ALBUM REVIEW: Unadulterated – Roman Candle
There are very few albums that grip you with a raw intensity like Unadulterated does. As the curtains rise on this sublime debut, Blasphemous Act opens the proceedings with an ominous cello that haunts your earbuds with an eerie chillness. Introducing the satanic/religious tones early doors, it’s as if you’ve been submerged into a hauntingly suffocating purgatory. With no way out, the only exit is to follow ROMAN CANDLE into the abyss.
A chill down your spine and a desperation to come up for air, once the riffs come cascading around you, lead singer Piper Ferrari‘s visceral vocals attack with a ferocious intention to draw blood. It’s a beautifully chaotic attack on the senses. Quite simply, you’re exhilarated from the first note. As Blasphemous Act comes to a close, Piper dutifully bellows “run for your life!” with an anguished pain-soaked scream. All things considered, you’d be wise to heed her warning. Whilst entirely enjoyable, this record is unnerving, wants to scare you and doesn’t mind making you feel a little uncomfortable.
What follows is half an hour of some of the most interesting and diverse hardcore/screamo on the market. Bolstered by Jonas Vece (Guitar), Alex Dupis (Bass) and Sergio Lopez (Drums). Whether it be the grinding riffs, thunderous drums or jarring licks perpetuating the uneasiness of the record, there’s not a moments peace in the world of ROMAN CANDLE.
Drawing on personal experiences and tackling intense themes of violence and abuse, Piper is relentless and unforgiving as she painstakingly bares all. Whilst playing with religious overtones to expand the atmosphere of the record, there is a deeply human and intrinsic realism that thrives throughout the album. See This Band Has Led Me To Places I Wouldn’t Go With A Gun. Piper here is looking the bull dead in the eye of the struggles and chaos that can come with such an artistic venture. All the while, Can We Watch Something Happy? can be used to remedy so many personal struggles, whether it be anger, anxiety, depression or grief. As we approach songs like blistering My Silence Costs More Than You Can Afford the band won’t stop until you’re bludgeoned and disorientated.
Whilst bizarrely therapeutic considering the juxtaposing intensity, the album is unapologetically in your face and as the band put it best, Unadulterated. By being so unhinged and direct in intent, it will rattle your skull and set your heart pounding.
A follow-up to favourite of the scene EP Discount Fireworks, the album thankfully doesn’t lose touch of its DIY screamo band ethos, but with a newly found focus on melodies and doubling down on the intensity, the band peels open just that little bit more and dare to venture into pastures new. A debut album usually introduces a band fully formed, Unadulterated proves ROMAN CANDLE are just that and more.
Rating: 8/10
Unadulterated is out now via Sumerian Records.
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