Rome - Anthology 2016-2025 (CD)

Melancholic guitar chords and introspective vocals juxtaposed with menacing outbursts of martial drums and percussion – for 20 years ROME has oscillated between intimate songwriting and the grand gesture of soundtrack-inspired pathos. For two decades the Luxembourgish formation has been singing the European tragedy. While the releases of the first ten years featured mostly historical themes, the second and no-less prolific decade documented on this anthology saw contemporary and fundamental philosophical questions gradually come into focus.

ROME never loses sight of the bigger picture. Reuter’s songwriting is clearly inspired by French chanson, or troubadours like the late Johnny Cash or Nick Cave, yet he has always incorporated literary themes and sources into his work in various ways. Sometimes the source of inspiration or literary point of reference is mentioned by name (as with Paul Celan on „The Secret Germany“), but mostly a wide range of 19th and 20th century thinkers resonate between the lines half-anonymously. Reuter does not shy away from reflecting philosophical and even occult aspects on his albums either („The Hyperion Machine“, „Hall of Thatch“, „The Lone Furrow“, „Le Ceneri di Heliodoro“). However, more and more often, ROME dares to incorporate direct references to current events, as was the case with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine („Gates of Europe“, „World in Flames“). Most often though, the main themes of ROME’s releases are based around a mythological reading of fundamental conflicts (“Coriolan”, “Hegemonikon”, “The Lone Furrow”). ROME’s catalogue is laced with mythical leitmotifs, such as the solar theme of the sun, most notably on the most recent work “Civitas Solis”.

ROME has seen different incarnations: sometimes as a full band, sometimes as a lone singer-songwriter, and sometimes in collaborative exchange with other musicians (such as Nergal from Behemoth or the Swedish punk legend Thåström). Jerome Reuter is constantly reinventing himself and continually working on creating a most singular voice within the European underground. Like a Janus head looking back into the future.

Tracklisting:

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