Rolo Tomassi - Astraea
Sheffield's metalheads Rolo Tomassi are back with their third album Astraea'.
Rolo Tomassi are definitely not the easiest band to get into in the world, they sit somewhere between Dillinger Escape Plan and 65daysofstatic; people either seem to love them or hate them. For me, it's their ability to switch between the two genres of music practically seamlessly that makes them impressive.
When listening to Astraea you become aware of how much Eva Spence's voice has developed, her scream is as powerful as ever, but she now also sings pitch perfect, crisp and clear vocals. Empiresk is the perfect track to highlight how tender and delicate her usually gruff voice can be.
Rolo Tomassi are creative and clever, somehow they manage to work heavy, hard hitting riffs in with soothing synths; there are not a lot of other bands in the world that have the ability to do that without creating a musical car crash.
Astraea showcases a healthy balance between aggression, complexity and melody, the tracks Gloam and Illunis are the perfect mix of all three and are the standout numbers of the album.
Rolo Tomassi have never been and are never going to be a band for everyone, Astraea is heavy but melodic and is bound to be a hit with Rolo Tomassi's ever-growing fan base, but if you've never been into them Astraea is unlikely to win you over.