version of Frozen's Elsa.

In Exhumed, the lead single of her new album, we find that this princess has decided to take her kingdom to war and that she'll be the warrior that leads her army to fight against the obscure soldiers of Death. Danilova has stated that in the last two years, death has surrounded her loved ones in different ways, and this has driven her to a state of anger that is palpable from the opening raging violins in Exhumed, she's ready to make a cathartic chant to channel her fury.

Exhumed is her most feral side. "Bury the tongue between the teeth, open the jaw and sink in deep", she commands, aggressive and merciless. She knows very well that Death will always win the war, but she refuses to let her conquer this battle, and bares her teeth in tense percussions and agonizing laments to buy her kingdom more time, while at the same time, she inspires her warriors in the background, repeating to them "let it sink, don't let it hold you down", as a mantra.

Raw and obscure, Zola Jesus transformed her inner pain in a martial song to portray an existential fight, one that is hard to endure but that will leave us with a deeper understanding of our own sense of life. It's not music for everyone, but the rewards for those who decide to join Zola Jesus in her battle are totally worth the investment.