As I discovered on covering last unwieldly entitled album ‘Noetic Collision on the Roof of Hell’ Polish band MRome don’t exactly play by the rules. Truly independent they state that they “are not interested in promoting band members by lame photo sessions and social media.” So don’t go looking for them on Faecesbook as they are not there and indeed apart from via Bandcamp not anywhere on the world wide web particularly. Nor are you likely to encounter the trio live as they are solely a studio project, which is kind of a shame as listening to latest album Leech Ghetto which sounds like it could be a sludge album by title but is not, the music they play is kind of designed to be played on stage. Still a lot of care is put onto important things like design, artwork and production on this new album but the question remains is that enough with so much music out there for people to actually hear it?
I noted a lot of black n’ roll elements on the last album and a latter day Satyricon sort of sensibility but that is definitely not present this time around. Indeed, as the opening track ‘The Rogue’ swaggers in there’s a Metallica feel about the playing and thrashy elements bring to mind Slayer and Sodom although admittedly nowhere near as fierce. This is tempered metal that chugs along neatly with good harmonies and plenty of groove. You could even call it bog-standard if you were going to be critical and it’s certainly not re-inventing rule books or anything like that but doing so would be a bit of a disservice to the group as there are plenty of ideas here that will appeal to those who love mid 80’s to mid 90’s metal and beyond.
Singer / guitarist Key V has a throaty delivery that’s suited to the music and sometimes gives it a bit of a punk feeling as he gravely rasps away on songs like ‘Born Old.’ There’s also some underlying melodies that give things a doom laden and apocalyptic vibe like the Anarcho masters of old, I’ll touch on that a bit more later. This is one of those albums that essentially should have listeners noting elements of the music they grew up on, none are particularly right or wrong but probably just what one is accustomed to. It could well be the old-school thrash histrionics of chugging songs such as ‘Anti-Ant Entente’ with a groove that wouldn’t be out of place on your favourite Grip Inc album. Then again there are some surprises too, the gothic guitar rapture on the beginning of ‘The City Of Opex’ is pure Fields Of The Nephilim even if the song does veer off into other directions. Then there’s the rafter raising clean harmony chant of ‘Coffin Nail’ that’s got a real Killing Joke feel to it and sends the song right into my ballpark. There’s plenty to like here and the songs have a good sense of identity which has grown on repeated times through the neatly compact 38 minute running time. I keep finding different things ‘Detroit Daze’ has a bit of Suicidal Tendencies vocal stance moving into a gloomier Misery Loves Company melodicism and then there’s closing track Primordial Soup where the vocals remind me exactly what I was thinking of crust wise being a fair bit Rob The Baron Miller ala Tau Cross.
All in all an enjoyable album, perhaps not us unconventional musically as the bands operating stance suggests but well worth a listen if you can track it down.
(7/10 Pete Woods)
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