Jerusalem got their start back in 1975 in Gothenburg, Sweden doing DIY tours on weekends to spread the word of Jesus to the youth using the language of hard rock. At the time, the church often viewed hard rock as the “devil’s music” and not appropriate for Christians to play, much less use in praise or worship. Although they encountered resistance from those within the Church, they reached many that were outside of the Church through their concerts. Their concerts were like revival meetings where between songs, Ulf Christiansson would share the message of Christ to others in an ordinary and understandable way.
Over the years, they toured the world, reaching far beyond Sweden, however, lyrically they stayed close to their Swedish roots. The early albums were originally in Swedish with an English version tagging along a year later. The English versions helped to make inroads in the US where they had many successful tours. Over time, the strain of touring was taking its toll on the band so they put touring aside in 1985. They released albums rather sparingly since then, but still remained a band even through various hiatuses. The previous album, “She,” was released in 2010 with critical acclaim. Since that album, Ulf’s son Philip joined on guitar and lead vocals as well as CJ Grimmark (Narnia, Saviour Machine, Sanctifica) on keyboards and guitars.
“Stygn” is a return to roots for Jerusalem in many ways. They have come back to their 70s hard rock and heavy music roots as their musical language, while also putting their mother tongue as their lyrical language. The word “stygn” in Swedish means “stitches” which probably has a wider meaning for the album, but I can see it as a powerful image of healing and pulling back together.
Musically, the album feels a little more relaxed than “She.” Tempos tend to be slightly slower and instruments feel less forceful, but that doesn’t mean that this is a soft album. Songs flow from one section to the other and often do not have the typical verse-chorus structure, but I wouldn’t call it progressive. They build up and break down organically creating a listening experience that just washes over the listener. It sounds like they are jamming and playing off of each other, an element that was common in the rock of the 60s and 70s. This has the effect of stretching out the songs: “Jeremia” clocks in at over 10 minutes and “Vår Tid Nu” is around 7.5. The whole album runs just over an hour.
Over that hour plus, Jerusalem plays a diverse spread of genres, sometimes within a single song. For example, “Stygn” has a cool swaggering rock underlying the track that is reminiscent of 70s hard rock bands like The Who or Yes, while “Pionjär (Sons Of Thunder)” has a doom tinge recalling Black Sabbath. “Törnrosa,” which translates to “thorn rose,” is a ballad that follows like a sunrise following the relatively dark and heavy track “Kärlek Och Sanning (Missa Inte Festen).” I particularly love the rock organ that is used throughout the album that just comes through like a bright ray of light among the heavier guitars. Some of the acoustic parts such as on “Här Står Jag” have a tinge of folk or country to it.
As you would imagine, the focus of Jerusalem is their message of salvation and hope in Jesus, so the lyrics are quite important for this release. Since I don’t know Swedish, I am left with Ulf’s vocal performance to help guide me emotionally through this album. Ulf has been at this since 1975, which will be 50 years next year, and his age is showing, but in a good way. He sounds like a wizened sage passing through the ages more so than a worn-out road warrior about to croak. But, Ulf has support from his son Philip. They have a similar timbre making it a little difficult to tell on a solo stretch who is singing, but there are some Father-Son duet stretches that are quite powerful. “Vår Tid Nu” is a great example where there is some harmonizing passages between the two.
There isn’t much to dislike about the album. A couple of production gripes such as vocals being a little high in mix and the drums sometimes a little lower in the mix could be because I am more accustomed to metal. Being a little in the dark lyrically makes it harder for me to really get attached, which is in contrast to “She” where I got the entire experience. Even so, I enjoy the vocals and can get a sense of the spirit behind the release regardless of understanding the language.
I like the album and I think it fits in well within Jerusalem’s discography. I particularly like that it channels the spirit of 70s hard rock within a modern production and takes the listener through an emotional journey. Although I don’t understand the language, I dig the vibe. There are plans for an English version in the year ahead, so once that is available, I’ll tweak this review. Definitely recommend for fans of Jerusalem and 70s style hard rock.
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – Gud Finns Visst
2 – Jeremia
3 – Stygn
4 – Hur Kunde Vi?
5 – Kärlek Och Sanning (Missa Inte Festen)
6 – Törnrosa
7 – Kanske Gud
8 – Vår Tid Nu
9 – Fariseérna
10 – Pionjär (Sons Of Thunder)
11 – Här Står Jag
Jerusalem is:
Ulf Christiansson – lead vocals, guitar
Philip Christiansson – backing & lead vocals, guitar
Anders Mossberg – bass
CJ Grimmark – keyboards, guitar
Michael Ulvsgärd – drums
Featured Former Members:
Peter Carlsohn – bass
Reidar I Paasche – keyboards
Danne Tibell – keyboards
Release Date: December 29, 2023
Record Label: Pierced Records
Discography:
Jerusalem (Volume 1) (1978/1980)
Volym 2 (Volume 2) (1980/1981)
Krigsman (Warrior) (1981/1982)
Vi Kan Inte Stoppas (Can’t Stop Us Now) (1983/1984)
Dancing on the Head of the Serpent (1987)
Prophet (1994)
Volym 3 (Those Were the Days) (1996/1997)
Volüm Fyra (R.A.D.) (1997/1998)
She (2010)
Stygn (2023)
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Videos: No videos available for this release
