Ambitious post rocker/shoegazers Rosetta made quite a splash with their debut, The Galilean Satellites, especially with its 2 discs that can supposedly be played simultaneously for a complete experience (if anyone has ever done this, please let me know how it is). So here is the follow up, and much like equally talented and influenced acts like Tranmission0, Back When, Cult of Luna, Year of No Light and such, Wake/Lift gives a damn fine, if unoriginal take on the while Isis/Neurosis inspired genre.
Starting with the dramatic cascade of opener “Red in Tooth and Claw”, though it soon settles into expected ebbing, shimmering, acoustic throes in its 12 minute frame, the template for the rest of the 7 tracks that blends seamlessly into each other; from the transcendental three part “Lift” to the utterly huge closing duo of the dreamy (though long winded)instrumental “Temet Nosce” and thunderous “Monument”, Rosetta are pretty much masters of the genre with their only peers being Isis and Neurosis (and maybe France’s Overmars).
The production is beefy but full of shimmering clarity allowing all the ambience to seep through the walls of mountainous riffs that build and peak with expert pacing while vocalist Michael Armine keeps things hoarse and ragged rather than gloss things up with crooning. In all, Wake/Lift is 65 minutes of drone/sludge/post rock perfection, with just an added bite to keep them a bit edgier than their contemporaries.
An absolute must have for fans of the genre from a band that looks to be quickly becoming the elite band in the scene.
