After Isis broke up I was clearly more devastated than I ever imagined I would be. When the band released Oceanic in 2002, people claimed it was the creation of 'post-metal', a genre combining their sludge sound with post-rock elements. I like to just say it's post-rock with sludge moments, but Isis were never just that typical.
Around the time the band broke up, you could sense the ending of the genre in general. Not just because Isis were leaving us, but because it's something that not many bands could nail anymore without just repeating the formula over and over.
Although Rosetta are ultimately post-metal, any time they release something, it still sounds refreshing and new. Their qualities are unlike any other band in sludge. It drives me crazy when people lump Rosetta into the "Neurisis" category because maybe 5% of Rosetta's music sound anything like those two bands.
With A Determinism of Morality, I get the feeling that Rosetta can be the next big thing for music combining softer elements with sludge. Although their unique tones and qualities are back on this cd, and maybe in a more aggressive manner, there is something about the guitars that make me feel like this is the first great shoegaze/sludge fusion album.
Matt's guitars on this CD are INCREDIBLE. The guitars themselves, before Armine's sampling, could give you the spacious, atmospheric imagery that occurs when listening to this band. The leads in "Je n'en connais pas la fin" (which by the way, may be THE best Rosetta song), sound like star beams racing across the night sky, while the overlapping ambiance in "Release" under the clean vocals sounds like Slowdive performing on the moon.
The main guitar melodies throughout "Revolve" are some of the most beautiful you will hear in any post-rock influenced band. The tone is reminiscent of The Cure, one of the bands biggest inspirations, and I feel on this CD, that inspiration is more blatant throughout, let alone this one song.
So why is this number 3 of 2010? Because I listen to this record and want to cry at nearly one point in each song. Although this record isn't as brilliant as Wake/Lift, I feel the overall melodies on this CD are the best the band has crafted. I'm a sucker for melancholic guitar leads, and Matt Weed has put like 4 in each song on this CD, making this one hell of a record up my alley.
Oh yeah, and the bass work, and drumming are fucking out of this world (get it?) awesome throughout and Armine's vocals are the most emotional they've ever been yet (See: The end of "Release", and the title track. Holy FUCK).
Seriously get into this band if you haven't yet. They are truly something unique for heavy music. Don't let Matt Dyess tell you otherwise (asshole).
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