Rosetta

Post-Metal

Philadelphia quartet Rosetta push the boundaries between post-hardcore, sludge, post-metal, progressive rock, post-rock, ambient, drone, noise and space rock, with influences as diverse as Neurosis, 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. Their first album (The Galilean Satellites, 2005) was an especially ambitious project: the goal was to record two discs of equal length (one a metal album, the other a noise/ambient/drone album), each of which could stand on its own, but played together would create a third, more intense experience. The technique fits well with the band's unique experiments in noise, sampling, feedback and power. The sheer amount of aural input means every listen becomes a new experience, allowing the listener to pick up on more and more layers within the sounds. They got the inspiration for this from the Tribes of Neurot ambient/drone companion record to 1999's Times of Grace by the mighty Neurosis. Their next album (Wake/Lift, 2007) was a bit more restrained, but for this reason, really allows the band's songwriting to solidify and proves them worthy of the mainstream of the avant-metal world. It should be noted this record also has an ambient/drone/noise counterpart entitled Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift but this time, it was not released as part of the same album as with Satellites, it i...