Album Review :
Before There Was Rosalyn - The Fuhrer: An Allegory of a History of Deception
Band: Before There Was Rosalyn
Title: The Fuhrer: An Allegory of a History of Deception
Label: Victory Records
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Steve
Tracklisting:
- The Architect
- The Dustwalker
- The Deceiver
- The Adversary
- The Belladonnamyth
- Der Weibliche Fuhrer
- Der Mannliche Fuhrer
- The Warrior
- The Prophet
- The Revealer
- The Deliverer
All right, so what is up with a hardcore/metal band with the name of Before There Was Rosalyn and all this German imagery??? I know that bands like to have odd names that leave people scratching their heads and wondering how they came up with that name. Don’t even get me started about thinking how bands come up with their song names! Well I can get you some info on BTWR’s name and artwork. Their song names aren’t too out there so I will let those be. I had a conversation with lead vocalist Carlos Salazar about the band name and it is best left in his words, “Rosalyn is a name that comes from Shakespeare. Romeo was completely captivated by her at the beginning of that famous play, but quickly forsakes and forgets her the moment he sees Juliet. The sentence would read, before there was Juliet, there was Rosalyn, so we use the latter half and thus: Before There Was Rosalyn. The name is about not forgetting where you come from in the sense that our pasts have made us who we are, and whatever comes, we must never forget, because who knows how the story of Juliet and her Romeo might have turned out, if his fickle feelings for Rosalyn had withstood the test of time.” The artwork is a lot easier to explain. BTWR and most people would agree that “absolute power, corrupts absolutely” and so BTWR went with World War II imagery to get this point across visually.
Ok so now let’s get to what you are here to read about—the music. I wasn’t a big fan of their Holdfast Records EP in 2008 titled “As Far As The Moon From The Sun,” but I could tell that there was potential and talent there. So I took a chance and listened to The Fuhrer, and was blown away. I loved this album from the start. It is a solid but not flawless album. I love pounding drum and bass lines and this album is chalked full of them. I like to feel the ferocity of the music. BTWR considers themselves a ministry first and band second, and for some reasons bands like this seem to play with a lot of passion and ferocity. In addition to the drum and bass lines, the guitar work in this album is phenomenal with great riffs and breakdowns.
BTWR does a great job lyrically and vocally in the Fuhrer. Carlos Salazar has a great scream and guitarist Jeremy Wurts sprinkles in some excellent clean lyrics here and there. Once again, BTWR is a band that doesn’t shy away from letting the listener know what they believe. In what I believe is the best song on the album, “Der Männliche Fuhrer” (The Destroyer,) Salazar and Wurts scream and sing, ” I’ve sold this body to pale skin in poor taste to lungs driven by the power of your deceit. / I bring this message. / Take my life if it brings Heaven home. / Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess in this life or the next. / I know you’re there. / Liar.” The Fuhrer also has a guest vocalist on two songs; Dallas Taylor of Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster do some vocals on “The Prophet” and “The Revealer.”
Overall: Before There Was Rosalyn has a very strong Victory debut with no filler tracks! If you like intense hardcore/metal with a good mix of screaming with a little bit of singing, then The Fuhrer: An Allegory of a History of Deception is must have. They will be on my iPod for quite a while.