Jake Longhurst
Rolo Tomassi have had a varied musical journey, from glitchy hardcore to post metal and mathcore to the edge of shoegaze and dream pop. Their latest release is, in my eyes, not only the inevitable culmination of all their influences and past releases, but also a triumphant new chapter in the history of a band making the best music of an already successful career. Jake Longhurst reviews.
Album opener Almost Always has the melodic vocals of lead singer Eva Korman, over a savagely beautiful blend of hardcore and shoegaze, that transports you away to an entirely separate place in your mind, simultaneously giving you the urge to weep and raise your fist.
This changes rapidly on the second track with lead single Cloaked, which is much less subtle in its approach. It features a more aggressive intro and the brutal vocal delivery of James Spence barking across the thunderous instrumental, though Eva’s serene voice still finds time to add a sheen of beauty to the scene. The monstrous riffs provided by Chris Cayford prevent the song falling into a dream pop soundscape until the keyboard, again from James Spence, has its own brief section, whereby Cayford then launches into another torrent of riffage to once again bring you back to the moment.
one of the most beautiful songs released this year
The defining moment of the album is the fifth track Closer. It takes the softest of the influences and wraps them into one song. This may seem counterintuitive for a band who have been compared to the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, but this song is breathtakingly good. It would not be an overstatement to suggest this will be one of the most beautiful songs released this year. The song is mostly focussed on Eva and James, as the lead singer and keyboardist, and the interplay between them is nothing short of brilliant.
Drip, released ahead of the album’s release on Friday the 4th of February, is a far better example of my previous mention of the comparison to The Dillinger Escape Plan. Al Pott and Nathan Fairweather ground the band with an enormous rhythm section, letting James and Chris go to town creating a thick, abrasive atmosphere to get your blood pumping. Eva then lets her voice float atop the music for a brief respite, before arguably the most satisfying moment of the album, when the heaviness returns, and James re-enters the fray with a vengeance, frothing at the mouth, to finish the track with a bang.
Prescience, the next track, can be best described as furious. Taking the power of the previous track, but foregoing any of their dream pop tendencies for a much more singular atmosphere, the first half of the song doesn’t let up for a second. They then eschew any and all vocals for a moment of rest, and once more bring in crushing riffs and howling vocals to finish what they started mere minutes earlier.
the band sound vital, full of life and energy, poised to strike at the world and come out on top
When asked about the album, James Spence said “Of anything we’ve done, it’s the one I’m most proud of. I think it’s the most ambitious and creative that our band has ever sounded and something that we’ve all needed to get through the last few years. We can’t wait to share it and to have you help us bring it to life.”
Needless to say, the band sound vital, full of life and energy, poised to strike at the world and come out on top. The final track, The End Of Eternity, captures this energy, and redirects it to the listener in a proficient display of musical technicality and writing ability, and caps off the album phenomenally.
I am sure that this band has massive things in their future, and with the release of album number six I can say with confidence that this is the best they have ever sounded.
Jake Longhurst
Featured image courtesy of Alex Watkin. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article image courtesy of @rolotomassiband via @instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
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