Rosetta – A Determinism of Morality (2010)

Album Review

Philadelphia’s self-proclaimed purveyors of “metal for astronauts” embarked on their third interstellar voyage (discounting the occasional split release) via 2010′s A Determinism of Morality. Their mission: to escape the dreaded black hole of trance-metal repetition that has sucked in so many of their peers near the end of the 2000s, put the entire movement’s viability into question, and helped convince at least one of its leaders — Isis — that the time had come to retire. So, not surprisingly, it’s a notably more urgent and concise Rosetta who roar into action here, via the frenzied percussion, whirling guitars, and tortuously hoarse cries of opening monsoon “Ayil,” on their way to shrinking most song lengths from the eight/nine- to five/six-minute range in a bid to keep things moving and exciting. Nevertheless, post-metal’s trademark slow-building sound layering techniques immediately rear their pointy little heads on the hypnotic “Je N’en Connais Pas la Fin” (which may or may not… Read more on allmusic.com

About the Band

Rosetta is an American post metal band from Philadelphia incorporating elements of post-hardcore, shoegaze, drone, post-rock, avantgarde, and ambient, with influences as diverse as Neurosis and Isis, My Bloody Valentine, Frodus, and Stars of the Lid. The band somewhat humorously self-describes its music as “metal for astronauts,” and its members are very interested in astronomy and space travel. While Rosetta members have repeatedly expressed frustration and disapproval for the term post-metal, the band is generally considered one of the preeminent artists in the genre today… Read more on wikipedia.org

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