lista zespołów Atmospheric Sludge Rosetta The Galilean Satellites

Rosetta is pretty much your archetypal post metal band. Really, there’s nothing much to separate The Galilean Satellites from the vast majority of Cult of Luna/Isis/Neurosis imitators around today but it’s done a hell of a lot better than most. I guess that’s mainly because of the whole double album idea; the hard hitting sludge of disc 1 mixes perfectly with the spacey ambient direction of disc 2 to create a really atmospheric and beautiful album that I still spin religiously to this day.

If you’re familiar with the post metal scene, then this won’t surprise you in anyway. Five really long songs that function on the loud-quiet dynamic whilst the guitars constantly fluctuate between quieter, post rock sections to more upfront sludgy post hardcore. The music has a very good sense of flow, with each section being drawn out to its full potential before moving into the next. None of the music is really technical, just lots of long, drawn out notes that are just really immersive. The ambient disc harmonizes over the first impeccably well, with the static ambient noise creating a fantastic background to disc 1.

In a way, this is one of the most overwhelming post metal albums I’ve heard. Surpassing even Neurosis on this front, the music found on The Galilean Satellites is cathartic to the extreme. The music almost never lets up its level of atmospheric intensity; it’s cathartic, draining and beautiful. The production and guitar tone is probably the main cause of this, with the guitar tone being incredibly loud and abrasive, often bordering on the more noise oriented shoegaze acts in terms of intensity. Despite this, the other instruments can be clearly heard, with the bass guitar creating soothing and constantly flowing undercurrents to the destructive barrage of guitars. Vocals are your standard affair for this genre, very throaty hardcore barking that doesn’t change much in tone or intonation. Lyrics are delivered in a very consistent manner, mainly slow-mid paced rhythms that don’t fluctuate much, if at all. Lyrically this can be seen as a concept album of sorts, with each track dabbling in themes such as space travel and astronomy, it fits well with the bands self-described label “metal for astronauts.” Indeed, I can’t imagine a better soundtrack for floating through the cold abyss of space. It’s cold, brutal and unrelenting yet oddly comfortable and beautiful at the same time. This album goes far beyond the simple definition of atmospheric and transcends into something else.

Much of the atmosphere of this release comes from the fusion of the two discs. With disc 1 telling the story of a man and his ship looking for a new home, disc 2 serves as the surrounding ambiance for his journey. However, it would be wrong to say that The Galilean Satellites is an album that just focuses on atmosphere as there is a large degree of musical variety and complexity found within this album. Some of the vocal lines are incredibly catchy with the final track instantly coming to mind. The repetitious hardcore vocals may turn off some listeners, but I find them soothing and work incredibly well within the context of the music.

Even though much of the music is incredibly intense and abrasive, each track contains moments of solemn melody that present Rosetta as so much more than your stock post metal band. Whilst the formula that this band works around is tried and true, the search for the climax has seldom been done as well as it has been on here. Long and expansive duration's of meandering guitars and beautiful ambiance harmonize magnificently to create an album that is constantly on the move and one that remains a timeless masterpiece.

Rosetta have made a very good debut album with The Galilean Satellites, heavily influenced by the works of Isis and Neurosis, Rosetta succeed in creating one of the most engaging post metal releases to date. With songs moving from surging crescendo to quiet instrumental interludes, The Galilean Satellites is an album that needs to be experienced in full to achieve the desired effect. Immensely powerful and constantly shifting, The Galilean Satellites come highly recommended from this reviewer as one of the most absorbing listening experiences known to man. Essential.