2023-06-19 18:22:00
19.06.2023 | 20:22
Decent debut of this duo from Virginia.
The band ROSENEATH, which was founded in 2022 as a duo by Brian G. and Jason R., comes from Richmond in the American state of Virginia. In the same year, the EP “Shine” was followed by a first sign of life comprising five songs, which the two Americans followed with “Nowhere Safe”, a first sign of life at a distance from the album. Adorned with a beautiful cover, which reminds me visually of AI-Art (it’s better not to open the ethical discussion about the use of art created in this way here), the record presents a total of ten original compositions and is marketed by the band on their own.
The duo themselves openly admit that musically they are a bit stuck in the nineties. For example, the DEFTONES, NIRVANA or SUPERHEAVEN are mentioned as references. And if you listen to the opener ‘Noisy’, it exudes quite strong DEFTONES vibes, which is also reflected in the contrast between the quite emotional clear vocals and the rough and hard riff walls. Also, a subtle tendency towards post-hardcore and modern post-rock acts cannot be denied, which fits well into the overall picture. I even like ‘Free Fall’ a little better than the opener, also because the tempo is increased here and the guitar work is a bit more varied. The same applies to ‘Passerby’, which again scores particularly well with the six-string and convinces with a great hook line.
Similar heights as in the song trio just mentioned are rarely reached afterwards, also because Brian and Jason often get lost in melancholic post-rock realms in the last third and wallow a bit too much in mid-tempo. I’m also not sure if the use of synthesizers, which takes up more and more space as the record progresses and brings a certain DEPECHE MODE flair to the band’s sound, necessarily fits perfectly into the overall picture. For me, this calculation only really works out with the closing ‘Spill’, which convinces me with its strong hook line. The record’s great sound shouldn’t go unmentioned either, because with a clear, tidy and yet full-bodied sound pattern, ROSENEATH doesn’t have to hide from the competition in this sector.
All in all, I consider “Nowhere Safe” to be a successful debut that’s a long way from the album, which already gives an idea of the potential the duo has. Not all the compositions are in place yet and the band’s own sound and composition still needs some fine-tuning, but since there are already some real highlights, I finally get a solid 7.5 points.
Note: 7.50 Editor: Tobias Dahs
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