Review Summary: Rose Eat Her.
Post Metal is one of those genres that will always produce some special bands. ISIS and Neurosis amongst them, are the kings and overlords of the craft. But Rosetta are certainly up there with them. Very consistent in terms of quality, this twenty minutes or so EP is a return to that sound which was prevalent on Wake/Lift. However, in stark resemblance to their previous outings, Rosetta are masterfully making cohesive, structured and incredibly dense progressive music, all about space. What a theme, eh?
There are only two songs on the EP but boy are they good. Terra Sola is superb, crafted to absolute nigh on perfect standards. The vocals are a lot more clear than on previous outing and there is very little in the way of clean vocal enunciation/delivery. In terms of musical output, since coming on the scene with the incredible unique and mind-bending double album (which synchronized when played simultaneously, which may not be that original but it was a new dimension to explore whilst taking and absorbing the material present on The Galilean Satellites. The band faltered slightly with the release of The Anaesthete but Utopiod proved to very solid, as was Quintessential Ephemera. The transitions from long, dense and echoing, reverb and effect drenched guitars that build into climaxes, crescendos and other musical elements are crucial to the group's setup. Michael Armine has a formidable, very sonically powerful and throaty yell, similar to bands like the aforementioned ISIS and more relatively, the famous Cult of Luna. Whilst each of the post metal titans have different sounds and styles in regards to their music, Rosetta are most certainly one of the best around. Matthew Weed's guitars are lush on both tracks and the sporadic, spacey rhythm section is on par with their first two albums.
Track two is similar in essence of a track fans would have heard from their last major release, Utopiod. Charming and always qualitative in their musical delivery and playing, Rosetta have released a very solid (fabulous in fact) EP.
Twenty two minutes is all it takes to experience a space experience via audio. Fans of the band will welcome the return of their original sounds on Terra Sola yet combined with the second track, it is perfectly balanced and composed. Very good stuff indeed.
