It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Rolo Tomassi first emerged, and created a huge buzz among the UK underground. They were the talk of the town with their spazzy, frenetic hardcore and they offered something different to fill a void in the UK scene. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength with each release, and constantly covering new ground. By flaunting such diversity the band has been labelled with dozens of genre descriptors, some more fitting than others. Some call them math-rock, some say post-hardcore, others might call them noise-rock, and unfortunately they even got branded with the short lived – and massively incorrect – “Nintendo-core” tag in some circles (but that was just a silly thing to say really).
The truth of the matter is that Rolo Tomassi transcend any genre that fans or critics want to label them with, and their fourth album ‘Grievances’ couldn’t hammer that truth home enough. Back on their spiritual home of Holy Roar, where the band gained their notoriety, they have ramped up every aspect of what made their unique sound stand out so much and have created their most accomplished work to date on ‘Grievances’.
With no build up or slow burning introduction, ‘Estranged’ is a frantic whirlwind of chaotic guitars, lightening quick jazz-infused drumming, and absolutely visceral vocals from Eva Spence. There is no let up for the first section of ‘Grievances’ and it truly is a declaration from Rolo Tomassi to show that they are back and still ferocious. There are elements of The Dillinger Escape Plan, and even a nod towards Das Oath and Botch through ‘The Embers’, although to make comparisons to the pioneers of this sound is somewhat lazy, when really Rolo Tomassi are a feral beast of their own.
When they do bring things down a notch on the largely instrumental ‘Prelude III’, with only some subtle vocals at it’s cadence, they do so in a spine-chilling manner. This sets up the haunting ‘Opalescent’, which twists and turns through brooding soundscapes underneath a more fragile vocal from Spence. Her vocal on ‘Grievances’ sees her at her most confident, and the way she moves from beautifully sung passages to harrowingly intense screams on ‘Stage Knives’ is nothing but magnificent.
While ‘Grievances’ is full of shredding guitar playing, and gargantuan breakdowns, the band hit’s it’s apex on the post-rock influenced sections that are scattered throughout the album. When James Spence takes the lead on ‘Crystal Cascades’ it shimmers and swirls to the point you get so lost in its beauty that you forget you are half way into the following – and equally as mesmerizing – track ‘Chandelier Shiver’. You are soon knocked back down to earth when the blistering ‘Funereal’ drops, which segues into the epic 7-minute album closer ‘All That Has Gone’ where they reach a grandiose peak that has more in common with the closing moments of a movie score than the end of a record.
With the wealth of talent that Rolo Tomassi has in their arsenal, it would have been a walk in the park for them to write a record filled with hooks and anthems just to gain a wider audience. Instead they have finally created the record they were put on this planet to make. From the dense walls of sound, to the serene and withdrawn moments, through to the wailing cacophony, this is the band at their finest, and ‘Grievances’ is undoubtedly the definitive Rolo Tomassi record.
GLEN BUSHELL