Esses Pain At The Altar Of Jest

Dark ethereal post-goth from the Pacific Northwest for fans of Chelsea Wolfe, Esben & the Witch and Marriages

Oakland-born, now Portland-based post-goth outfit ESSES return with their 3rd LP, Pain at the Altar of Jest--their most expansive and intentional work to date. Written after a move to the Pacific Northwest, the album draws influence from the city and it's scene, it's surrounding landscape, and a shift in the band's dynamic: the addition of John Chap and Kel stepping forward as both front-person and guitarist. Deconstructing their own sound, ESSES rebuilt from scratch--letting ancestral threads, dreams, and post-pandemic disillusionment shape a vivid lyrical mythology. Tracked with Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios, the songs came together with trust, urgency, and clarity. No filler--just raw, carved intention.

Pain at the Altar of Jest is a hauntingly atmospheric masterpiece that holds you by the throat. Imagine the feral, gothic undercurrents of Esben & the Witch - tribal drum-pounding and cavernous guitars that feel simultaneously primordial and modern ; match that with the spellbinding trance-energy of Chelsea Wolfe's stormy atmospheres and haunted melodies, where doom, and brooding cinematic and sometimes industrial textures collide in hypnotic layers. Like Marriages, ESSES harness emotional weight and melodic precision, balancing vulnerability with sheer sonic power. This is not just an album--it's a spell, a sonic rite that reshapes grief and fury into something transcendent.