Rosetta is a post-metal/hardcore group from Philadelphia. The band have steadily grown in both style and popularity with each release, gradually evolving from a more sludge and hardcore based band to one of the leading members in post-metal right now. This is their third album and it has received high praises from those that I've read.
From what I've researched before listening to this album, it appears that while this band is categorized within the sludge, post-metal realm of thought, their musical explorations are much more broad and bold. With a first release, 2005's "The Galilean Satellites," that required listeners to play both of it's double discs together in order to achieve the correct sound. That sound, a dissonant and chaotic tribute to all that was sludge and post-hardcore aggression and noisy tension, their second release was much more expansive. This release takes some of the dissonant tendencies from the debut but mixes it with the more spacey and atmospheric sounds of the sophomore release.
Though this release certainly does still have those aggressive and heavy moments of sludge, hear opener Ayil, the guitars on here are certainly not the link that connects them to that scene the most on here. Most of what links this band to sludge and any form of hardcore is mostly the vocals, which retain that gruff and yelling sort of vibe as the main style. As for the guitars, the record has it's heavy moments, but I'd say that a good half of this record, if not more, is dominated by cleaner guitars that build and build, hear the excellent instrumental Blue Day For Croatoa.
This album to me just builds and releases, over and over, which isn't as monotonous as it seems when written down. Most tracks on here often follow a pattern of starting very quiet and mellow and steadily evolve into a heavier section, hear tracks like Renew, while there is the occasional track that stays in one end over the other. While one of the only exception to that formula comes in the title-track, A Determinism of Morality, where the track falls after building, but that isn't like a leaning to one side, the mellow or the heavy.
Overall this record really impressed me, having known very little about the band prior to deciding to listen to this. I have to say that for being a record that is in the post-metal genre, this record didn't seem as slow and monotonous as even some of my favorite groups from that genre do at times. If you like progressive, expansive, slower music, definitely check this out.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin, Release, The Determinism of Morality
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