Following the ‘route’ Rome has taken with their earlier releases, I did not ignite in enthusiasm when I heard about the new album, especially not when I noticed that it is actually a 3cd! “Die Aesthetik Der Herrschaftsfreiheit” comes in a luxery 3cd box with a shirt and whatnot, but this box is 100 euros new. You can also get the three cds separately, each for the full price of a cd… I have to admit that I first looked up this album on the internet because I was still interested to hear what Rome would sound like today (and then I got the separate cds instead of the box). Of course the band has three full-length cds to their disposal, but I am very happy to be able to say that this new monster-release will probably please both old and new fans. The new fans who have known Rome since they signed on Trisol might be a bit intimidated by the opening of this grand opus. After some spoken word (a sample it seems), the first cd “Aufbruch / A Cross Of Wheat” opens with a noisy martial industrial track that may not conform with some people’s idea of the romantic-sounding band. Fans of old will put up a smile knowing that the band did not entirely disbandon their old sound. Things get better though! Like on the brilliant early releases, there are tracks with the great samples-backgrounds, instantly moistening my eyes. There are also more of the singer/songwriter songs, but also more experimental, almost industrial tracks and great poppy songs. All this is alternated with (either or not backed up by ambient sounds) speaking samples. Indeed, whatever you thought about Rome in the past and think about them now, you might want to listen to these three new cds. Overall “Die Æsthetik Der Herrschaftsfreiheit” might not be a masterpiece like the first cds, but it sounds better to me than the previous releases and there sure are some masterpieces on “Aufbruch / A Cross Of Wheat”, “Aufruhr / A Cross Of Fire” and “Aufgabe / A Cross Of Flowers”.
Links: Rome, Trisol
