Genres such as "post-metal", "prog-metal", "experimental metal" and '"heavy no-wave/shoegaze prog rock" have been used to describe Rosetta's sound. While none of these descriptions are incorrect (nothing that I may have made the last one up), they don't fully capture the sound that is Rosetta. There is an amazing mix of heavy and soft, and light and dark, all rolled in at once. The band has the intensity of Ministry while also achieving the hazy atmosphere of Sonic Youth. Somehow they are able to mix the best of seemingly contrasting worlds to create an amazing sound that is packed with intense rage while also providing a light fuzzy vibe. The songs are all quite long with 7 of the 9 on offer going past the 6 and a half minute mark. This allows the ideas to be fully realised while in many cases the sounds developed in their own time at a steady but engaging pace.
'Ámnion' eases the album open, taking on a calm and collected vibe bringing out a thick hazy atmosphere reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine. The music flows along nicely in a slow but steady pace building in depth at its ease. 'Intrapartum' brings out the rocking out in a Mike Oldfield-esq way. There are some cool guitar riffs rocking about in a new age fashion backed by subtle charismatic vocals that act as an ambient soundtrack that guides rather than dominates the sound. As the song progresses a fug of low growling guitars emerges and floats around to become all encapsulating. 'Neophyte Visionary' brings out the heavy metal sound while doing so in a placid manner. There is lots of yelling, screaming (and headbanging) while at the same time there is a thick overlaying no-wave style cloud that allows you to drift off at the same time, achieving the best of both world. 'King ivory tower' produces a thick blast of earsplitting metal sounds, thrashing out with great energy and intensity, achieving an epic hazy atmosphere at the same time! '54543' is a beautiful instrumental, taking on a Robert Mills / new age vibe it brings out a sweet soft sound to calm the nerves a little. 'Hypnagogic' throws metals out of the window and instead takes on a soft yet deep prog-rock journey. The song slowly draws you into the deep dark cave with the soft echoing vocals proving a chilling soundscape to explore. 'Óohelet' brings our a deep dark post-punk atmosphere, reminiscent of The Cure's Faith days mixed with some heavy Devin Townsend-esq outbursts, creating a chilling yet compelling experience. The album closes with the soft but growling and ever evolving instumental 'Intramortem'.
This is a phenomenal record! The band manage to capture the best bits of atmospheric soundscapes, and hard hitting heavy metal and combine them into something greater than the sum of their parts. The music evolves from soft to heavy, light to dark, and even mixes all together in a seamless evolution to create an epic journey with no dull moments. This is the ultimate album to crank up loud and absorb the fuzzy metal vibes.
Check out Rosetta's website to find out more!