Rolo Tomassi - Hysterics

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 9 / 9 / 2008

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Review

I only heard of Sheffield hardcore/experimentalists Rolo Tomassi for the first time a few weeks ago and it’s really surprised me how I have heard so much more about them in the relatively short space of time since then. They have secured a reputation for pushing boundaries musically on the UK tour circuit and have really come up through the underground. There is a real buzz around the release of 'Hysterics', their debut album. They have a lot more maturity and intelligence than their South Yorkshire counterparts, Bring Me the Horizon, but still have the same impact and manage to ‘do heavy’ just as ferociously. Maybe if you can imagine 65 Days of Static writing and playing Bring Me the Horizon's song book you’re half way there….but this time with a female singer. Eva Spence screams with the best of them, but it is her softer vocals which squeeze through every now and then which provides a glimpse of just how special this band are. James Spence's keyboards add to the dynamics of the band and do just enough to round their sound off without it ever feeling like they have been simply bolted on. On songs like, ‘Oh, Hello Ghost’, ‘Everything Went Grey’ and ‘An Apology to the Universe’, the band provide a real lesson in patience, letting the songs slowly build up in an engrossing and encapsulating manner. Songs like 'Scars' and For Teen', however, have a no nonsense maths core sound. The latter finds itself very much in Dillinger Escape Plan country which is certainly a great thing. If you like chaotic, heavy music this may be the new band for you. They are a group who bring new weight to the hardcore scene and for many of us are the band that we have been waiting for.

Track Listing:-

1 Oh Hello Ghost
2 I love Turbulence
3 Fofteen
4 Abraxas
5 An Apology to the Universe
6 Nine
7 Macabre Charade
8 Trojan Measures
9 Everything went Grey
10 Scabs
11 Fantasia

Label Links:-

https://www.hasslerecords.com/Home
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