ROSE- Songs for the Ritually Abused
It's been far too many years since we've heard new music from the talented Rose brothers. Collectively, Roger and Randy Rose had the band Mad at the World, who had their own sound (actually 3 different sounds), and then drummer Randy Rose fronted his own band Rose. Rose stayed primarily in the metal genre, except for the departure of Crazy Little World, often being compared to Danzig (like that's a bad thing:) Randy continued recording music after MATW and Rose, with the band Mothership, but this is the first full length return to the Rose band.
When you hear an album title like Songs for the Ritually Abused, you realize you're in for some heavy subject matter. It's not likely to be an entertaining ride. Pain comes in many forms for many different people, but God always seeks to restore shattered lives. Kudos to Randy for following through on the burden that was obviously laid on him to do this album. Lyrics aside, musically the album covers a lot of ground. Randy's voice is immediately recognizable, yet he uses it diversely through the album. The bulk of the songs have a slow, almost plodding, but heavy alternative rock sound, more like Queens of the Stone Age than Danzig this time around, with several guest vocalists to flesh out the dark tale. "Songs for the Ritually Abused" and "Helian and the Illustrator" depart from this style with the vocals of Marc Martel, who just might be a dead ringer for Freddie Mercury and Queen. Ken Springfellow takes over the vocals for the final poignant track "When Will I Be Loved" which starts with a tortured soul with no way out, and ends with the words "You will always be loved." Not a paint-by-the-numbers rock album, but takes the listener over many twists and turns to show that there is hope for the hopeless and love for the unloved. Available on colored vinyl and cd in a mini LP digipack. Keep the music coming, Randy. (indie- www.randyrose.info) 3.5 out of 5 stars
