A hierophant is “a person, especially a priest, who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles”. Yes, I had to look it up as the only other time I have ever come across the word is on Steve Hackett’s wonderful debut, ‘Voyage of the Acolyte’, and the songs “Shadow of the Hierophant” which has been one of my favourite numbers for many decades. There is a darker edge here, something deeper and more menacing in the background, with looped vocals and accompaniments, creating deeper layers for us to traverse through, always hanging onto the vocals as the guide, providing the lifeline for us to survive.
There is something truly remarkable about ROME’s voice, and when I think of how many “great” performers of today rely on autotune he clearly demonstrates that all one needs is a microphone a small touch of reverb to provide some additional breadth. Modern singers often sound lost within the layers of synth pop, but here there is little effort as he pushes the soundwaves aside and creates a plane of his own. When this album is playing nothing else exists, and when my wife walked in just now, I literally jumped out of my skin as I was so invested in what was going on between my ears. Nothing else matters, the world drifts away, as we hang onto his words, letting the vocals take us where they will.
This is music from another time and place, back to the time when music mattered and it was not “some background noise, A backdrop for the girls and boys”. This is music which needs to be played when one has the time to truly listen and invest in the moment, not when the housework, Instagram or Facebook is more important, as this is the real deal as ROME takes dark folk and makes the genre his very own.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://www.romepage.org/
https://www.facebook.com/TrisolMusic/