Philadelphia quartet Rosetta push the boundaries between metal, progressive rock, post-rock, space rock, and hardcore punk, employing an experimental songwriting technique filled with chaos and atmospherics. Their sounds range from Pink Floydian / progressive rock sonic layering to walls of pure static ambience to crushing, sweeping sludgey riffage. Their first album (The Galilean Satellites, 2005) was an especially ambitious project: the goal was to record two discs of equal length (one a metal album, the other a noise/ambient/drone album), each of which could stand on its own, but played together would create a third, more intense experience. The technique fits well with the band's unique experiments in noise, sampling, feedback and power. The sheer amount of aural input means every listen becomes a new experience, allowing the listener to pick up on more and more layers within the sounds. Their next album (Wake/Lift, 2007) was a bit more restrained, but for this reason, really allows the band's songwriting to solidify and proves them worthy of the "mainstream" of the avant-metal world. The third full-length album, A Determinism of Morality, was released in May of 2010, and featured shorter, faster songs, with a bit more attention to technical playing and compositional structure. The original and constant lineup: Michael Armine - vocals, sound manipulation; James Matthew Weed - guitar, violin; David Grossman - bass guitar, vocals; Bruce McMurtrie Jr. - drums. Discography: Demo - 2003/2004 The Galilean Satellites (2xCD) - 2005 Project Mercury (split w/ Balboa) - 2007 Wake/Lift - 2007 The Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift - 2007 Three Way Split w/ East Of The Wall & Year Of No Light - 2009 A Determinism of Morality - 2010 Restorations/Rosetta Split - 2010 http://www.rosettaband.com http://rosettaband.tumblr.com
